Arizona Cardinals RB Chris Johnson feels good, but isn’t ready to say whether he’ll be a go Sunday

It feels like it’s been a long time coming for Arizona Cardinals running back Chris Johnson, who was signed to a one-year contract with the team nearly two weeks ago.  Much of that, of course, has had to do with a nagging hamstring injury that has sidelined the former 2,000-yard rusher for much of training camp, including the Cardinals’ second preseason game versus San Diego last Saturday.

That storyline, however, appears to be changing.

With Cardinals training camp finally in the books, Johnson fielded questions from media members Friday wondering whether the eight-year pro will take the field this Sunday when the Cards travel to Oakland to take on the Raiders.

“I’m not sure yet,” Johnson said.  “I’m going to go out Sunday and run around and see how it feels and make a decision from there.”

While it might not sound like much of a departure from Johnson being a late scratch from last Saturday’s preseason tilt, Johnson appeared upbeat, saying his balky hamstring felt good as he participated in individual work and ran a few routes Friday.

The bigger challenge, at least in the eyes of those concerned that Johnson is behind from a mental preparedness standpoint, is adjusting to the learning curve of absorbing new offense.  Though Johnson feels it isn’t so much about learning the offense, as it is about getting reps and ultimately finding a rhythm on the field.

“I wouldn’t say I have to learn [the offense].  I pretty much know the scheme as far as zone running scheme, trap, gap scheme and all that.  I pretty much know it.  I’ve been playing in this league so long that I know all those things, it’s just the situation, getting out and getting comfortable getting into a groove.

“I haven’t played any football since last year, so it’s definitely important for me to get out there and get a couple carries and get into a groove and that type of thing.”

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