The Arizona Cardinals running back, an All-Pro in 2016, missed last season after dislocating his left wrist in the season opener. The wrist is healed and he is a full participant in the team's weight and conditioning program that began this week.
"I'm very motivated," he said Thursday. "It's not really about (showing) the people out there, it's really about myself and coming back for the team, for my teammates, for the coaches. Everything being so new, it's really about coming back and bouncing back and being able to play the sport."
By new, Johnson means the coaching staff. Bruce Arians, who utilized Johnson almost as much as a receiver as a ball carrier, has retired. New coach Steve Wilks brought in Mike McCoy as offensive coordinator. McCoy has talked about designing an offense around the ability of the players.
And that would mean a lot of David Johnson.
Drafted in the third round out of Northern Iowa in 2015, Johnson's multiple abilities as a runner and a receiver were on full display his second season under Arians' wide-open system.
Johnson led the league in yards from scrimmage and touchdowns in 2016, setting an NFL record by topping 100 yards from scrimmage in each of his first 15 games. He probably would have made it 16 had he not injured a knee in the season finale against the Los Angeles Rams.
The 6-foot-1 Derwin James Color Rush Jersey , 225-pound back rushed for 1,239 yards that season and caught 80 passes for 879 yards. The performance earned him All-Pro honors at the flex position.
Because it was his wrist that was hurt in the opener at Detroit, Johnson could still run and do other workouts designed for him by strength and conditioning coach Buddy Morris, who was retained by the new staff. Johnson said he probably is in the best shape of his life.
"We seen David all of last year, seeing him work out, running the field. We thought he could play every Sunday," teammate Patrick Peterson said. "He's always looking good. That guy's a freak of nature. I know he can't wait to get back on the field."
Getting Johnson in the weight room is no problem. Getting him not to overdo it is a challenge.
"He's a freak," Morris said. "I will never, ever take credit for anything David Johnson (does). I have to protect David from David to be honest with you, because he always wants to load the bar with more and more and more weight."
Johnson said he does that sometimes just to see Morris' reaction.
"I've always been a hard lifter in the weight room, ever since high school," Johnson said. "Buddy yesterday was telling me not to put so much on the squat rack, but sometimes I'm hard at listening to what he is saying. I know he has my best interest, but sometimes I feel like I need to put more weight on Authentic Thomas Rawls Jersey , and I like to get under his skin a little bit because it rattles him and he starts using these huge words that no one understands."
Being hurt, Johnson said, was "a blessing in disguise" because he's been able to spend so much time with his young son. There was no father in the picture when Johnson was growing up.
"That I didn't have a father figure in my life, it really pushed me to do everything I can for him," he said, "be at every milestone, be there for anything that's going on in his life. I've seen the little things, like his teeth growing, him walking, crawling, his laughing, just being there for every little thing that happens in his life. "
The Latest on the Supreme Court ruling striking down a federal law that bars gambling on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states (all times local):10:45 p.m.
The Supreme Court has cleared the way for states to legalize betting on sports http://www.billsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jeremy-kerley-jersey , breaking a longtime ban and creating a potential financial boon for states and the gambling industry. The first bets could be placed within weeks.
The high court has struck down a federal law that had barred betting on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states. States that want to take advantage of the ruling now will generally have to pass legislation to allow sports books to open.
Sports leagues had expressed concerns about any expansion of sports gambling. But the ruling also could be seen as bringing a popular activity out of the shadows. Americans wager about $150 billion on sports each year illegally, according to the American Gaming Association.
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6:15 p.m.
An oddsmaker at one Las Vegas resort sees little chance that betting in other states will siphon business away from Las Vegas.
Westgate race and sports book chief Jay Kornegay calls Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing sports betting in states an opportunity for which sports books have been preparing for a long time.
Kornegay says tourists don’t just come to Las Vegas to wager at the sports book. They also visit restaurants, casino tables, stores, pool venues, theaters and nightclubs.
Kornegay predicts crowd will still come for big events like the NCAA basketball March Madness tournament, the NFL Super Bowl, boxing and mixed martial arts fights, and the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup horse races.
He says people who are introduced to legal gambling in their home states might then want to visit Las Vegas.
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5:50 p.m.
Casino operator MGM Resorts International does not expect the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on sports betting to have a negative impact on the Las Vegas market.
CEO Jim Murren tells The Associated Press the company has polled customers in focus groups around the U.S. and found that widespread sports betting opportunities will not keep fans from traveling to the nation’s gambling mecca.
Murren says people will want to visit the market leader, which will take them to Las Vegas’ sports books.
The Las Vegas-based company operates more than 10 properties there and several more in the U.S. and abroad.
Murren says the ruling will increase consumer interest in sports.
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5:45 p.m.
An executive with a company that owns casinos in 18 states and Ontario, Canada, says the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on sports gambling could begin a ”land rush” for states to enact sports wagering laws.
Penn National Gaming senior vice president Eric Schippers says West Virginia is already at work on regulations to enable sports betting in that state by the start of the NFL season in September.
Penn National operates the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races Dorance Armstrong Jr. Color Rush Jersey , about 60 miles west of Washington, D.C.
The company also operates the Tropicana resort on the Las Vegas Strip and the M Resort in suburban Henderson, Nevada.
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4:15 p.m.
Longtime sportscaster Brent Musburger says prohibition didn’t work with liquor and prohibition didn’t work for sports betting.
The former ESPN announcer now heads a sports betting broadcast called Vegas Stats and Information Network.
He’s calling Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling on sports betting in states a healthy thing for sports and the public.
Musburger says sports betting and influence scandals are rare, and all that bookmakers in Las Vegas want is integrity and honesty.
He says the ruling takes sports betting ”out of the underground and makes it mainstream.”
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3:50 p.m.
Casino giant Caesars Entertainment says you can bet it will expand its sports wagering business to states where it says secure and responsible gambling is legalized.
It’s not talking yet about details.
Company president and chief executive Mark Frissora says Monday’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court could end illegal sports wagering by replacing it with a well-regulated alternative that sports fans can trust.
Las Vegas-based Caesars operates 47 casinos in 13 U.S. states and five countries.
Frissora says the company will announce its specific approach to adding sports books after regulations evolve from the court ruling.
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3:45 p.m.
New Jersey lawmakers have introduced new legislation that would regulate and tax sports betting, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states to legalize it.
A bill sponsored Monday by Democratic state Senate president Steve Sweeney and others would set an 8 percent tax rate for bets made in person at casinos and racetracks, and 12.5 percent on online bets.
The state Division of Gaming Enforcement, Casino Control Commission, and state Racing Commission would all be involved in regulating sports bets that would be placed through casinos and racetracks.
The bill would presumably supplant one introduced last week that would have paid an ”integrity fee” to the sports leagues, in effect giving them a cut of the proceeds from sports betting.
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2:40 p.m.
The National Council on Problem Gambling says the high court ruling offers the largest potential expansion of gambling in U.S. history, and predicts many more people will develop gambling problems or worsen existing ones unless steps are taken to minimize risks.
Marlene Warner, the group’s .
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