patmoran2006
12-30-2010, 12:22 PM
Got a chance to talk to Mr. Johnson yesterday.
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Sometimes there’s a price to pay for individuals in the NFL when your team isn’t successful. Such is the case with charismatic Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson. Toiling in obscurity after being planted near the bottom of the depth his first two years in the league, Johnson went ballistic in 2010 with a memorable season on the field… and similarly unforgettable off it.
On the field Johnson is on the verge of making Bills history. He has 10 touchdown catches with Sunday’s game remaining against the New York Jets. If he can take one more pass to the end zone from Ryan Fitzpatrick (or Brian Brohm if Fitzpatrick can’t go), he’ll tie the team-record of 11 TD receptions set by Bill Brooks in 1995.
As it stands he’s one of just four Bills receivers ever to accumulate 10 touchdowns and over 1,000 yards receiving in the same season (Eric Moulds, Andre Reed, Elbert Dubenion.)
You want to talk about growth? Johnson had 12 catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns his first two seasons under Dick Jauron and Perry Fewell. With Chan Gailey taking over, Johnson has 77 receptions for 1,001 yards and 10 scores in 2010— in 15 games.
Still, it wasn’t enough to land him in the Pro Bowl. When the rosters were announced Tuesday night Johnson, along with every member of his team, were excluded from the invite list.
Bills running back Fred Jackson thinks the omission was a mistake. Based on player reaction from opposing teams he’s heard all season, Jackson strongly feels a spot for Johnson was warranted.
“I think just what he has done,” Jackson said. ”With the opportunity he has gotten this year. I heard it from every team we played this year, somebody from that team told me that that guy was really impressive and he’s going to be a great receiver in the National Football League. Kyle (Williams) has played well the entire time he’s been one of our starting guys. Those two definitely are two guys that I feel definitely could have been in the Pro Bowl.”
It’s tough to leave out one of the four AFC receivers who made the team. Brandon Lloyd is leading the NFL for Denver with 1,375 yards. Dwayne Bowe (Kansas City) has a league-best 15 touchdowns to go with 1,094 yards. Andre Johnson (Houston) has been studly as ever (ask Cortland Finnegan) and Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis) has 102 catches for 1,287 yards, which is as common as snowfall in Buffalo.
Fitzpatrick accredited the competition at receiver in AFC being substantial and believes all who made it were well-deserving.
“Yeah, every year is so tough with the competition,” Fitzpatrick said. ”If you look at the receivers that are going, they’re all such good players. It’s just one of those things with Stevie, he’s had a great year and I think a lot of it was unexpected around the league from anybody outside of this building. We knew he could do it. I think (we) just need to make sure he continues to improve and get better and build upon the season that he’s had this year. I think he’s a special player and I’m glad that people have been able to see that this year.”
Johnson insists energy and excitement… not numbers, was his goal entering 2010.
“Well yeah, my goals weren’t anything numbers wise,” Johnson said. ”I talked to a few friends and they had a few numbers for me. (My goal) was just to bring that energy and excitement to Buffalo and I feel like I’ve done that. Everybody knows that I’m not getting paid that much, I’m a seventh rounder, but I took those fines for the fans and everybody so they can have fun and see that this is a new Buffalo Bills team and I feel like I’ve done that.”
Johnson undoubtedly brought energy and excitement during game days and on more than one occasion, well after the final gun sounded.
He became a household name around the league overnight after catching eight passes for 137 yards and three scores as Buffalo erased a huge halftime deficit and stunned the Bengals, 49-31. He instantly grew incredibly popular after the “Why So Serious” tee shirt revelation following a score, clearly directed at the self-proclaimed Batman and Robin tandem of Chad OchoCinco and former teammate Terrell Owens. The routine earned him a national journey around the media that week; appearing on almost every major sports television and radio broadcast across America.
Perhaps the sudden attention go to his head as just days later Johnson would have his first personal NFL nightmare. Tied with Pittsburgh in overtime, Fitzpatrick lofted a perfect pass to Johnson in the right corner of the end zone after he got past Ryan Clark. The ball hit Johnson perfectly in stride in his hands… before slipping directly through them. Buffalo would go on to lose the game and the infamous drop made every highlight show for all the wrong reasons.
Of course, the Johnson legend only grew later when he tweeted a comment many perceived as him blaming God for the drop.
Theatrics aside, it’s been a breakout season for the former seventh-rounder out of Kentucky.
“I think it’s pretty good,” Johnson said. ”One more game left, hey what the heck, let’s go out and try to get more yards and more touchdowns but as a team let’s try to end it with a victory like we did last year.”
Gailey has been happy with the development of Johnson and while it was unanticipated by most, count Gailey among the minority. One of the first things Gailey did after being named head coach was get together with general manager Buddy Nix and gruelingly begin to dissect the roster he inherited. After finishing the project, Gailey (among others) thought it was best to move forward without Owens and Josh Reed and give Johnson an opportunity to become a starting receiver.
It was a good move. Johnson may have inherited the number two spot along Lee Evans early in camp, but his play kept him there. Johnson outperformed former second round draft picks James Hardy and Chad Jackson to keep his starting spot— and both competitors were given pink slips before the preseason was over.
In recent weeks, Gailey quietly did a little old fashioned lobbying for both Johnson and Williams to make the Pro Bowl, but publicly concedes the poor won/loss Bills record is a major hindrance when a player like Johnson is on the fence.
“There’s a couple of guys that have played maybe well enough to have made it, but in general you have to win more games,” Gailey said. ”That’s the bottom line. You have to get on Sunday night or Monday night or Thursday – something that gives a little bit more national exposure. Those are the things that help you make that.”
While Johnson will be thinking of many things after Sunday’s finale, he alleges a new contract extension won’t be one of them.
“It’s only one year that I’ve done this,” Johnson said..” There are guys that have done it two, three maybe four years before they even got extensions or contracts or stuff like that. It’s only one year.”
Johnson is saying all the right things when talking about a new deal, but other factors suggest Nix may want to get the ball started sometime soon. Johnson is completing the third of a four-year rookie deal signed in 2008 and his base salary this season was just $470,000.
Next year his salary takes an ever-so modest bump to $550,000 and then he’s scheduled to become a free agent in 2012. Depending on the next CBA deal, that could easily make him unrestricted.
Whether fans like it or not, the organization has a habit of locking up players long-term they feel make up the core of the team. They’ve done it with Chris Kelsay, Kyle Williams and Terrence McGee in recent years.. and would be smart to extend Johnson while the going is still good. If Johnson’s 2011 is like the past several months, the price of poker at One Bills Drive will drastically go up.
Johnson is resolute that any potential contract stuff won’t take from his focus this winter. He simply wants to get better.
“I’ll just continue doing the same thing that I’ve done,” Johnson said.” The only thing about this offseason is I know what I did this year so I can build off that. I know where I could’ve had more yards, more catches, more touchdowns. I’ll be able to work on certain things and come back next year still knowing that what I did last year, I can build on it, I know I left some things out there. That will be something I can help out with as far as this year.”
Part of the reason Johnson is already excited about 2011 are the offensive teammates he sees in the locker room. He’s awful confident the core of Bills receivers along with Fitzpatrick could turn the Bills into a winner.
“With the offense right now, we have a quarterback in Fitzpatrick who’s given everybody chances,” he said. ”We’ve seen the guys at the receiver spots from Donald Jones, David Nelson, and Naaman Roosevelt who no one even knew about and weren’t even drafted who they gave opportunities and chances to. We’ve made the most out of most of our plays that Fitz gave us. Then if you add Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish, who was having a great year until he got injured when we were out in Toronto, we have a pretty corps squad out here in Buffalo, so it’s something to build off of.”
-----------------------------------------------
Sometimes there’s a price to pay for individuals in the NFL when your team isn’t successful. Such is the case with charismatic Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson. Toiling in obscurity after being planted near the bottom of the depth his first two years in the league, Johnson went ballistic in 2010 with a memorable season on the field… and similarly unforgettable off it.
On the field Johnson is on the verge of making Bills history. He has 10 touchdown catches with Sunday’s game remaining against the New York Jets. If he can take one more pass to the end zone from Ryan Fitzpatrick (or Brian Brohm if Fitzpatrick can’t go), he’ll tie the team-record of 11 TD receptions set by Bill Brooks in 1995.
As it stands he’s one of just four Bills receivers ever to accumulate 10 touchdowns and over 1,000 yards receiving in the same season (Eric Moulds, Andre Reed, Elbert Dubenion.)
You want to talk about growth? Johnson had 12 catches for 112 yards and two touchdowns his first two seasons under Dick Jauron and Perry Fewell. With Chan Gailey taking over, Johnson has 77 receptions for 1,001 yards and 10 scores in 2010— in 15 games.
Still, it wasn’t enough to land him in the Pro Bowl. When the rosters were announced Tuesday night Johnson, along with every member of his team, were excluded from the invite list.
Bills running back Fred Jackson thinks the omission was a mistake. Based on player reaction from opposing teams he’s heard all season, Jackson strongly feels a spot for Johnson was warranted.
“I think just what he has done,” Jackson said. ”With the opportunity he has gotten this year. I heard it from every team we played this year, somebody from that team told me that that guy was really impressive and he’s going to be a great receiver in the National Football League. Kyle (Williams) has played well the entire time he’s been one of our starting guys. Those two definitely are two guys that I feel definitely could have been in the Pro Bowl.”
It’s tough to leave out one of the four AFC receivers who made the team. Brandon Lloyd is leading the NFL for Denver with 1,375 yards. Dwayne Bowe (Kansas City) has a league-best 15 touchdowns to go with 1,094 yards. Andre Johnson (Houston) has been studly as ever (ask Cortland Finnegan) and Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis) has 102 catches for 1,287 yards, which is as common as snowfall in Buffalo.
Fitzpatrick accredited the competition at receiver in AFC being substantial and believes all who made it were well-deserving.
“Yeah, every year is so tough with the competition,” Fitzpatrick said. ”If you look at the receivers that are going, they’re all such good players. It’s just one of those things with Stevie, he’s had a great year and I think a lot of it was unexpected around the league from anybody outside of this building. We knew he could do it. I think (we) just need to make sure he continues to improve and get better and build upon the season that he’s had this year. I think he’s a special player and I’m glad that people have been able to see that this year.”
Johnson insists energy and excitement… not numbers, was his goal entering 2010.
“Well yeah, my goals weren’t anything numbers wise,” Johnson said. ”I talked to a few friends and they had a few numbers for me. (My goal) was just to bring that energy and excitement to Buffalo and I feel like I’ve done that. Everybody knows that I’m not getting paid that much, I’m a seventh rounder, but I took those fines for the fans and everybody so they can have fun and see that this is a new Buffalo Bills team and I feel like I’ve done that.”
Johnson undoubtedly brought energy and excitement during game days and on more than one occasion, well after the final gun sounded.
He became a household name around the league overnight after catching eight passes for 137 yards and three scores as Buffalo erased a huge halftime deficit and stunned the Bengals, 49-31. He instantly grew incredibly popular after the “Why So Serious” tee shirt revelation following a score, clearly directed at the self-proclaimed Batman and Robin tandem of Chad OchoCinco and former teammate Terrell Owens. The routine earned him a national journey around the media that week; appearing on almost every major sports television and radio broadcast across America.
Perhaps the sudden attention go to his head as just days later Johnson would have his first personal NFL nightmare. Tied with Pittsburgh in overtime, Fitzpatrick lofted a perfect pass to Johnson in the right corner of the end zone after he got past Ryan Clark. The ball hit Johnson perfectly in stride in his hands… before slipping directly through them. Buffalo would go on to lose the game and the infamous drop made every highlight show for all the wrong reasons.
Of course, the Johnson legend only grew later when he tweeted a comment many perceived as him blaming God for the drop.
Theatrics aside, it’s been a breakout season for the former seventh-rounder out of Kentucky.
“I think it’s pretty good,” Johnson said. ”One more game left, hey what the heck, let’s go out and try to get more yards and more touchdowns but as a team let’s try to end it with a victory like we did last year.”
Gailey has been happy with the development of Johnson and while it was unanticipated by most, count Gailey among the minority. One of the first things Gailey did after being named head coach was get together with general manager Buddy Nix and gruelingly begin to dissect the roster he inherited. After finishing the project, Gailey (among others) thought it was best to move forward without Owens and Josh Reed and give Johnson an opportunity to become a starting receiver.
It was a good move. Johnson may have inherited the number two spot along Lee Evans early in camp, but his play kept him there. Johnson outperformed former second round draft picks James Hardy and Chad Jackson to keep his starting spot— and both competitors were given pink slips before the preseason was over.
In recent weeks, Gailey quietly did a little old fashioned lobbying for both Johnson and Williams to make the Pro Bowl, but publicly concedes the poor won/loss Bills record is a major hindrance when a player like Johnson is on the fence.
“There’s a couple of guys that have played maybe well enough to have made it, but in general you have to win more games,” Gailey said. ”That’s the bottom line. You have to get on Sunday night or Monday night or Thursday – something that gives a little bit more national exposure. Those are the things that help you make that.”
While Johnson will be thinking of many things after Sunday’s finale, he alleges a new contract extension won’t be one of them.
“It’s only one year that I’ve done this,” Johnson said..” There are guys that have done it two, three maybe four years before they even got extensions or contracts or stuff like that. It’s only one year.”
Johnson is saying all the right things when talking about a new deal, but other factors suggest Nix may want to get the ball started sometime soon. Johnson is completing the third of a four-year rookie deal signed in 2008 and his base salary this season was just $470,000.
Next year his salary takes an ever-so modest bump to $550,000 and then he’s scheduled to become a free agent in 2012. Depending on the next CBA deal, that could easily make him unrestricted.
Whether fans like it or not, the organization has a habit of locking up players long-term they feel make up the core of the team. They’ve done it with Chris Kelsay, Kyle Williams and Terrence McGee in recent years.. and would be smart to extend Johnson while the going is still good. If Johnson’s 2011 is like the past several months, the price of poker at One Bills Drive will drastically go up.
Johnson is resolute that any potential contract stuff won’t take from his focus this winter. He simply wants to get better.
“I’ll just continue doing the same thing that I’ve done,” Johnson said.” The only thing about this offseason is I know what I did this year so I can build off that. I know where I could’ve had more yards, more catches, more touchdowns. I’ll be able to work on certain things and come back next year still knowing that what I did last year, I can build on it, I know I left some things out there. That will be something I can help out with as far as this year.”
Part of the reason Johnson is already excited about 2011 are the offensive teammates he sees in the locker room. He’s awful confident the core of Bills receivers along with Fitzpatrick could turn the Bills into a winner.
“With the offense right now, we have a quarterback in Fitzpatrick who’s given everybody chances,” he said. ”We’ve seen the guys at the receiver spots from Donald Jones, David Nelson, and Naaman Roosevelt who no one even knew about and weren’t even drafted who they gave opportunities and chances to. We’ve made the most out of most of our plays that Fitz gave us. Then if you add Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish, who was having a great year until he got injured when we were out in Toronto, we have a pretty corps squad out here in Buffalo, so it’s something to build off of.”