Posts tagged BradJohnson at FanHouse

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: We know that Tony Romo isn't a fluke. He stepped in last year and had another fantastic season, setting team records in the process. There are questions remaining about distractions (Romessica) and winning a playoff game (none in his two years) which Romo must answer if he wants to take a place among the NFL's elite. Dallas is putting all their eggs in that basket as the only fallback if Romo gets hurt is 39-yr old Brad Johnson who isn't quite the risk taker. Heat Index: 9

Running backs: It's rare when a team loses their starting running back and everyone is fine with the position. Julius Jones is gone, but rookie Felix Jones is in. Jones (Felix) will get a ton of carries this season to keep Marion Barber fresh. Barber, who only started the Cowboys' playoff game, is the NFL's version of Mariano Rivera -- he dominates late in games and finishes drives off. Jones and Barber will combined for that classic "lightning and thunder" combo and should be quite successful doing it in what supposed to be a more run-friendly offense. Heat Index: 7

Before their abbreviated hibernation prior to training camp, the Dallas Morning News' Cowboys Blog caught up with owner Jerry Jones and unearthed this nugget:

A few weeks ago you said you would be open to getting a backup QB. You still trying to do that? "All the confidence. A lot of confidence in Brad. Had real good camps and real good work."

That's Brad Johnson. All 39 years of him. Blogging the Boys asks if "is anybody else as confident about Brad Johnson as Jerry is?" and the answer, obviously, is hell to da naw.

The Cowboys have two things in their favor, however: first, Tony Romo is resilient (bangs on wood). He's started 26 consecutive games since taking over for Drew Bledsoe midway through the 2006 season. In that time he's been sacked 45 times (or just two times fewer than Ben Roethlisberger ... in 2007), and had to play with various nicks and bruises.

Second, yes, Johnson's a fossil, but that's just a pejorative; the half-glass-full set would call him experienced. Sure, he had a rough go of it in Minnesota in '06, but that had just as much to do with those around him as his inability to complete a pass of more than seven yards.

The Cowboys feature a few more offensive weapons than that Vikings team, so there's that. Still, if Dallas is without Romo for any extended period, their odds of losing in the postseason get substantially longer. That said, given the names currently floating around free agency, I'm not sure the Cowboys could do much better than Johnson.

With all their offseason wheelings and dealings, the Cowboys are virtually guaranteed a leisurely stroll through the regular season on their way to the Super Bowl. Which is why this could've potentially made things much more interesting: "[Yesterday at practice] Tony Romo had his left hand cut after colliding with a defender and getting stepped on."

Disaster averted, however:

Romo was examined by head athletic trainer Jim Maurer before taking some snaps from Andre Gurode. He returned to practice with his ring and middle fingers taped.

Romo did not speak after practice, but the injury didn't appear to affect his play. Last year, Romo dealt with a right thumb injury suffered late in the season.

Nothing screams "Well, there goes any chance at the postseason," like the vision of Brad Johnson jogging onto the field as the first-team quarterback. The Dallas Morning News' Jean-Jacques Taylor summed it up nicely in May 2008 column:

[Johnson's] arm strength hardly inspires confidence. Obviously, he knows what to do and where to go with the ball, but you couldn't possibly watch Johnson in training camp and the preseason last year and have confidence in his ability to get the ball downfield.

Johnson has made a career of proving critics wrong (well, except when he was benched for Tarvaris Jackson in Minnesota*); still, Romo has been resilient since taking over for Drew Blesdoe in 2006 -- he's made 22 consecutive starts despite a thumb injury last season -- so hopefully it'll never get to that point.

* Not exactly true

This is the time of year where no rumor is too preposterous to be dismissed out of hand. Partly because we're so far away from the draft and the finalization of rosters that anything's possible, and also because there's not much else going on now that the 2007 season is officially over.

I figure it's a coping mechanism to help fans make it through the month of February, or at the very least, make it to the combine, which starts in nine days.

Michael David Smith wrote yesterday that the Buccaneers could be in the market for a franchise quarterback with their first-round pick. There's no urgency to fill the position -- Jeff Garcia is penciled in as the starter in 2008 -- but beyond next season who knows.

With the Bucs selecting 20th overall, the pickings are sure to be slim; Matt Ryan will be long gone, and after that there's no bona fide quarterback on the draft board (at least as of mid-February). Another option is free agency. But again, there's not much to choose from. Doesn't mean it hurts to look, though:

Terry Glenn is finally making his return to the Cowboys' lineup, after missing the previous 16 weeks with two arthroscopic knee surgeries. This is good news for a couple of reasons: Terrell Owens is recovering from a high-ankle sprain suffered on Saturday night against the Panthers; and Glenn is one of Dallas' best deep threats when he's healthy.

More good news: the Cowboys have clinched homefield throughout the playoffs so Sunday's season finale could turn into nothing more than a glorified scrimmage for everybody save Brad Johnson and the Redskins. Glenn can ease his way back on the field, take a week off, and hopefully be close to form with the NFC Divisional round rolls around.

For some insight into how head coach Wade Phillips plans to use Glenn on Sunday, here's what he told the Dallas media two days ago:

"As a wide receiver," Wade Phillips said, pausing for courtesy laughter from reporters. "Split him out and throw it to him."

It's that kind of coaching, people, that results in 12-win seasons. Seriously, Phillips did say Glenn wouldn't play every snap, but they will try to get him involved in the offense. Presumably because a team can always use a player of Glenn's talent, particularly if T.O. isn't completely healthy in two weeks time.

Here's the deal: when the Bears beat the Packers in the Freezing Wind Bowl last week, it locked up homefield throughout the playoffs for the Cowboys. With one game to go in the regular season, the Redskins, Saints and Vikings are vying for the last NFC wild-card spot.

If Washington wins, they're in. Minnesota will need to beat Denver in Week 17 and then hope that Dallas can muster up the energy to give the 'Skins a game. In most cases, when a team has a postseason bid wrapped up and a few ailing starters, it's Operation Shutdown. But Minnesota's hopes aren't dead yet. Even if Tony Romo gets pulled for backup Brad Johnson:

Traded by the Vikings to Washington before the 1999 season, Johnson spent two years with that franchise. He led the Redskins to the playoffs in his first season and was named to the Pro Bowl, but Washington decided to go with Jeff George following 2000 and Johnson left as a free agent.

Johnson's feelings toward the Redskins and owner Daniel Snyder were made clear after he led the Vikings to a 19-16 victory in the 2006 opener at FedEx Field. As Johnson dressed in the visitor's locker room following that Monday night game, he donned his old Redskins jersey and proudly headed toward the team bus with the grin of a Cheshire cat.

That's the thing about Jeff George. He has the potential to screw you out of the postseason even when he's not playing. Actually, if Brad Johnson is performing at the same level as he did with the Vikings last season, the Redskins will be playing next week. It doesn't matter how much he hates Dan Snyder. Plus, if Minnesota hadn't laid an egg last week, this wouldn't even be an issue.

To get you ready for week 7, FanHouse is previewing all of this week's games. Here is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Detroit Lions preview.

2007 Records:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4-2 (t-1st in NFC South)
Detroit Lions: 3-2 (2nd in NFC North)

Last Game:

Bucs 13, Titans 10
Redskins 34, Lions 3

When the Bucs have the ball: Jeff Garcia hasn't thrown an interception this year. But although the Lions rank 29th in overall defense and 31st in points allowed per game, they're second in interceptions. They'll have to work a little harder this week though, because there's been some smack talk coming from Garcia's former employers. Garcia, like Rich Gannon and Brad Johnson before, seems rejuvenated under Jon Gruden. But it's the rest of the backfield that might feast on the Lions' defense this week. The Lions are allowing 115 yards per game on the ground and seven touchdowns with those scores coming in four out of five games. Michael Bennett will probably be eased in slowly as the new Bucs back, so this should be one large game for Earnest Graham.

Yes, Rex Grossman had a rough go of it Monday night. The thing is, his evening got off to a nice start -- he completed a few passes, earned a few compliments courtesy of Ron Jaworski, and then, in the span of 25 snaps, Rex muffed two snaps, lost a fumble, and threw pick. And it happened so fast. The guy makes a few plays, gets a little confidence, and then -- BAM! REXPLOSION!!

But here's the thing: the Bears don't need Grossman to be Tom Brady. Hell, they don't need him to be Jon Kitna. They just need him to -- wait for it -- manage the game. Kinda like Brad Johnson with the '02 Bucs, or Trent Dilfer with the '00 Ravens. Grossman had his moments last year -- he didn't play like crap for 17 consecutive weeks -- it's just that he's too inconsistent.

Grossman unevenness aside, CBSSportsLine.com's Mike Freeman tries to make the case 10 different ways for why the Bears as the NFL's next dynasty. I'd hold off on changing the letterhead, but there's no reason to think Chicago won't make it back to the playoffs. As Freeman writes, the NFC is a joke of a conference, Brian Urlacher ain't a bad guy to have playing middle linebacker, the Bears have quality depth, organizational stability, and some dude named Devin Hester.

Grossman is obviously an important piece to the team's success. But if he struggles -- and there's no reason to think he won't -- there's always Brian Griese/Kyle Orton. Not exactly Earl Morrall, but Grossman ain't Brian's dad, either.

Brad Johnson signed a deal with the Cowboys on Monday night, inking Brad Johnson to a three-year deal. The team had just released Drew Bledsoe for salary cap (and effectiveness, I suppose) reasons, and though contract terms aren't available, I'm assuming Johnson came pretty cheap.

The downside here for the Cowboys is that Johnson is completely immobile and has no arm strength. The upside is that Tony Romo won't have to spend any time worrying about his status as the starter. He could botch the next forty-five extra-point attempts, and stab the holder in the neck on the last one, and I still don't think Brad Johnson would be an attractive alternative.

It's odd because Johnson didn't want to accept that he didn't have the starting job handed to him in Minnesota. Surely he knows that Tony Romo is option 1a, 1b, and 1c in Dallas, right? I'm assuming that he hit the open market and quickly came to realize that no team out there--at least not a team that doesn't play indoors on a 50-yard field with nets and no sidelines-- was going to give him a starting job.

I don't mean to crack on Johnson too hard. He's a smart player, and you could do much worse at the backup QB position. But it seems like the Cowboys would have been better off to try to work something out with Bledsoe, who already knows the system and has a rapport with the rest of them ... and if Brad Johnson thought he was getting a starting job somewhere, he was nuts.

Entering this Sunday's game, the Lions and Vikings are both reeling. The Lions, who can' t find the means necessary to preserve a lead or win a game during the fourth quarter, and the Vikings, whose offense has fallen flat during the second half of the season and are possibly going to make a change at quarterback this week, are both on a major season-ending skid. This may be the last remaining winnable game for the Lions on their schedule this season.

The Lions offense must find a way to limit their turnovers. Fourth quarter turnovers have especially prevented the Lions from enjoying any success during this season. The Vikings have a stout run defense that will likely limit Kevin Jones from gaining significant rushing yards this week. The Lions must stick to running the ball occasionally, but will likely find their most success attacking the Minnesota secondary. The Lions patchwork offensive line will have to provide QB Jon Kitna with the time necessary to operate under this scenario. This game is likely to be a time of possession, field position battle, unless one team coughs the ball up too much, in which case, the recipient of those turnovers will likely have a decided advantage.

Defensively, the struggling Minnesota offense will likely continue to be dumbed down, as QB Brad Johnson struggles in the passing game. With that in mind, the Lions likely can load up the box to attempt to prevent RB Chester Taylor from enjoying much success. If the Lions can limit Taylor and force the game onto Johnson's shoulders, or rookie QB Tavaris Jackson should Johnson falter, they may have a realistic chance for victory. The Vikings will likely attempt to exploit the middle of the Lions zone defense, which has been soft all year, with crossing passes to TE Jermaine Wiggins or deep passes to WR's Marcus Robinson or Troy Williamson.

I have lost any residual hope that I harbor for the Lions this year. The Lions will need a superlative effort, along with a little luck, to beat an ailing Vikings team. The Lions gave a valiant effort for three quarters last week amidst a poor performance by the Patriots, it is up to the Vikings if they want to allow the Lions another opportunity for victory.

Vikings 21 Lions 13