A couple more notes about Jim Johnson's impact on the NFL.
I've never been one to spend much time on the passing of a friend or family member. I prefer to celebrate their life and hope they discover what they wished for when they get where they are going. That said, two articles I've read today (both linked to from Football Outsiders) are worth consideration in large part of their celebration of Jim Johnson's career as Eagles Defensive Coordinator.
The first is a note from the Houston Chronicle which contains a diagram of one of the blitz packages the Eagles used against the Steelers, after breaking down the salient points of the diagram the author notes:
While this blitz package certainly put the Eagles defense at risk, Johnson understood how to balance risk/reward. The Steelers had to change how they approached protections against A-gap blitzes for fear that more teams would copy Johnson. Sure enough, the Steelers saw the exact same blitz package from another team later in the season, but the Steelers had learned their lesson after being schooled by Johnson.
The whole entry is worth a read, check it out (also linked from the fanshots by bullpen116).
The other article is written by one of the Football Outsider's main contributors Doug Farrar and was published on hs blog for the Washington Post Smarter Stats. Farrar runs down the remarkable statistical dominance that Johnson's Eagles Defenses have had over the past ten years, but he concludes his piece by suggesting:
My hope is that Johnson's legacy and memory brings more visibility to all great assistant coaches - including and especially to the Hall of Fame voters. Assistant coaches are a woefully underrepresented class in Canton, and this needs to change.
Johnson's name wouldn't be a bad place to start.
Anyway read Doug's post and be marvel at the consistency Jim got from his defenses.
Jim Johnson was never a head coach, he never wanted to be one. Should that preclude his inclusion in the Hall of Fame? Are Johnson's innovations enough to warrant his inclusion into the Hall? I'd say yes, but I'm just a fan. What about Peter King and his compatriots? We shall see.
0 recs |
8 comments
|
Comments
WHY
Why are the top headlines today on yahoo sports and nfl.com about favre and vick and not about one of the biggest influences in todays NFL, the late great Jim Johnson.
by fitzy first on Jul 29, 2009 6:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
why because there a bunch of idiots everyone hates philly because they say we are the worst fans but everyone has bad fans
by fly eagles fly on Jul 29, 2009 9:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I’m still pissed at ESPN for their coverage of this sad event. I remember when the people at ESPN used to be true fans of all sports, but now it seems they are ratings puppets just like CNN, FOX News, and other news conglomerates.
Sure, they are running a business, but they are going about it the wrong way. For the last 5 years, maybe even longer, they have done nothing but repeat uninteresting stories ad nauseum. No, I don’t give a shit about Brett Farve. No, I don’t give a shit about Tony Romo playing golf with Tiger. I sure as hell don’t give a shit about Michael Vick putting his life back together. What I DO give a shit about is an iconic sports figure dying, whether they are wearing green or not.
The problem is, they must have thought the Jim Johnson story would get poor ratings because it caters to such a small audience (Eagles fans). But all the posts on this site from fans of opposing teams giving their condolences shows that this was more of a “national” headline than Brett Farve leaving the game ever was.
"THIS IS NOT COLLEGE NO MORE. THIS IS THE BIG MAN SPORT." ~Crazy Lady on BGN forums
by southjersey89 on Jul 29, 2009 10:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
p.s. sorry to hijack your post by changing the subject. I did read those articles and I recommend others do the same. I hope our teams honors JJ with the ultimate season.
"THIS IS NOT COLLEGE NO MORE. THIS IS THE BIG MAN SPORT." ~Crazy Lady on BGN forums
by southjersey89 on Jul 29, 2009 10:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m pretty sure that the first article I linked opined as you do (excluding the ratings meme of course)…
I am totally on board with your “ratings” take. I recently ranted to my wife when a late local CO news cast was running down a murder in California. “Wasn’t there some ballot issue in Boulder they could cover instead?” I said, “Oh right – ratings.”
I could go on, but would rather not turn into a raving loon here…
by cavortingEagle on Jul 29, 2009 11:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes... Yes... HOF worfthy
E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!
by Joe_D on Jul 30, 2009 9:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I'm a Cowboys fan...
and I say he should be in the HOF
We should know – having to face those blitzes year after year.
And the mediots don’t know what they are talking about – hence the true (non-tabloid) fans are all moving to the blogs.
"Where's Woody? - We need another Darren Woodson
by BoyfromOz on Jul 30, 2009 11:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

by 












