Michael Johnson Swimming Upstream
October 4th, 2014
Lovie Smith says Michael Johnson may never be 100 percent this season.
Joe was among a lot of guys. He was impatient with Michael Johnson. The man the Bucs dropped bags of Team Glazer cash on in order to lure him to Tampa Bay was hailed by the new Lovie Smith administration as the savior of a putrid pass rush.
Until last week, Johnson was anything but a savior. He was invisible, which is hard to do being as tall as he is.
To be fair, last week Johnson exploded and got a pair of sacks on Ben Roethlisberger at Heinz Field. For another fairness point, Johnson injured his ankle in the opening moments of the season opener against the Stinking Panthers. It is an injury Bucs coach Lovie Smith suggests may hinder Johnson all season.
“Limited? Yes. He was limited last week too though,” Lovie said when asked about Johnson practicing on his bum wheel. “He hasn’t taken all the reps this week, but [he is] improving. Ankle [injuries] normally linger for a while. Once you get one during the season, you’ll never be one hundred percent again. But hopefully if he’s up and ready to go it won’t affect him that much.”
It is a bummer that Johnson, who the Bucs invested much faith and hops in, likely won’t be 100 percent all season. Now Joe doesn’t know if this is just Lovie cushioning Johnson for a possible subpar season or not.
Remember, it was Johnson who Lovie first targeted and placed the highest priority on signing when the free agent dinner bell rang.
October 4th, 2014 at 3:19 pm
Of course he was invisible. He was hurt and on the sidelines. Dude played 1/2 a game without a sack and joe acts like he’s played an entire season for us without doing a thing. It’s early in the season joe. In the words of Aaron Rodgers, RELAX.
October 4th, 2014 at 3:28 pm
He may have been hurt but he was hardly on the sidelines.
Johnson played nearly the entire first game and only missed the Lambs game. Not like he wasn’t on the field.
October 4th, 2014 at 3:34 pm
Give him props for that Pittsburgh game. But he’s gotta keep it up. Getting paid too much money to perform like Stylez G. White.
October 4th, 2014 at 3:37 pm
Well at least after a breakout game with 2 sacks and some good plays against the run as well (and still not really close to 100%) – you can no longer say (who?) after every mention of Johnson’s name. Bad ankle sprains are worse than a break in many ways and tend to linger and get tweaked when pushed – so no, Lovie is not “cushioning” him Joe.
Remember when Brooks badly sprained his ankle? That was the one year he did not play very well for quite a few games – and even though he played through it and didn’t miss a game – I remember watching him in a couple games and thinking he was hurting his team by being out there obviously hobbled like that.
October 4th, 2014 at 3:37 pm
It’s too late for that now!!! You can’t go out and look dominant with a two sack game on a bad ankle then come back the next week and use the injury as an excuse. The ankle excuse died in the Pittsburgh game.
October 4th, 2014 at 3:53 pm
The play it happened on was UGLY. I thought he was done for the year. Same for ASJ.
October 4th, 2014 at 3:59 pm
I don’t know that you can consider that a break out game…he was unblocked on his first sack, thats a gimmie. So he has earned 1 sack in three games, he’s still got to prove he’s not a bust as far as I’m concerned.
October 4th, 2014 at 4:14 pm
Sounds like that time we paid 16mil and our drafting future to rehab Revis
October 4th, 2014 at 4:15 pm
Fair point Shane. Although even a non-blocked attempt at sacking Roethlisberger is no gimme. Dude is hard to bring down.
Sack #s is what largely defines a DE whether that is appropriate or not. So in 3 games – all of which he played at less than 100%, Johnson has 2/3rds of his sack total from last year. 2 Sacks in 1 game with none previous would easily be considered a “breakout game” for any DE. Glennon’s interception last week was hardly legit – but it still counts “against” him.
October 4th, 2014 at 4:25 pm
Shane Marco Says:
October 4th, 2014 at 3:59 pm
I don’t know that you can consider that a break out game…he was unblocked on his first sack, thats a gimmie. So he has earned 1 sack in three games, he’s still got to prove he’s not a bust as far as I’m concerned.
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Prove it! Him and mccoy both. Can’t be giving up 20+ points per game playing tampa 2 much less 56. The whole def has a lot of work to do starting at the coordinator. Let’s not forget that David had 5ints and 5 sacs last year lets use that man correctly.
October 4th, 2014 at 4:49 pm
12 games left to get at least 7 more to be acceptable by Joes standard.
The standard was set by Michael Bennett, correct?
I mean we’ve heard two summers now how letting Bennett go was such a mistake, but Johnson has only played a fourth of the season so far and is on par and averaging the amount he needs to reach the bar set by Bennett.
The most sacks Bennett got for the Bucs in a season was 9, so that should be the bar.
October 4th, 2014 at 5:26 pm
I hate the Saints, I hate their fans, I hate Drew Brees and I hate Sean Payton. If we only win two more games this year I want it them both to be against the Saints. Did i mention I really hate the saints?
October 4th, 2014 at 5:42 pm
Injured is still injured. Not to make excuses for the guy but he was hurt. He didn’t play every down either. So yes he was on the sidelines a lot. Even against the steelers he was rotated in and out a lot.
October 4th, 2014 at 5:42 pm
Not sure where Joe should start you are so all over the map. Joe can only hope you’ve had a few.
Name one person who clapped at the time — and is still applauding — the Bucs letting go of Bennett. Hurry up. Who? Good luck finding anyone (including the Super Bowl champs who he starts for — but not good enough to start for the sh!tty Bucs).
Michael Johnson signed a $43.75 million contract ($24 million guaranteed). A guy the Bucs went after even before the free agent dinner bell rang. He was their prime target. The Bucs even bragged about it.
Michael Bennett was a find off the street.
God forbid Joe expects a player to remotely live up to his contact; something Bennett did — and does.
October 4th, 2014 at 5:45 pm
Joe. I to thought of Michael Johnson as a bust. Now I am in a wait and see mode. Hopefully he continues to achieve or improve on his performance in last weeks game.
October 4th, 2014 at 5:45 pm
Pickgrin:
Brooks had a whole lot of street cred built up. Can’t compare the two.
To be honest, on the first series last week, Joe noticed Johnson at the bottom of a pile and folks rolled up on his ankle. He was in some serious pain. Didn’t get up for a while. But he sucked it up. That impressed Joe.
October 4th, 2014 at 5:49 pm
I hate the Saints, Brees and Payton also. They did’nt bother me when they stunk like all get out. Make them stink tomorrow Bucs!
October 4th, 2014 at 5:51 pm
It is extremely hard to beat the Saints in their dome and we need all hands on board the pirate ship to take the Saints this time. Sure glad we got Murphy back with Evans out. Glennon needs to keep his confidence up to give us any chance at a win.
October 4th, 2014 at 6:37 pm
“It is a bummer that Johnson, who the Bucs invested much faith and hops in…”
I knew they gave up a lot of cash, but to give up the beer too and only get 2 sacks out of 4 games is tragic. The strip against the Stillers was sweet, though.
October 4th, 2014 at 7:26 pm
I think long term Johnson is going to payoff big for Bucs because he will get more acclimated to the wide 9 rush technique.
I believe he will eventually dominate.
October 4th, 2014 at 8:01 pm
Saint fans are so cocky and self entitled they absoulutely disgust me! They walk around like they’re gods gift to the NFL and they swear that they are hands down, no discussion far superior to the rest of the NFC South. I cant wait for Drew Brees to go downhill so the wheels will fall right off of their $hitty lil bandwagon! Kinda reminds me of Red Sux fans except without the rich history. PATHETIC!
October 4th, 2014 at 9:09 pm
Saint fan memories are pretty short: they never won a playoff game until 2000 and only won 2 playoff games before their Super Bowl run of 2010. That record makes the Bucs playoff history look like a dynasty!
October 4th, 2014 at 9:33 pm
Called it first! “Nagging injury” excuse all year.
Really needed this dude to play some f**king ball this year.
SMFH!
Go Bucs!
October 4th, 2014 at 10:19 pm
Architek …we don’t agree on Glennon, but we damn sure agree on Johnson. I agree 1000%.
October 4th, 2014 at 10:27 pm
“Kinda reminds me of Red Sux fans except without the rich history. PATHETIC!”
Woa now I’m a Red Sox fan… and we’ve suffered. During the Bucs glory years there was no bigger Bucs shyte talker than me on the planet.
I dominated AOL’s football chat in those days. Once your team(the Bucs) starts effing people up for once. Your going to talk a lot of trash.
Hell after the Fins game last season I was talking trash and we still sucked.
I was going up to Fins fans and saying : “Man I thought MY team sucked”.
October 4th, 2014 at 10:37 pm
I was at RJS for the Saints game 2012 and those fans are obnoxious as hell. I have sat next to opposing fans in the past and it has always been a pleasent expirence, no shyt talking etc. But Saints fans try to get in your face. I hate the saints.
October 4th, 2014 at 10:53 pm
Buc1987 Says:
October 4th, 2014 at 10:19 pm
Architek …we don’t agree on Glennon, but we damn sure agree on Johnson. I agree 1000%.
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1987 – I have to respect the realist in you but I disagree, we do agree on Glennon you just don’t realize it yet 😉
(He’s the Only Option at this point and we need him to be successful but that’s where it stops) hahahahaha
See you in June 2015 draft – 🙂
October 5th, 2014 at 12:19 am
As someone who has injured an ankle I stand behind what Lovie said, unfortunately his ankle won’t be the same until next year so we may never see the real MJ this year. That is not Lovie cushioning his prime free agent target, it’s the just sad truth. The ankle is a very tricky body part to heal after injury, and if our season goes south and the playoffs become out of reach than we need to just put MJ on IR so the injury doesn’t become worse and affect him next year as well.
October 5th, 2014 at 4:20 am
Joe you called for him to early, just like alot of these dumb a**es on here are calling for Lovies head, people on this site are saying they liked Schiano better. Some of your readers Joe really make us look dumb my friend. REALLY DUMB.
October 5th, 2014 at 10:07 am
Ankles are a tough injury. You. Can’t tun, cut or even run properly. It looks like he is coming around based on last week.