It seems Chucky really did have the quarterback laboratory he referenced to the Oakland media last year.

Chucky’s prized experiment in the lab, Josh Johnson, raved about how much he learned from his old head coach in an interview on 1010 AM on Tuesday.

“I had a lot of contact with Coach Gruden,” Johnson said. “He was in all the quarterback meetings. He was hands on with the QBs on and off the field.”

Johnson also detailed his long odds to get to the NFL. While explaining why he wasn’t an NCAA Division I quarterback, Johnson joked about puberty hitting him too late.

“I was 5-11, 145 lbs. as a [senior] quarterback in high school. I looked 12 years old, too,” said Johnson, who stated he only ran a 4.9 second 40-yard dash as high school senior. Johnson went on to explain he grew four inches as a college freshman and shaved nearly half a second off his 40 time.

During the radio broadcast, Clifton Smith called in and surprised Johnson. Smith joked around quite a bit but offered a serious message for fans. “Josh Johnson is one of the best athletes I’ve ever been around. We still have to find ways to get the ball in his hands and make some plays.”

Later talking about the morale and attitude of the Bucs, Johnson said something as simple as Smith’s call-in was evidence of how the Bucs are a strong-knit team. 

Joe can’t help but wonder about Johnson’s future in Tampa and how he lined up as a wide receiver early in the season against Buffalo. Greg Olson even told the St. Pete Times that Johnson had a future at wide receiver. Joe suspects the Bucs will experiment with using Johnson in different roles before the end of the season.