Josh Johnson Chatter And Jim Harbaugh
January 8th, 2011
When Joe first heard last night that the 49ers hired irritable Jim Harbaugh as their new coach, Joe wondered aloud right away about Bucs “career backup” quarterback Josh Johnson.
Johnson was Harbaugh’s starting quarterback at San Diego (not San Diego State) where the Toreros were undefeated. Much later when Joe got behind his keyboard after paying a visit/gawking to/at Courtney the Bartender, Joe noticed there were quite a few comments in unrelated threads about this very subject.
Joe’s not sure the Bucs will want to part with Johnson very easily.He’s already a secret weapon of sorts who offensive coordinator Greg Olson uses in all sorts of gimmick plays. Olson has even dabbled a few times with Johnson as a wide receiver.
Everything Joe has heard about Johnson is that he is a very intelligent guy. How much Harbaugh may want Johnson is obviously unknown but if Harbaugh wants him bad, let’s just say Joe wouldn’t want to play poker with rock star general manager Mark Dominik if Dominik is playing with a loaded deck.
Joe seems to recall Dominik pulling off perhaps the steal of the decade last year, pilfering a second round pick from the Bears.
January 8th, 2011 at 12:12 pm
JJ would be a great addition to the Niners and a good trade for the Bucs. JJ becomes a free agent the year after next.
January 8th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Joe,
You make an excellent point. I recall that Harbaugh spoke very highly of Johnson coming out of college. With Freeman being so special, I wouldn’t mind phasing out the wildcat formation. Why take your best player off the field ever?
I can see Johnson being moved. Is he anymore of a risk than a Locker, Mallet (shall I say Leftwich II), or Gabbert. If they can pry a third round draft choice from the Niners, I would do it.
January 8th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Trade Josh Johnson & Barrett Ruud for the 49er’s Number 1 draft pick. If that’s too much then trade Johnson and our #20 first round pick for their #7 pick in the first round.
January 8th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Why on earth would they take Barrett Ruud when they have Patrick Willis.
January 8th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Johnson’s a free agent after 2011. I doubt he want to stay in Tampa and be a backup for much longer. Might as well trade him now and get something for him.
At least it’d be ONE Gruden/Allen pick worth a crap…
January 8th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
As much as I would hate to see Johnson go, this would be a good move for him. A familiar coach, another conference. Can’t beat that.
And I think he’s worth a 3rd round pick at most right now. Dominick might fanangle a 2nd though.
January 8th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
UPCOMING DRAFT UPDATE:
Raheem Morris has been a busy man this week, interviewing on ever station that will have him, keeping his name out there in case he has a chance to win coach of the year.
In a recent interview, he stated that the Bucs have two goals in the offseason…protecting their quarterback and getting to the quarterback. He explained that they will continue to build through young players (so don’t expect any older vet FAs coming in).
From the interview, I got the impression he plans to go Offensive Line with the first pick and focus on DEs later in the draft.
I also got the impression that Barrett Ruud will still be here next year.
January 8th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
@Pete If that’s the case I’m in complete agreement.
To be successful we’re going to have to sack their QB and keep our future Pro Bowler clean. If we can do only that this offseason, I’d be a happy man.
January 8th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Bucnjim-
Good luck trading Barrett Ruud since he’s a free agent. Genius.
January 8th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
I say we keep JJ, he completes almost all of his passes now, is very fast and can catch the ball, and I would like to see Olsen come up with a formation that uses JJ and Josh and has blount in the backfield. If JJ lines up as a receiver, how would you cover him? If Josh is hurt, we have JJ. We would have to pay him and should, but he knows this team is going to the SB and he has bought in I bet.
January 8th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
Why would you ever line up Josh Johnson at receiver instead of an actual receiver? What’s the point? So you can run a silly gadget play once every game?
January 8th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
JOE
The Bucs will NOT trade Josh Johnson. He may be a backup but he is an asset to our team. He did everything the Bucs asked of him this season. When Freeman went down during preseason he played verywell. He played very well at the end of games in ‘garbage time’ this year. He is also a key wildcat formation player.
The only way this tradehas a chance of happening is if we get a 2nd round pick AND Micheal Spurlock gets re-signed.
January 8th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
JJ’s gotta stay around. A long time backup may hurt pride but he knows the offense well and if, God forbid, Free gets hurt, JJ is a key playmaker who makes plays w/ his feet…too valueable to give up now.
January 8th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Who would want Rudy Carpenter to start IF, god forbid, Freeman gets hurt?
January 8th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
The problem is he is only under contract for another year and then he will be looking at least for an opportunity to compete for a starting job.
January 8th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
If you can get a 3rd round pick (or a 2nd if Harbaugh REALLY wants his guy) then you take it and run.
If Freeman goes down so does this teams chances of winning with any consistency. Whether the QB is Josh Johnson, Rudy Carpenter or Vinny Testaverde.
January 8th, 2011 at 1:57 pm
I think that all this Wildcaat stuff is to get JJ to stay when the time does come to make a decision. The pitch would be: “you have a whole formation built around you and ur a key asset to this team. U don’t just ride the bench.”
January 8th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
JJ is a solid backup.
January 8th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
buc just picked up option on Rah.
January 8th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
THE BUCS PICKED UP ON MORRIS’S OPTION WHICH WAS FOR 2 YEARS.
January 8th, 2011 at 2:47 pm
Why would Johnson stay here and be a backup?
He’s moving on eventually. Might as well get a 3rd or 4th rounder instead of nothing this time next year.
January 8th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
JJ and our 2nd for Patrick Willis.
January 8th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
gitarlvr,
I guess you’ll have to change that Ruud poster you’ve been fantasizing about for all these years. Get back to me when you’ve spanked your way out of puberty……Genious
January 8th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
where are you all reading that the Bucs have picked up the option with rah? ive checked all buc fan websites.
January 8th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
http://twitter.com/NFLSTROUD/status/23805113554444288
January 8th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Torn here, but would love to see us get a high pick to use on a pass rusher or o-line beast and see Josh succeed somewhere.
January 8th, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Random Note: I wish Antonio Bryant would have had a monster season with the Bengals. Because if he would have, we would have gotten a consolation pick in the draft, most likely 3rd or 4th round…:(
January 8th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
Keep Johnson, He has similar play making skills as Freeman, is he as good as Freeman NO! But he can make all the throws and has good vision and fast feet. Will he want to be the starting QB one day? Who is to say? He does have a good package of plays Coach Olson has for him and he has success a when he gets the opportunity to play. If we do trade him just who will be the back-up QB? Carpenter is a good guy but from what I have seen of him a # 2 one play away from being the man NO WAY! Johnson has been with Coach Olson since he was drafted, Coach Olson knows Johnson’s strong points and his weakness. As Coach Morris says ” I will tolerate you until I can replace you” and as of right now I do not see that we have a replacement for Johnson. That might change, but as of today no way, we keep Johnson as our back-up QB.
January 8th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
Theres a new AB in town!
January 8th, 2011 at 5:34 pm
Bucnjim- Your an idiot. You think that free agents can be traded. Also, it helps to spell a word right when your trying to use it as an insult. Try to pull your head at least partially out of your rectum next time before you post.
January 8th, 2011 at 6:27 pm
You cats are crazy if you think JJ pulls a 2nd or 3rd, regardless of his old college coach coming to the NFL. The GM would never go for it.
January 8th, 2011 at 6:30 pm
If you remember Free was at the Bucs facility soon after the season ended working out. If Harbaugh wants JJ, I would expect he would move quickly to get him onsite and working asap also.
January 8th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
Just to add…He was a fifth round project that is an unproven backup. I like him, and I think he has talent, but really, a 2nd or 3rd rounder? Joe use GA as an example, but he was a 1st round pick. This is a crazy thing to even talk about.
January 8th, 2011 at 6:55 pm
@McBuc. What round he was drafted in has zero to do with his current value. Zero.
January 8th, 2011 at 7:25 pm
I wouldn’t want to trade Johnson (this year) for anything less than a first. He’s a good backup QB. I don’t want Rudy Carpenter backing up Freeman. If we could get a real high draft pick it could be worth it to get another great young talent in here, but I don’t think we could get anymore than a 3rd for JJ and so I’m against it.
January 8th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
Like I said before, Dom should only consider a JJ trade to San Fran, and only if it involves Patrick Willis in some way. JJ is too valuable to lose or give away for less than a high 2’nd round pick or even a 1’st. He would be way too hard to replace.
Also like I said before, the Saints would destroy the SeaHawks. Boy do I feel like an idiot, but it’s nice to see the Saints get beat up two weeks in a row.
Did anybody see that Marshawn Lynch run ??? Legarrette Blount Jr. all the way.
January 8th, 2011 at 9:47 pm
The Saints made a big mistake playing their regulars against us last week. We knocked out there running back Ivory, Jenkins there best corner (Blount ran over him), and their tight end.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:56 pm
Trading JJ would be smart if we could get atleast a 3rd rounder. Don’t really see that happening. But, if for some reason JH really wanted JJ that bad. Then I would try to work out trading him, the #20 pick, and a 4th or 5th rounder (if Robert Quinn was still available at pick #7). If Dom. could pull that off he really might be the best GM ever!!! Quinn will be a beast and him paired up with our new interior line. WOW Imagine Quinn, McCoy, Miller, Price. Good luck with that!
January 9th, 2011 at 2:58 am
Johnson is ready to start in the NFL. In SF he may just find a home in which to excel. At least that’s the sales pitch I would be using to secure a 1st and a 3rd and give up a 2nd.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:33 am
I think Johnson could be a pretty good backup, although I hope we never have to find out. However, if we get a 2nd or 3rd round pick for him, I think we have to take it. Let’s not forget people, he has never won a game. A second round pick for a winless backup QB seems like a pretty good deal to me. You can always pick up a decent backup QB in free agency. All that being said, I highly doubt SF would make that trade.
January 9th, 2011 at 10:53 am
@Dew…Maybe not Dew, but what makes you guys think he will pull a 3rd or better draft pick? Preseason and garbage time games? I like him, and he seems to be a good back up, we really do not know since Josh has been pretty durable. All you have to go on is preseason and college, if he was a 1st round talent teams might think the Bucs just have not figured out how to get 100% out of him, maybe he is a Tom Bradey just waiting for his shot, but chances are that is not the case. No ione trades a 2nd or 1st round pick for a back up. If they want him, and that is a big if, they can wait one year for his FA status and get him cheap.
January 9th, 2011 at 6:04 pm
Didn’t the Bucs pay Sluggo something $7 mill to be a backup. Pay JJ and he will most likely stay. Think about it, no one has a better job than the back up QB. He doesn’t sustain all the long term injury, arthritic problems many starters do. Think of how decrepit guys like Delhomme are, and Stafford should be done in about 5 years at he rate he is getting beaten. The 49’rs O line wasn’t very impressive, and wasn’t that Our D line’s best game?
January 9th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
I’m a big Josh Johnson fan and would hate to lose him but Mark D will want to listen when the 49ers come calling. The reason I say that is because JJ will bolt to the 49ers once he becomes an unrestricted free agent anyway – regardless of the money. Not only will he get to compete for a starting position and play for his college coach and mentor in SF, but the guy is from Oakland, 20 away across the Bay Bridge. It’s a no-brainer for him. Maybe get something for him before he walks for nothing later.