Rams JJ has fulfilled teammate’s preseason prophecy with stellar season...

Rams safety John Johnson has fulfilled teammate’s preseason prophecy with stellar season

by Rich Hammond

[www.pe.com]

It’s a common name for a player with abnormal talent. John Johnson plays safety for the Rams, who also have used him at linebacker but haven’t yet utilized his skills as a college cornerback.

Johnson might well be a Pro Bowl selection soon, as teammate Marcus Peters predicted in training camp, only a few days after he lined up alongside Johnson for the first time. Johnson’s trajectory, in his first full season as a starter, has been steady, and now he is an underrated star on this Rams’ defense.

“He’s got a knack for the football,” defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said. “He’s made some big plays.”

Johnson spoke this week about improving when the calendar turns to December, but he didn’t wait that long this season. In the high-profile victory over Kansas City on Nov. 19, he tied his season high with 11 tackles, then topped it two weeks later against Detroit, with 12 tackles, second-most by a Rams player this season.

In last Sunday’s loss to Chicago, Johnson recorded only six tackles but had his team-best fourth interception of the season, on a team that includes former All-Pro cornerbacks Peters and Aqib Talib. Simplification, Johnson said, has been the key to his consistent improvement.

“When I try to do too much, that’s when I find myself in conflict,” Johnson said. “I’m just trying to do my job only, and focus in on that, and it is paying off.”

Phillips’ defensive mindset is curious. He widely is described as a players’ coach, one who communicates in firm but simple terms and gives every player a clear understanding of what is expected.

At the same time, it’s a lot. Johnson and Lamarcus Joyner do not specialize. Both can play free safety and strong safety and, at different times, both are asked to line up closer to the line of scrimmage, in roles that resemble linebacker.

They’re accustomed to being versatile. Joyner is a natural safety who converted to cornerback and played a nickel role until last season. Johnson started his college career at Boston College as a cornerback, then converted to safety, which perhaps is one reason why the Rams were able to pick him in the third round last year.

Johnson’s pre-draft scouting report from NFL.com included one main critique, that Johnson wasn’t aggressive enough going toward the ball and tackling. Less than two seasons later, that’s now a strength.

“He’s a tremendous tackler,” Phillips said. “In open-space tackling, I think he does a very good job. He doesn’t miss many tackles. If you see him around the ball, he’s going to make a tackle. He’s gotten a better and better feel for playing pro football and playing safety.”

A measuring-stick moment has arrived for Johnson. A year ago, in the Rams’ Dec. 10 loss to Philadelphia, Johnson had a season-high 11 tackles but the Eagles passed for 333 yards and four touchdowns. Plenty of blame could be spread around that afternoon, and Johnson accepted some of it.

“I was trying to do too much,” Johnson said. “I was all over the place. I was running on and off the field. The game plan had me on and off the field. Just looking back on it, I’m just focusing on my job and what I need to do. Those small mistakes I made last year, they won’t happen this year.”

Things seem to be trending in a positive direction for the secondary. The Rams have recorded seven interceptions in their last three games. They had a total of seven interceptions in their first 10 games.

The return of veteran cornerback Aqib Talib has helped, but the Rams also have been playing more zone defense, which presents opportunities for ball-hawking players such as Johnson to make plays.

“If you play a lot of man to man,” Phillips said, “you don’t get as many interceptions but they don’t get as many completions. The other side of it is, if you play more zone, you give up more completions but hopefully you get the tips and overthrows and interceptions. You can do good in both, but overall, that’s the way it works. Both of them are good in certain ways.”

Johnson seems to thrive in both. He recorded his fourth interception of the season last week at Chicago, which was a milestone. Johnson had one interception as a rookie last season and never had more than three interceptions in a single season at Boston College.

It might be a little early for Johnson, who turns 23 next week, to reach All-Pro status, but Peters said this week that his initial assessment of Johnson has proven to be spot on.

“Exactly what I said,” Peters said, “that he’s going to be an excellent young player in this league for a long time, and he’s only going to get better. He’s going to be all those things I said: All-Pro, Pro Bowl, all those things. It’s his time. He’s playing wonderful this year and I appreciate it.”