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Before anyone goes back to his glory years as a TE in San Fran everyone should know that the only reason he caught so many balls in San Fran is because he was literally all they had. They didn't have a #1 or #2 WR and a young RB at the time he caught his balls.
Eric Johnson at his best is a marginal TE that doesn't have the running ability to get to or even behind the second level of a defense w/ any decent level of consistency. His inability to do this causes linebackers to not respect his speed thus giving them the option to focus on the run first and not sit in coverage at all. Essentially most any NFL Linebacker can cheat towards the line with a step or two when he is in the lineup and still have enough speed to catch up or stop Eric Johnson if he catches the ball. We were victimized by this time and time again last year.
Also the reason he takes way too many big hits(he has a history of this..think back to Dale Carter broken collar bone) is because he lacks field awareness coupled with the fact that he severely lacks atheltic ability to get any type of seperation on even the slowest linebackers in the game. If you have the time, do a quick review of his overall "game" and you will see that he appears as though he is running in sand.
Eric Johnson is also widely known to be a poor to moderate blocker, so the defense immediately thinks pass play when he is in the game. Drew Brees is left at a huge risk when Eric Johnson is in the lineup, and that in itself should cause concern for all on this board.
Last but not least, one of Eric Johnson's best attributes coming into last season were his supposed reliable hands, and I have seen enough to cast a very large shadown of doubt on him in that category.
Finally, Eric is a smart player and a good character guy from what we can tell. He is a "try-hard" type that sometimes get blown up due to not having the athletic ability to protect himself or his QB on the field.
Eric Johnson will be CUT by the end of training camp as long as Billy Miller, Campbell, and TE "to be drafted" dont get injured. Miller and Campbell are much better blockers than Eric. Heck Payton went so far as to name Ronnie Ghent as and i quote "a good young TE".... Draw your own conclusions... Payton nearly dismissed Eric Johnson in the interview on WWL if you listen closely.
Billy Miller is a far superior TE to Eric Johnson in ALL facets of the game....hands, speed, toughness, character, and YAC !!! For goodness sakes...Billy made a HUGE 56 yard play against the Jaguars which was the best play by a Saints TE since Hobby Brenner or Wesley Walls..
The Saints back my statements here by signing Billy 1st and giving him a 2yr contract to boot!!!
Take it easy gang,
samdogg
Eric Johnson at his best is a marginal TE that doesn't have the running ability to get to or even behind the second level of a defense w/ any decent level of consistency. His inability to do this causes linebackers to not respect his speed thus giving them the option to focus on the run first and not sit in coverage at all. Essentially most any NFL Linebacker can cheat towards the line with a step or two when he is in the lineup and still have enough speed to catch up or stop Eric Johnson if he catches the ball. We were victimized by this time and time again last year.
Also the reason he takes way too many big hits(he has a history of this..think back to Dale Carter broken collar bone) is because he lacks field awareness coupled with the fact that he severely lacks atheltic ability to get any type of seperation on even the slowest linebackers in the game. If you have the time, do a quick review of his overall "game" and you will see that he appears as though he is running in sand.
Eric Johnson is also widely known to be a poor to moderate blocker, so the defense immediately thinks pass play when he is in the game. Drew Brees is left at a huge risk when Eric Johnson is in the lineup, and that in itself should cause concern for all on this board.
Last but not least, one of Eric Johnson's best attributes coming into last season were his supposed reliable hands, and I have seen enough to cast a very large shadown of doubt on him in that category.
Finally, Eric is a smart player and a good character guy from what we can tell. He is a "try-hard" type that sometimes get blown up due to not having the athletic ability to protect himself or his QB on the field.
Eric Johnson will be CUT by the end of training camp as long as Billy Miller, Campbell, and TE "to be drafted" dont get injured. Miller and Campbell are much better blockers than Eric. Heck Payton went so far as to name Ronnie Ghent as and i quote "a good young TE".... Draw your own conclusions... Payton nearly dismissed Eric Johnson in the interview on WWL if you listen closely.
Billy Miller is a far superior TE to Eric Johnson in ALL facets of the game....hands, speed, toughness, character, and YAC !!! For goodness sakes...Billy made a HUGE 56 yard play against the Jaguars which was the best play by a Saints TE since Hobby Brenner or Wesley Walls..
The Saints back my statements here by signing Billy 1st and giving him a 2yr contract to boot!!!
Take it easy gang,
samdogg