On John Johnson III

The two rookie seasons of John Johnson III

MARK WHICKER

link: https://www.ocregister.com/2018/01/05/whicker-the-two-rookie-seasons-of-john-johnson-iii/

THOUSAND OAKS — There’s still a big “R” next to the name of John Johnson III.

Yes, he is an NFL rookie, when it comes to actual competition with the Rams.

No, this is not his first season.

That one began almost exactly a year ago, when Johnson finished his Boston College career with a 12-tackle performance in the Quick Lane Bowl. Your eyes might go dead from the assault of superfluous bowl games to give ESPN its much-needed programming. The eyes of scouts are wide open and flashing. They see everything, and they saw Johnson.

Then came the Senior Bowl, that weeklong job fair in Mobile, Ala. Acquaintances begin there.

“I think I did pretty well, putting up stuff on the whiteboard,” Johnson said. “I brought some energy, and they saw my movement skills on the field. Then, during the game, I played on special teams and made a couple of tackles. I think they liked that.”

Having underscored his name, Johnson went back to prepare for the NFL combine, to provide the “measurables,” the potential tie-breakers whenever his name might come up against another name in the draft room.

He stood on the starting line for the 40-yard-dash in the bleak bubble of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

“The place was dead silent,” he said. “It was a feeling like no other. I had to bring it, pump myself up.”

He ran a 4.51 and did well enough on the shuttles, weight stations and interviews. It was still a long way to April.

“It’s draining, that whole process,” Johnson said. “But you have to attack it. You have to bring a positive attitude.”

On the second draft day, Johnson noticed a California number on his cellphone. He knew it could be a coach who just lived there, but he was gratified to hear someone from the Rams. Johnson was a third-round pick, which the Rams got from Buffalo.

He suspected the Rams might take him because their people had visited Northwestern High in Hyattsville, Md., and talked to Bryan Pierre, Johnson’s coach. No one else had.

He also had followed Sean McVay’s offensive exploits as the Redskins’ coordinator, although Johnson somehow grew up a Cowboys fan.

His second rookie season has been good, too. Today Johnson will start at strong safety for the Rams, in their first playoff game in the Coliseum since Jan. 7, 1979, an NFC Championship loss to Dallas.

“I didn’t have expectations,” Johnson said. “I had hopes and desires. I thought I’d be playing on special teams, maybe find a small role on defense.”

Johnson made such waves that the Rams dismissed Maurice Alexander during the season. LaMarcus Joyner, the free safety, counseled Johnson when some other veterans might not have.

“He had been playing with one guy and built all that chemistry,” Johnson said. “Now he was with this rookie. We sit together in the meetings, chop it up together. Ejiro Evero (safeties coach) has been a big help, too. He’s so smart.

“The defensive coverages are pretty similar to what we did in college, although the front is different. Because I was a rookie I didn’t have to unlearn anything. And it was good to play some on the line of scrimmage and some in coverage, at strong safety. I’d played all the positions in college, so I thought I might have an advantage.”

Johnson is sixth among NFL safeties in passes defended (11) and third on the Rams in tackles. He took an interception 69 yards in Week 2, against Seattle.

He also is an example of how the Rams have embarked on a drafting roll, despite the picks they sacrificed to secure Jared Goff.

The other third-round pick in 2017 was Cooper Kupp, who has 62 catches. Tight end Gerald Everett and wideout Josh Reynolds have 27 catches between them.

The 2016 draft began with Goff and then went to Tyler Higbee, the starting tight end, and Pharoh Cooper, the Pro Bowl returner.

Don’t get detoured by the “playoff experience” factor. The 2001 Rams saw how little it bothered rookie Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. The Falcons are coming off the ultimate postseason nightmare, a 28-3 lead that became a 34-28 loss to New England. Gaining experience at losing playoff games is not a foundation for anything but more losing.

No, this game will be determined by Atlanta’s offense, and whether it can remember how to score enough touchdowns in the red zone to get to 30-plus points.

John Johnson III (R ) seems ready to guard against that. On the NFL calendar, the first two pages stick together.