Philly Sports Chat

Posts Tagged ‘Jim Johnson’

A new season brings new hopes, new players, and new questions.  On both sides of the ball, all teams change from year to year even if it is the slightest bit.  The Eagles biggest question marks to me come on the defensive side of the ball.  Three big holes now must be filled in for the Eagles defense.  In no specific order of importance, the list includes: Brian Dawkins, Stewart Bradley, and the late great Jim Johnson.  How the Eagles fill in these voids will be vital to their season.  Here is a look at the key losses and how they affect the team.

Brian Dawkins…Weapon X… arguably the greatest safety to ever play the game… After a lifetime with the Eagles, he now is continuing his career in Denver with the Broncos.  The Eagles lost a seven time pro bowler.  More importantly, they lost an icon to the city, and possibly the most important figure in the the locker room.  Stepping in to take his job is sophomore Quinton Demps.  His rookie year he only recorded nine total tackles.  Now he is filling in some of the biggest shoes in NFL history… Good luck Quinton.

Stewart Bradley was born to play the linebacker position.  Last year was only his second year in the NFL and his first year starting.  He played outstanding.  He racked up 88 solo tackles and 151 total tackles, and also an interception.  He is an animal that we (the fans) all were sure that he could be the man in the middle for years to come after his 2008 season.  He gained the confidence of all of us.  Now, he’s gone.  Out for possibly the whole season with a torn ACL.  Filling in for him will either be now veteran Omar Gaither or possibly Joe Mays.  Omar has more experience, a lot more experience.  However, don’t rule Mays out.  He is a hard nosed player who throws his body around to make plays.  It should be interesting to see how this situation turns out.

Finally I come to the loss of Jim Johnson.  Easily one of the greatest coaches ever to call out plays on the defensive side of the ball, Jim Johnson made opposing offenses shake.  He was respected by the whole league, and loved by the city of Philadelphia.  May he rest in peace.  Now steps in young Sean McDermott.  Only 35 years old, he is a young enthusiastic, but most importantly…a fearless coach.  He knows what he has to do.  McDermott was with the orginzation since 1998.  He worked with Jim Johnson for all those years and definitely knows what he is doing.  There are some questions however.  Will the players respect him as they did Jim Johnson? Will his changes, even if miniscule be effective?  And how will he and the players respond to the loss of an all time great?

Tell Me hes not an Animal…

You will be missed greatly. You are gone too soon and you will never be forgotten. Not only will Eagles fans remember you, anyone who is familiar with who you were and what you accomplished  will remember and miss you as well.

It is hard to imagine that another coach like him will ever pass through this city. It is a very sad day. For more read this.

Today is a very sad day in the city of Philadelphia. The era of Jim Johnson has come to an untimely end and the duties of Eagles defensive coordinator have officially been passed on to Sean McDermott. Rather than talk about McDermott,  I would like to take this post to thank Jim Johnson for making the Eagles defense one of the most consistent and feared defenses in the sport since taking over in 1999. You will be in the thoughts and prayers of the Philly Sports Chat team as well as the entire city of Philadelphia during your battle with cancer.

Jim Johnson will undoubtedly go down as one of the best coaches to pass through this city of all time. Not only did the way he successfully manage the Eagles defense for a decade separate him from other coaches, but his personality did as well. He will be greatly missed in that organization and I really think that the defense will not be the same without him.

Each season that he was running the defense, fans felt comfortable and confident that the team would show up every game and for every single play. That was the one consistency throughout the last decade with this team. We knew their defense would always be a hard hitting, play making, motivated squad. It didn’t matter who he was coaching, he seemed to always get the best out of every player.

Jim Johnson, you will definitely be missed by all of the Eagles fans and we are praying that you beat this cancer just like you beat the Cowboys and Giants for the past ten years!