Great story on ALBERT JOHNSON

[Guest]

Found this while surfing last night, didn't know how to post a link:


Former SMU receiver hopes to turn Canadian success into NFL career
By STEVE [deleted]
Space City Sports

Albert Johnson said he always wanted to play in the NFL. His father, Albert
Johnson II, was a defensive back with the Houston Oilers in the 1970s. He was
a star in football and track at Houston’s Willowridge High School. He was
recruited in both sports, choosing to accept a football scholarship to SMU.

Johnson now is in the Miami Dolphins’ training camp, hoping to earn a spot as
a free agent. But his path to the NFL wasn’t a smooth one. He heard the
skeptics who whispered that he was too short (Johnson stands a not-so-lofty
5-foot-9), or that he only got a scholarship to SMU because his father was a
college teammate of then-SMU head coach Tom Rossley at the University of
Cincinnati. The Mustangs went 17-28 in Johnson’s four years, and he played
for two head coaches (Rossley and current head coach Mike Cavan), multiple
position coaches and caught passes from four starting quarterbacks.

“SMU really helped me,” Johnson said, “because with the changes there, I
learned to pick up an offense quickly and get used to new teammates. That’s
helped me now, because I’ve had to do the same thing ever since.”

Despite the adversity, Johnson excelled at SMU. He finished his career with
the Ponies seventh in school history with 1,575 receiving yards and 10th in
SMU history with 107 career catches. His average of 20.3 yards per catch in
1996 was the best mark in school history for a receiver with 30 or more
receptions in a season, and his 162 receiving yards against Tulane in 1998
are the eighth-highest total ever in a single game by a Mustang receiver.

That same season, he hauled in seven touchdown passes, tying him for the
third-most ever by an SMU pass-catcher.

Despite his doubters, Johnson persevered. When he left SMU with his
management information sciences degree in hand, he signed with Saskatchewan of the Canadian Football League, earning a spot on the team’s practice squad.

In March of 2000, he signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“I always had it set in my mind, that I wanted to play pro,” Johnson said.
“That always was one of my goals, to play pro. I didn’t get an opportunity
right away with the NFL. When I left Saskatchewan, I came home to Houston
before signing with Winnipeg. All I asked for was an opportunity. I knew that
if someone brought me to camp, I’d get a chance to show what I can do.

“People have always questioned my size or my speed. I don’t really know why,
because I’ve always been a playmaker my whole life. But when I signed with
Winnipeg, I did well in the preseason and made the adjustments, and got the
nod as the team’s punt returner and kickoff returner.”

For Johnson, there were considerable adjustments to make. He hadn’t returned
kicks since high school. The CFL game includes offenses that get three downs
instead of four to earn a first down, and a wider playing field.

“Football isn’t their primary sport up there, hockey is,” Johnson said. “It’s
a little different game up there, but those are adjustments that I was able
to make. You have more freedom up there playing wide receiver. You have more room to move around with the wider field. There are 12 men on the field, and the play clock is 20 seconds.

“They have guys up there with a lot of talent, guys who maybe didn’t get the
exposure that a lot of guys down here get.”

Johnson took advantage of his opportunities with the Blue Bombers. He
averaged 24.7 yards per kickoff return and 8.4 yards per punt return and was
named Special Teams Player of the Year. That, coupled with his 50 receptions
for 788 yards, also earned him CFL Rookie of the Year honors.

As soon as the Dolphins were eliminated from last year’s playoffs, they
contacted Johnson, who worked out for the team the day after Miami’s season
ended.
“I always stayed positive,” Johnson said when asked if he ever doubted his
ability to get a shot with an NFL team. “I surrounded myself with positive
people, talked to my parents a lot -- I never gave up. I achieved a lot of
success up there as the third receiver -- I made some plays.”

The Dolphins were the second team for which Johnson worked out, from the list
of teams that also included the Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, San
Diego Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans
Saints.

“As soon as the (CFL) season was over, probably 10 teams contacted me,”
Johnson said. “I was entering the option year of my contract, so I had from
the end of the season to March 1 to sign with an NFL team. I worked out first
for Atlanta, then for Miami.

“I studied a lot of games, looked at a lot of rosters. I’d watch a game and
say ‘I can fit in there, I can make that team.’ Miami seemed like a good fit.”
With the Dolphins, Johnson joins a team that has gotten modest performances
in recent years from its passing game, thanks in part to a rather pedestrian
performance from the quarterback position, a spot that now includes incumbent starter Jay Fiedler, ex-Jet Ray Lucas and rookie Josh Heupel. But this also is a team that has made great effort in recent years to upgrade the wide
receiver position. The headliner is O.J. McDuffie, but he’s out indefinitely
with a toe injury. The Fish also return wideouts Oronde Gadsden and Jeff
Ogden, signed free agents Dedric Ward from the New York Jets and James
McKnight of Dallas and drafted Chris Chambers from Wisconsin.

“I don’t know how many they’re going to keep,” Johnson said. “It’s a little
crowded (at the wide receiver spot), but the way I look at it, if I’m worried
about that, why am I trying? I’m going to go through this and try my best.
Realistically, there’s maybe two spots open, but I honestly believe I have as
much of a chance to make the team as any of these guys. I can’t worry about
what this guy did, or what that guy can do. I can only worry about A.J. I’m
hoping to get the opportunity to return kicks -- hopefully that will set me
apart from some of the other guys.

“I always try to go out there every day (in camp) and play [deleted] every
play, so when they (the coaches) go in, they remember what A.J. did. All I
want to do is leave a lasting impression on their minds. Then I’m going to go
out the next day and do it all over again.”

Johnson said that although he fully expects to make the Miami roster, there’s
a chance he might get caught in a numbers game and get squeezed off the
roster. If he doesn’t make the Dolphins’ roster, he might well land on
another NFL roster, or could play another season in Winnipeg.

“We still have to sign our draft picks,” Johnson said. “I try not to get too
caught up in corner conversations in locker room. I believe I will be on this
team. If not, I will be on some team this year.”

[NavyCrimson]

GREAT Article.....God Bless 'em!!!

------------------