Packergeeks would like pay respect to one of the great, quietly great, coaches in NFL history – Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. Johnson passed away today after losing a battle with cancer.
For years, I have despised the Eagles, especially Eagles fans. I have never really cared for McNabb nor have I been a fan of Jon Runyon’s cheap shots. But I have long admired the job defensive coordinator Jim Johnson has done with that team. He seemed to have an ability to take relatively obscure players and make them household names – something I anticipate we’ll be hearing more about in the coming days. Jim Johnson was a hard-working but efficient coach who just plain got the job done. I admired Jim Johnson and am sad to learn of this news.
July 29, 2009 at 10:19 am |
[...] just like to echo PackerGeeks and pay our respects to Jim Johnson. Simply one of the greats of the sport we all love. He will be [...]
July 29, 2009 at 1:18 pm |
He was their Fritz Shurmer. Great coach and also seemed like just an outstanding individual. No one better then in designing blitz packages and getting his players to execute them perfectly. Defensive coaches will be studying film of his blitz designs for decades.
July 29, 2009 at 3:20 pm |
Jim Johnson’s greatness is represented by the large number of his students serving in the NFL at various levels.
August 1, 2009 at 12:44 am |
Well put! I truly despise the eagles AND their fan-base, BUT, I feel like I got punched in the gut to hear about Johnson (been trying to keep up with his situation since I learned about it). THAT is a man that had total CONTROL and RESPECT of his men, each one seemed to buy into his system, the Packers would have been lucky to have him. That is the type of man that I would hope my son grows up to be… minus the eagles part!
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GBP 4 LIFE
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P.S.
Good luck McDermott, those are some BIG shoes to fill!