Rob Johnson

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Rob Garland Johnson (born March 18, 1973 in Newport Beach, California) is a former professional American football quarterback who played for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

College career

Johnson played college football at the University of Southern California where he was teammates with Keyshawn Johnson, Curtis Conway, Johnnie Morton, Willie McGinest, and All America tackle and fellow Jacksonville Jaguars draftee Tony Boselli. Johnson left USC holding virtually ever major passing record and spent much of his senior year as a Heisman Trophy candidate. In his final game for the school, Johnson led his team to victory in the Cotton Bowl Classic, dominating Texas Tech by a final score of 55-14.^[1]

• 1992 Season: 163/285 for 2,118 yards with 12 TD vs 14 INT.^[2]
• 1993 Season: 308/449 for 3,630 yards with 29 TD vs 6 INT.^[3]
• 1994 Season: 186/276 for 2,499 yards with 15 TD vs 6 INT.^[4]

Professional career

Johnson joined the NFL in 1995 when he was drafted by the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars as the first draft pick of the fourth round (number 99 overall).^[5][6]

Jacksonville Jaguars

Johnson spent his first two seasons with Jacksonville on the bench, first backing up Steve Beuerlein, and then Mark Brunell. Johnson did not start a game until Week 1 of 1997. In that game, he completed 20 of 24 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 31 yards and one touchdown on four attempts in a 28-27 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. This performance set the record that still stands for the highest completion percentage of any QB in his debut game. The next week Johnson suffered a high ankle sprain, and soon after Brunell returned to the starting lineup. After another successful season by Brunell, Johnson was placed on the trading block.

Buffalo Bills

On February 14, 1998, the Jaguars traded Johnson to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for the Bills' first and fourth round picks in the 1998 NFL Draft. Johnson was immediately named the starting quarterback after signing a five-year, $25 million contract with the team. First-year Bills' head coach Wade Phillips proclaimed Johnson's arrival as the start of a "new era" for the franchise.^[7]

Yet, Johnson's hold on the starting job was tenuous from his first game. Facing the San Diego Chargers in week one of the 1998 season, Johnson left with a concussion and the Bills trailing 10-0 before backup quarterback Doug Flutie led two scoring drives in what was ultimately a 16-14 loss for the Bills. Over the first four games of the year, Johnson completed 63.2% of his passes with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He was sacked 24 times, as the Bills stumbled to a 1-3 start.

With the Bills facing the undefeated Indianapolis Colts in week five, Johnson suffered an injury on the Bills' first offensive series and left the game. Appearing in relief, Flutie led the Bills to a 31-24 victory over the Colts with 24 unanswered points in the second half.

While Johnson was still recovering from his injury, Flutie led the Bills to four consecutive wins before Phillips officially named him the new starting quarterback on November 5, 1998. Speaking to the media following the announcement, Johnson publicly expressed his displeasure, erroneously saying, "I'm not a backup."

Johnson watched from the sidelines as Flutie led the Bills to a 10-6 record before losing to the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the playoffs.

Entering training camp for the 1999 season, Phillips named Johnson and Flutie "co-starters" before ultimately awarding Flutie the starting job. Flutie led the Bills to a 10-5 record before Phillips decided to rest him for the final week of the season. Facing the Indianapolis Colts, Johnson completed 24 of 32 passes for 287 yards as the Bills won 31-6. This performance led Phillips to name Johnson the starter for the Bills' opening round playoff game against the Tennessee Titans. Never before, in the history of the modern NFL, had a team chosen to bench a healthy starting quarterback in favor of a backup to open the playoffs.

Facing the Titans on the road, Johnson led the Bills to a go-ahead field goal with 16 seconds remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, however, Titans tight end Frank Wycheck completed a pass that was ultimately ruled to be a lateral to returner Kevin Dyson, who returned the ball for a touchdown and the Titans victory. The game is still the Bills' final appearance in the playoffs.

After the 2000 season, it was clear that the Bills could not keep both Johnson and Flutie on the same team.^[8] Doug Flutie went an impressive 4-1, while Johnson had a less than impressive record, leading the Bills to a losing season in the process. Unfortunately for Johnson, the team he was handed in 2001 was much less talented than past Bills teams, and had little success in 2001. His only win of the season came in the very stadium where he started his career, in a Thursday night 13-6 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Johnson led a late-game drive, setting up a tie-breaking field goal that gave Buffalo its first win of the season.^[9] Soon after, Johnson broke his collarbone and Alex Van Pelt assumed the starting job for the rest of the 2001 season.^[10][11]

By the end of Johnson's Buffalo career, he earned both enviable and dubious Bills career records. Johnson boasts both the best completion percentage and the worst sack-to-dropback ratio in Bills history. Johnson's reluctance to throw the ball away earned him the nickname "Robo-sack."^[12]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After a dismal 2001 campaign that saw Johnson miss half the season with a broken clavicle, Johnson signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2002 season.^[13] Under new head coach Jon Gruden, the team was looking for a mobile signal caller in the mold of Rich Gannon. Many thought that Johnson fit that mold - a veteran with arm strength and the ability to scramble, which incumbent Brad Johnson lacked. However, Rob lacked the other Johnson's pocket awareness and decisiveness, prompting Gruden to name Rob the backup. When Brad Johnson was injured in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Rob Johnson led the Buccaneers to a defense-filled 12-9 victory over the Carolina Panthers the following week. However, Rob's subpar play in practice led Gruden to try out veteran and fan favorite Shaun King several weeks later following another Brad Johnson injury. King played so poorly against the Pittsburgh Steelers, throwing three interceptions (one of which was returned for a touchdown) versus only five completions that Rob Johnson started the second half, leading the Buccaneers to a late touchdown drive but failing to spark a comeback. The following week, with a first-round playoff bye on the line, Johnson led the Buccaneers to five field goals against the Chicago Bears at the University of Illinois' Memorial Stadium for the franchise's first-ever victory when the kickoff temperature was below freezing. For the third time at the controls of the Buccaneers, Johnson did not turn the ball over. Johnson saw some late-game playoff action in relief of Brad Johnson. Brad Johnson led Tampa to their first Super Bowl title a few weeks later. Johnson decided to sign elsewhere after the 2002 season. While he did not become the QB Gruden had hoped for, he served as a reliable backup who helped his team win the Super Bowl title.

Washington Redskins

When it became obvious that Brad Johnson was the franchise QB following the Super Bowl win, Rob met with Dallas Cowboys officials, but ultimately signed to the Washington Redskins. Johnson did not start for Washington, but saw action in a game against his old team, the Buffalo Bills. Johnson was called into the game after starting quarterback Patrick Ramsey was injured. He entered the game to a chorus of boos from the crowd at Ralph Wilson Stadium and was sacked by Aaron Schobel on his second play of the game, sending the crowd into a frenzy. The very next day, owner Daniel Snyder terminated Johnson's contract and replaced him with free agent Tim Hasselbeck.

Oakland Raiders

Soon after his release, Johnson was signed by the Oakland Raiders to help ease their QB woes.^[14] Climbing the chart over Rick Mirer and Tee Martin, Johnson saw playing time on a Monday Night Football game against the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay steamrolled Oakland and Johnson. His last pass attempt was directed at the legendary Jerry Rice, but it fell incomplete. Following the season, Oakland still owned the rights to Johnson; however, he did not return with the team and the Raiders cleared his roster spot.

Johnson's Tennessee/NY Comebacks

Following his release, Johnson underwent Tommy John surgery, a procedure usually performed on baseball pitchers. A tendon was taken from Johnson's wrist and transplanted into his elbow to replace the injured tendon that resembled "a frayed rope" from overuse. A year after his surgery, Johnson worked out for the Tennessee Titans, who were looking for depth after letting Steve McNair sign with the Baltimore Ravens. Johnson threw for the team, but was still not in game shape; reports suggested his arm strength was under 50%. A year later, Johnson tried out for, and was signed by, the New York Giants and battled for a backup spot behind Eli Manning. Johnson once again lost out to Tim Hasselbeck, and was cut before the preseason came to an end. Johnson said in an NFL.com interview that if he felt he could still play at an NFL level, he would continue his career.

Early in the 2008 season, the Titans lost starter Vince Young to injury. Since Jeff Fisher traditionally carried just two QB's on a roster, only Kerry Collins was left, with no backup. Fisher brought in—among other QB's—Rob Johnson for a workout. Ultimately, the team stuck with Kerry Collins as the sole QB and nestled Young into a backup role once cleared to play. This was the last reported NFL workout for Johnson.

Life After the NFL

Johnson has been busy since his retirement from the NFL. In addition to raising his children with his wife in Ladera Ranch, California, he has worked closely with his brother Brett and father Bob at "Camp Quarterback," a training camp that has produced the likes of Carson Palmer, Mark Sanchez, Matt Leinart, and Drew Brees. He currently coaches High School Football alongside his Father Bob Johnson, and brother Brett Johnson at Mission Viejo High School, in Mission Viejo, CA.^[15] He is also party to one of 22 class-action lawsuits against the NFL contending that the league knew or should have known concussions and repeated head impacts put players at risk of brain disorders later in life.^[16]

References