Hey, I give credit where credit is due. BK takes on CJ
Until proven wrong, I will continue to wonder whether Johnson, a nice guy, a versatile player and an unsung hero of the Colts’ Super Bowl victory, can hold up at left tackle through a long, tough season. Especially in the AFC South, where he’ll be fed a steady diet of Houston’s Mario Williams and Tennessee’s Kyle Vanden Bosch.
“I know what people are saying; I read the paper,” Johnson said the other day at the Colts’ practice facility. “But I can’t worry about it. I’m just going to do my job and try to play winning football. If people don’t like (him starting at left tackle), I’m sorry, but that’s the way it’s going to be.”
Please note, there was not a hint of anger or I’ll-prove-you-all-wrong defiance in Johnson’s voice. If there’s a chip on his shoulder, he’s hiding it well.
He knows, though, there’s a perception the Colts would have preferred for Tony Ugoh, a high second-round pick from three years ago, to have won that position. There’s the perception Johnson is starting because Ugoh lost the job, not because Johnson won it. During training camp, you kept hearing coach Jim Caldwell say, “Tony still has a chance to earn back that spot.” There was even the idea Johnson’s promotion was meant as little more than a motivational cattle prod to Ugoh’s pride.
Not so.
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