Packerlifer
Cheesehead
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The death from cancer Wed. of Philadelphia's longtime def. coordinator Jim Johnson hasn't gotten a lot of attention outside of Eagles fans and avid pro football watchers. But Johnson was, arguabley, the shrewdest and best dc in the league over the past decade.
Philly defenses run by Johnson for the past 11 years were perennielly among the top units in the league despite extensive personnel turnover.
Packers fans should be particularly impressed with Jim Johnson. His defenses repeatedly shut down and beat the best of the high powered offenses Green Bay was able to bring into matchups with the Eagles in recent years.
Johnson's defense stuffed the Green & Gold in the '03 playoff at Philadelphia & made the interception in the ot that led to the EAgles win. Brett Favre said afterward that the Eagles were in a perfect defense against the play the Packers ran on that pickoff intended for Javon Walker.
In 6 meetings with Johnson's defenses the usually high powered Packers never broke 17 pts. in any of them and lost 4.
When they lost to the Giants in the 2007 NFC Championship they were playing against a defense run by a Johnson assistant and disciple Steve Spagnuolo.
Johnson deserves credit for denying New England a perfect championship season two years ago. The Patriots were rolling over every one when they marched, unbeaten, into Philly. Johnson that day showed the rest of the league that the Pats were mortal and how to win against them. Although the Eagles fell short of the win that day the Pats were never the same afterward and were finally taken down by Johnson's old protege Spagnuolo with the Giants in the Super Bowl.
If Andy Reid had been promoted to succeed Mike Holmgren as hc of the Packers in 1999 Johnson would probably have been coordinating our defenses in Green Bay all these years instead.
Philly defenses run by Johnson for the past 11 years were perennielly among the top units in the league despite extensive personnel turnover.
Packers fans should be particularly impressed with Jim Johnson. His defenses repeatedly shut down and beat the best of the high powered offenses Green Bay was able to bring into matchups with the Eagles in recent years.
Johnson's defense stuffed the Green & Gold in the '03 playoff at Philadelphia & made the interception in the ot that led to the EAgles win. Brett Favre said afterward that the Eagles were in a perfect defense against the play the Packers ran on that pickoff intended for Javon Walker.
In 6 meetings with Johnson's defenses the usually high powered Packers never broke 17 pts. in any of them and lost 4.
When they lost to the Giants in the 2007 NFC Championship they were playing against a defense run by a Johnson assistant and disciple Steve Spagnuolo.
Johnson deserves credit for denying New England a perfect championship season two years ago. The Patriots were rolling over every one when they marched, unbeaten, into Philly. Johnson that day showed the rest of the league that the Pats were mortal and how to win against them. Although the Eagles fell short of the win that day the Pats were never the same afterward and were finally taken down by Johnson's old protege Spagnuolo with the Giants in the Super Bowl.
If Andy Reid had been promoted to succeed Mike Holmgren as hc of the Packers in 1999 Johnson would probably have been coordinating our defenses in Green Bay all these years instead.
