RIP Jim Johnson, 1941-2009

Without a doubt, one of the best defensive coordinators of all time and should be a shoe-in for a posthumous spot in the pro football hall of fame. The melanoma that had sidelined him from coaching in the spring sadly took his life away today.

Rest In Peace, Jim Johnson. We love you and you will be missed.

Please Tell Me This Is Not True!

Sean McDermott To Be The New Eagles Defensive Coordinator

Take a moment and reflect on what that headline is really saying. After 10 years, half of which included at appearances in NFC Championship games, and a Super Bowl appearance, Jim Johnson is no longer the defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles. The cancer and the rehab seems to have proven too much for Johnson to continue coaching the Eagles defense and to coach at the high level that we all know he is capable of. I wish Jim Johnson and his family nothing but the best in the future and I am sure that there is not a sane-minded person out there that would not do and feel the same, regardless of what team they support.

With that being said, though, I chose the more optimistic headline for a reason with that being that the Eagles have a whole lot to look forward to with their new D-coordinator, Sean McDermott. McDermott, as I'm sure most know, was an assistant under Johnson, was named the interim defensive coordinator over the spring when it was first announced that Johnson was getting treatment for cancer, and McDermott is essentially the last of the breed of original assistants under Jim Johnson. And while that sounds like a bad thing, believe me, it is anything but. Just take a look at some of the people that originally came from under the wing of Jim Johnson. For starters you have the current head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, John Harbaugh. Then you have Ron Rivera, who led the dominant Bears defense to a Super Bowl XLI appearance. Then there is Leslie Frazer, who vastly improved the Colts secondary as a coach of that secondary and that subsequently helped the Colts beat the Bears in the aforementioned Super Bowl and is now the defensive coordinator of the defensively dominant Minnesota Vikings. And I have not even gotten to the most well known ex-Johnson assistant, Steve Spagnuolo, who led the Giants defensive to a victory in Super Bowl XLII and is now the new head coach of the St. Louis Rams.

Despite being only 35, Sean McDermott's tenure with the Eagles actually predates the Johnson era, having joined the team in 1998. And while Johnson will be greatly missed by the Eagles and Eagles fans, I would be greatly surprised if there is even the slightest drop off in the play of the Eagles' defense. McDermott, without a doubt is the right guy for the job. Johnson, has previously alluded to, is all but Belichick-like in the way he grooms his assistants for future success and I expect no less out of McDermott and I have every bit of confidence in the world that he will deliver. The only concern I have about the Eagles defense is a personnel concern and that is how will the Eagles secondary hold up without Brian Dawkins, as no big-name replacement was ever signed in free agency and the Eagles did not use their early round draft picks on a safety (I believe Sean Jones is currently penciled in as a starter on the full side next to strong safety Quentin Demps).

McDermott gets Eagles defensive coordinator job (Philly Inquirer)

A Little Bit More About Sean McDermott

By now, I assume you all know of the news that Jim Johnson has decided to take an indefinite leave of absence. And you may have heard somewhere that some schmuck named Sean McDermott is taking his place. And while all of the attention has been on Johnson and the hoping that he will be all right and able to come back (and rightfully so), if the horror story were to unfold and Johnson is not able to come back, it is probably rather important to learn a thing or 2 about Jim Johnson's successor. From Ray Didinger in a column in CSN Philly where he discusses how Johnson will be missed on the field.

Sean McDermott, the senior ranking assistant on Johnson’s staff, will take over the defense. He will keep Johnson’s system in place. For now, the coaches will focus on educating the new players. Everyone hopes Johnson can return at some point, if only in a consultant’s role, but at this point, no one knows.

Even if the X’s and O’s remain the same, how do you replace what Johnson brought to the Eagles on a daily basis? It will be a huge blow if he cannot return. That’s not to say McDermott doesn’t know his stuff. All of Johnson’s lieutenants – from Steve Spagnuolo to Leslie Frazier to Ron Rivera – have proven they were well-schooled during their time in Philadelphia. McDermott is the last pup from that original litter, so he knows Johnson’s playbook inside and out.

The question is more about confidence. The players knew Johnson so well and respected him so completely that when he made a call during a game, even if it was a call that went against the book, they believed in it because Johnson called it. When it worked – which it usually did – it was for that reason.

The Eagles made a lot of high-risk, “where-did-that-come-from?” calls work because, under Johnson, they played them so fearlessly. If the same call came in from another coach, the players might break the huddle thinking, “Geez, I don’t know about this,” and the result could be entirely different. In pro football, doubt will defeat you every time.

I do believe McDermott is a smart young guy who’s capable of doing a very good job. But there was something about Johnson, the craggy-faced old soldier with the gravelly voice, that made the players believe on game day. They always felt that no matter what the situation may be, the old man had the answer somewhere on his laminated card.

How do you replace that? The Eagles are hoping they don’t have to try.

I too have the utmost faith that McDermott, who was the coach of the secondary under Johnson, knows the system and can execute the same defense that Johnson did. And as the article points out, his other protoges, if you will, have certainly met with success, most notably Steve Spagnuolo. But when push comes to shove, Jim Johnson will certainly be missed just for who he was as a person and what he as a person has brought to the coaching and the players, and not just his defensive scheme, which hopefully can be replicated by McDermott with little hassle.

Jim Johnson To Take Leave Of Absence

Some sad news to report today from the Eagles' coaching staff. If you'll remember, back in January, I had a story about how Eagles Defensive coordinator, Jim Johnson was diagnosed once again with cancer, well today he has decided to take a leave of absence to undergo treatment and to focus on his recover and rehabilitation. From CSN Philly.com

Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, who is undergoing treatment for skin cancer, has taken a leave of absence for an indefinite period of time.

Secondary coach Sean McDermott will fill in for Johnson. The Eagles begin a two-day rookie minicamp on Wednesday.

"Jim and I agreed that he needs to concentrate all of his efforts on his recovery,” head coach Andy Reid said in a statement released by the team “His health is number one. He’s struggling, but he’s a tough guy and a true battler. I hope everyone will keep him in their thoughts and prayers during this period of time. We hope to have him back with the team as soon as possible.”

Johnson, who turns 68 next Tuesday, was first diagnosed with melanoma in his back in 2001. This January, nearly two weeks after the Eagles lost to Arizona in the NFC Championship, the team announced that he had experienced a recurrence because a tumor had developed in his spine.

The pain forced Johnson to coach the Eagles’ final two playoff games from the press box. Although he was on the field earlier this month during minicamp, the usually vigorous Johnson clearly was affected by the disease.

Because of broken bones in his back, he traversed the fields on a scooter and used a cane to walk. On May 2, in his first press conference since the team disclosed his condition, the toll the treatments were taking was apparent in his voice and countenance. He also had lost weight.

Still, Johnson explained how coaching was perhaps as important as chemotherapy.

“It’s great. It’s a part of my life, and it keeps me going,” said Johnson, who hoped to ditch the scooter as soon as possible.

“It’s not going to be like this all the time – hopefully we’ll get that injury back so I’m walking back on the field.”

That's just sad. As much grief as I give Andy Reid, on the absolute other side of the coin, Jim Johnson is nothing but a pure defensive genius and is without a doubt, one of, if not the, best defensive coordinator in the NFL. Here's hoping that he will indeed be all right and can make a full recovery!

Some Sad News Regarding Jim Johnson

Sad news coming out of Philadelphia. It appears that the Eagles' beloved defensive coordinator, Jim Johnson, has been diagnosed with cancer in his spine. Via the Associated Press.

Johnson was diagnosed Monday with a malignant tumor on his spine and has begun radiation treatments at Bryn Mawr Hospital, team spokesman Derek Boyko said.

The tumor developed from a melanoma in the same area where Johnson's skin cancer was diagnosed in 2001, Eagles trainer Rick Burkholder told The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News. Johnson also has cancer in other areas of his body, Burkholder said, but he declined to elaborate. The team did not offer a prognosis.

``Who knows where it tracked to from there, but his symptoms came from the spine,'' Burkholder told The Inquirer. ``Now there are some other areas in his body (that have cancer), but I'm not going to get into where else some other stuff is. They will all be treated together. ``

No surgery is scheduled and Johnson, who has been defensive coordinator for 10 years under coach Andy Reid, intends to continue coaching, Burkholder told the newspapers.

This is definitley sad news. Not only is he a great defensive coordinator but he also seems like he's a great person as well. And while I hope that Johnson follows through with his plans and returns as defensive coordinator, the man's health is more important. Hopefully he'll be able to beat it like he did in 2001 and everything will be all right. We're all behind you, Jim Johnson.

Jim Johnson Diagnosed With Cancer (Comcast.net via the Associated Press)