| No. 11, 7, 17 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1973-03-18)March 18, 1973 (age 52) Newport Beach, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 212 lb (96 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | El Toro(Lake Forest, California) | ||||||||
| College | USC (1991–1994) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1995: 4th round, 99th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Robert Garland Johnson (born March 18, 1973) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aquarterback in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theUSC Trojans and was a fourth-round pick in the1995 NFL draft by theexpansion teamJacksonville Jaguars.
With USC, Johnson won the1995 Cotton Bowl Classic. In the Jaguars' opening game of 1997, Johnson started for an injuredMark Brunell and had a breakout performance that set a record for the best completion percentage by a debuting starting quarterback. Johnson signed a $25 million contract with theBuffalo Bills the following season and was named starting quarterback by coachWade Phillips. Johnson had a tumultuous, injury-ridden run with the Bills and a reputation for frequently beingsacked (140 in his career, including 49 in 2000), the inspiration for the nickname "Robo-sack". Johnson's injuries and poor performance led Phillips to replace Johnson with the more experiencedDoug Flutie as starter. Controversially, Phillips started Johnson over Flutie for the2000 Wild Card playoff game that the Bills lost to eventual AFC championTennessee Titans, after Flutie helped the Bills to an 11–5 record in the 1999 season. Phillips later said that Bills' ownerRalph Wilson had instructed the head coach to start Johnson over Flutie.[1]
After two losing seasons with the Bills, Johnson joined theTampa Bay Buccaneers for 2002 and won aSuper Bowl title with the team as a backup toBrad Johnson (no relation). Rob Johnson played his final games with theWashington Redskins andOakland Raiders in 2003. He also tried out in 2006 for theNew York Giants and in 2008 for the Tennessee Titans. In 2004, Johnson became an assistant football coach atMission Viejo High School with his brother, both under their father as head coach.
Johnson was born inNewport Beach, California and graduated fromEl Toro High School in 1991.[2][3] In his senior season of 1990, Johnson completed 207 of 303 attempted passes for 2,788 yards and 28 touchdowns. TheLos Angeles Times selected Johnson as first-team All-Orange County.[4]
Johnson playedcollege football at theUniversity of Southern California, where he was teammates withKeyshawn Johnson,Curtis Conway,Johnnie Morton,Willie McGinest, andAll-American tackle and fellowJacksonville JaguarsdrafteeTony Boselli. Johnson left USC holding virtually every majorpassing record and spent much of his senior year as aHeisman Trophy candidate. In his final game for the school, Johnson led his team to victory in the1995 Cotton Bowl Classic, dominatingTexas Tech by a final score of 55–14.[5]
In the1995 NFL draft, theexpansion teamJacksonville Jaguars drafted Johnson as the first draft pick of the fourth round (99th overall).[9][10][11] As a rookie, Johnson was the second- and third-string quarterback behindSteve Beuerlein.[3] Johnson played in one game in 1995, a 44–0 loss to theDetroit Lions.[12] With 3:57 remaining in the third quarter, Johnson entered the game for Beuerlein. In three drives, Johnson threw one interception and failed at twofourth down conversions.[3] Johnson was 3 for 7 in passing for 24 yards, one interception, and one sack, and he rushed for 17 yards.[12] The Jaguars finished their inaugural season 4–12.[13]
Starting in 1996,Mark Brunell became starting quarterback for the Jaguars.[3] Rob Johnson played in all the preseason games and completed 30 of 43 passes (69.8%) for 336 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He rushed for 23 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown run against theSan Francisco 49ers.[3] Johnson did not play in any regular season or postseason games in 1996.[14] The Jaguars finished the 1996 season 9–7 and lost theAFC championship game to theNew England Patriots.[15]
For the final two games of the 1997 preseason, Johnson was the starter in place of an injuredMark Brunell and won both games.[3] Johnson started his first game on Week 1 of 1997 as Brunell was still recovering. In that game on August 31, 1997, Johnson completed 20 of 24 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns. For the Jaguars' first two possessions, Johnson led 84- and 93-yard touchdown drives. Johnson also ran four times for 31 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown on ascramble. Jaguars receiverJimmy Smith caught the winning 28-yard touchdown pass from Johnson in the Jaguars' 28–27 victory over theBaltimore Ravens.[16] This performance set the record for the highest completion percentage of any first-time starting quarterback.[3] Twice in the game, Johnson left due tohigh ankle sprains.[3] Due to his ankle injury, Johnson would miss the next three games.[17] In Week 7 (October 12), Johnson played his next game of the season, a backup role to Brunell in a 38–21 victory over thePhiladelphia Eagles. Johnson completed one 10-yard pass and was sacked once for 6 yards.[18] For three more games, Johnson would play in minor roles: a Week 9 (October 26) loss to thePittsburgh Steelers, a Week 11 (November 9) win over theKansas City Chiefs, and a Week 17 (December 21) win over theOakland Raiders for a cumulative five games played in 1997 (including one start).[18] Johnson did not play in the Jaguars' only postseason game, a 17–42 loss to the eventualSuper Bowl XXXII championDenver Broncos in theWild Card round.
On February 14, 1998, the Jaguars traded Johnson to theBuffalo Bills in exchange for the Bills' first and fourth round picks in the1998 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.[19]
Yet, Johnson's hold on the starting job was tenuous from his first game. Facing theSan Diego Chargers in week 1 of the 1998 season, Johnson left with aconcussion.[20] With the Bills trailing 10–0, backup quarterbackDoug Flutie led two scoring drives, but the Bills lost 16–14.[21] 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.[22]
With the Bills facing theIndianapolis Colts in week 5, Johnson suffered a separatedribcartilage during the first quarter and left the game.[23] Appearing in relief, Flutie led the Bills to a 31–24 victory over the Colts with 24 unanswered points in the second half.[24] 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."[22] 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-number ones" before ultimately awarding Flutie the starting job.[25][26] Flutie led the Bills to a 10–5 record before Phillips decided to rest him for the final week of the season.[27] Facing theIndianapolis Colts and the Colts' second-year quarterback andnumber-one draft pickPeyton Manning, Johnson completed 24 of 32 passes for 287 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Bills won 31–6, ending the Colts' 11-game winning streak.[28] This performance led owner Ralph Wilson to "discuss" the QB position with Phillips, on the day after the game Phillips named Johnson the starter for the Bills' opening round playoff game against the Tennessee Titans.[29]
Facing the Titans on the road, Johnson played poorly, completing only 10 of 22 passes for 131 yards, taking six sacks, and fumbling three times. However, the Bills still led 16–15 after aSteve Christie field goal with 16 seconds remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, however, Titans tight endFrank Wycheck completed a pass that was ultimately ruled to be a lateral to returnerKevin Dyson, who returned the ball for a touchdown and the Titans victory. This play would be known later as "Home Run Throwback"[30] or the "Music City Miracle". The Bills did not make the playoffs after the 1999 season until the 2017 season.[27]
Rob Johnson started the first six games of 2000 and finished those games 3–3 after a 2–0 start as Doug Flutie recovered from agroin injury that forced him to miss much of training camp.[31][32] The Bills' opening game of the season was against theTennessee Titans, a rematch of last season's Wild Card playoff game. With nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Johnson left the game with a leg injury, andAlex Van Pelt took over and set up the winning field goal for a 16–13 Bills victory.[33] Johnson completed 9 of 18 pass attempts for 107 yards and one touchdown and rushed six times for 60 yards. However, Johnson was sacked five times.[31] The following game against theBrett Favre-ledGreen Bay Packers, Johnson again was sacked five times but led the Bills to a 27–18 victory, on 18-for-26 passing for 259 yards.[34] The Bills lost their next three games. In the week 6 game against theMiami Dolphins, a 13–22 loss, Johnson was sacked five times and finished 11-for-26 for 178 yards before leaving due totendinitis.[35] Johnson's injury provided the opportunity for Doug Flutie to play for the first time this season, and Johnson had been sacked 25 times by the time of his injury.[36] The Bills snapped the three-game losing streak with a 27–24 overtime win against theSan Diego Chargers, but Johnson separated his right shoulder during the first play of the Bills' opening drive in overtime and was expected to miss two to four weeks. Flutie led the winning offensive drive that game.[32] With Johnson out with his shoulder injury, Flutie led the Bills to a near-upset of the then-undefeated Vikings, 31–27, then engineered an upset 20–17 win over the New York Jets and a 16–13 overtime win over theNew England Patriots. Johnson returned in Week 11 against theBears and received some playing time off the bench as Flutie led the Bills to another win.
Despite Flutie's win streak, Johnson was again named the starter heading into the Week 12 game at Kansas City. Johnson threw two touchdowns (albeit one coming after a Chiefs player dropped an interception) and ran for the go-ahead score with 2:58 remaining as the Bills won over the Chiefs, 21–17.[37] After this win, which put the Bills at 7-4 and in playoff contention, Johnson began to struggle. The Bills lost to the Bucs, 31–17, in Tampa Bay in Week 13, despite two touchdown passes from Johnson before being injured again when Bucs linebackerDerrick Brooks threw him to the ground while he miraculously completed a screen pass to running backShawn Bryson.[38] The following week against the Dolphins, Johnson was only 6-18 for 44 yards with 2 interceptions and was benched late in the game for Flutie as the Bills lost, 33–6.[39] A Week 15 Monday Night loss to the Colts eliminated the Bills from the playoffs, as it gave the Bills their seventh loss of the season, while all teams that made the playoffs in 2000 lost six games or fewer. Early in the Bills's next game against the Patriots, Johnson received a season-ending injury, and Flutie replaced him for the remainder of the season.
The Bills finished the 2000 season 8–8, with a 4–1 record with games started by Flutie[36] and 4–7 under Johnson.[31] After the 2000 season, it was clear that the Bills could not keep both Johnson and Flutie on the same team.[40]Tim Layden reported for the August 6, 2001 issue ofSports Illustrated that Johnson had the highest sack-to-dropback ratio among quarterbacks who threw at least 190 passes in the 2000 season.[41]
After an 0–4 start, Johnson's only win of 2001 came in a Thursday night 13–10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, against the team where his career began. Johnson led a late-game drive, setting up a tie-breaking field goal that gave Buffalo its first win of the season.[42] The Bills would lose the next three games, which Johnson started.[43] Johnson broke his collarbone and left the Week 9 (November 11) game against theNew England Patriots late in the fourth quarter, andAlex Van Pelt assumed the starting job for the rest of the 2001 season.[44] Johnson finished 2001 134 for 216 in completed passes for 1,465 yards with 5 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, and 31 sacks.[43]
After a dismal 2001 campaign that saw Johnson miss half the season with a brokenclavicle, Johnson signed with theTampa Bay Buccaneers for the2002 season.[45] Under newhead coachJon Gruden, the team was looking for a mobile signal caller in the mold ofRich Gannon.[46] For opening week, Gruden named Rob Johnson the backup to starterBrad Johnson (no relation).[47]
Rob Johnson played his first regular season game with Tampa in Week 7 (October 20) against thePhiladelphia Eagles after Brad Johnson left due to a rib injury. However, the Buccaneers lost 20-10.[48] However, Rob Johnson led the Buccaneers to a defense-filled 12–9 victory over theCarolina Panthers on Week 8 (October 27).[49] 22-for-33 in passing, Johnson passed for 179 yards but had one interception and 6 sacks.[50] While Brad Johnson was recovering from being poked in the eye, Rob Johnson played for part of the first quarter in the Week 12 (November 24) game against theGreen Bay Packers, a game that Tampa won 21–7.[51] Johnson completed 3 out of 5 passes for 60 yards, threw one interception, and had two sacks.[50]
By late November 2002, Rob Johnson had nine sacks in 54 passing plays and a 59.8 quarterback rating, in contrast with Brad Johnson having 16 sacks in 335 attempts. Gruden promotedShaun King to be Brad Johnson's backup on November 29, making Rob Johnson the third-stringer.[52] In Week 16 (December 23), King played so poorly against thePittsburgh Steelers, throwing three interceptions (one of which was returned for a touchdown) versus only five completions, that Rob Johnson started the second half. Rob Johnson led the Buccaneers to a late touchdown drive in a 17–7 loss.[53] Johnson had 12-for-18 passing for 159 yards, one touchdown, and 5 sacks.[50]
On Week 17 (December 29), with a first-round playoff bye on the line, Johnson led the Buccaneers to five field goals against theChicago Bears at theUniversity of Illinois'Memorial Stadium for the franchise's first-ever victory when the kickoff temperature was below freezing.[54] Johnson completed 16 of 25 passes for 134 yards and rushed three times for 29 yards. Like the previous game, Johnson was sacked five times.[50] In the Buccaneers'Divisional playoff game against theSan Francisco 49ers, Rob Johnson completed one 21-yard pass and rushed one time for 7 yards in the 31–6 Buccaneers win.[50] DuringSuper Bowl XXXVII, Rob Johnson would watch from the bench as Brad Johnson led the Buccaneers to the NFL title.
On March 2, 2003, Johnson signed with theWashington Redskins.[55] As a backup to starting quarterbackPatrick Ramsey, Johnson played only two games with the Redskins, in Week 6 (October 12) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Week 7 (October 19) against the Buffalo Bills, both against teams for which Johnson used to play.[56] In the Redskins' 13–35 loss to the Buccaneers, Johnson completed 4 of 4 passes for 35 yards and was sacked twice.[56] The following game against the Bills, Johnson took over in the fourth quarter after Ramsey suffered a hand bruise, to a chorus of boos from the crowd atRalph Wilson Stadium.[57] On his second play of the game, Johnson was sacked byAaron Schobel, a play that the crowd cheered.[58] Johnson completed only one 4-yard pass out of three passes.[56] On October 22, ownerDaniel Snyder terminated Johnson's contract and replaced Johnson with free agentTim Hasselbeck.[59]
On November 6, 2003, Johnson signed with theOakland Raiders, who were seeking replacements for injured quarterbacksRich Gannon andMarques Tuiasosopo.[60] SucceedingRick Mirer, Johnson played in the second half of a Week 16Monday Night Football game on December 22 hosting theGreen Bay Packers. His last pass attempt was directed at the legendaryJerry Rice and was intercepted.[61] Johnson finished the game passing 6-for-13 for 54 yards, one sack, one interception, and 15 rushing yards.[56]
Following his release from Oakland in 2004, Johnson underwentTommy John surgery, a procedure more commonly performed onbaseballpitchers. 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. After a year of recovery, Johnson worked out for theTennessee Titans, but was not signed. Reports suggested his arm strength was still under 50%. In 2006, Johnson was signed by theNew York Giants to compete for a roster spot behind starterEli Manning. Johnson was released before the preseason came to an end. In an NFL.com interview, Johnson vowed to continue his career for as long as he could play at "an NFL level."
In September 2008, Johnson was invited to a Titans workout, along withJoey Harrington andChris Simms. However, the Titans signed Simms as a backup for veteranKerry Collins. This was Johnson's last reported NFL workout.
Johnson and his family live inLadera Ranch, California. Since 2004, Johnson has been an assistant football coach atMission Viejo High School under head coach, father Bob Johnson, and with assistant coach and brother Bret Johnson.[62] The Johnsons also run a camp for high school quarterbacks.[63] In 2012, Johnson joined a series of 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.[64]
In a 2015 oral history of theMusic City Miracle, Johnson announced his intention to bring his family to a Bills game that season, but admitted to his unpopularity among Bills fans by adding, "The fans might boo me."[65]
In 2008, theNFL Network ranked Johnson number eight in the network specialTop Ten One-Shot Wonders, citing Johnson's one wonder as his game from Week 1 of 1997.[66] NFL Network also ranked the Doug Flutie/Rob Johnson quarterback controversy with the Buffalo Bills #6 in the specialTop Ten QB Controversies the following year.[67] For holding the NFL record for most sacks per passing attempt, Johnson earned the nickname "Robo-sack".[66][68]