JIM JOHNSON – MR DEFENSE (JULY 28)

 A sad day in Philadelphia and across the NFL as one of its defensive innovators has lost his battle with cancer. He died at the age of 68 on Tuesday.

“I’m not sure there’s a person that I’ve met that isn’t a Jim Johnson fan. He really represented everything this city is all about with his toughness and grit. That’s the way he fought this cancer. This whole Eagles-Andy Reid regime here that’s taken place wouldn’t have been possible without Jim” said Andy Reid, who hired Johnson to be his defensive coordinator shortly after he got his first head coaching job with the Eagles in 1999.

Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie praised Johnson for his leadership skills and the person he was. ”For 10 years, Jim Johnson was an exceptional coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, but more importantly, he was an outstanding human being,” Lurie said. “As an integral part of the Eagles family, Jim epitomized the traits of what a great coach should be — a teacher, a leader, and a winner … It was easy to feel close to him.”

The loss was felt throughout the league as Commish Roger Goodell declared his sentiments. ”He was a teacher to many players both on and off the field and devoted his life to the game of football,” Goodell said in a statement. “He had a positive influence on scores of young men, and leaves behind a wonderful legacy.”

Frankly, Jim Johnson was probably beloved here more than Andy Reid. As Reid stated he epitomized the Philadelphia way. Straight up and in your face but more clever than you think. We pride ourselves with hard work and a roll up your sleeves attitude but we aren’t a stupid bunch either. We may be a little stubborn but we keep up with the changes. In fact we like to create some of our own.

Johnson was a seat of your pants kind of guy and his pants were usually right. But he was a relentless preparer and a student of the game. He also was content with being the man on D. He did not seem to clamour for Head Coach consideration for the most part. You don’t see that a lot around the NFL with the elite Coordinators.

On behalf of Philliesmania.com and the Delaware Valley, I would like to extend my sadness and sympathy to his family and his team of present and former players who all will miss him dearly.