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Footballguy
GEORGETOWN, Ky. - Last year during training camp, Michael Johnson didn't know what role he would have in the Bengals defense. This year, he knows exactly what is expected out of him.
After Antwan Odom was released, Johnson has moved to first string at right defensive end. That was made official on Monday as the first depth chart of the season was released in time for Friday's preseason opener at Detroit.
Because of injuries to Odom, Jonathan Fanene and Frostee Rucker, Johnson started 10 games last season, including the final eight, despite dealing with a couple of nagging injuries of his own. Johnson, who played linebacker during last year's training camp, said he really didn't feel comfortable back on the line until the final six games of the year.
"From then on I felt pretty good about everything I was doing. Once I pushed through that I was starting to do good things," Johnson said. "I really got to build a lot of confidence playing my hand in the dirt and understanding how to play."
Over those final six games, Johnson had two sacks and 13 quarterback pressures. He ended up leading the team in tackles for loss (eight).
He ended up playing the second-most snaps of the Bengals defensive linemen.
Combining with Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins, the self-named Fisher-Price Package helped upgrade the Bengals' pass rush from abysmal to respectable. If all three can pick up where they left off, it might be pretty good.
"I've got to pick up my end of it.," Johnson said. "Those guys (Dunlap and Atkins) have shown and they're going to get the attention so I'm probably going to end up getting the matchups and I've got to win those."
While Johnson's biggest strength has been as a pass rusher, he was pretty solid against the run too. According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson had the second-best run defense grade of Bengals' linemen last season. In the Week 16 win over San Diego, he had a three tackles for loss, including a stop of Ryan Mathews for a one-yard loss on third-and-goal from the 1.
With Johnson now at home on the line, defensive line coach Jay Hayes has had more time to work with him. Among the things Hayes has stressed is attention to fundamentals. Johnson traditionally starts the season slowly, but Hayes noted that he has gotten better the last two seasons as they've gone along.
"In a four-man front, this is probably the best position for him because he's so athletic and potentially you want to maximize a guy," Hayes said. "He has a certain skill level when it comes to playing defensive line and he knows fundamentally what to do. There were flashes last year where he looked really good. Hopefully we can have those happen on a consistent basis and he can make those types of plays throughout the year."
During player-run workouts in June, Johnson got a feel for what it would be like on a line with Domata Peko, Tank Johnson and Robert Geathers. Besides working on fundamentals, Johnson hopes to be healthy once the season starts Sept. 11 in Cleveland.
"I just want to strike a match and pick up where I left off last year," Johnson said. "We're going to have a lot of fun. If we do that, we're going to be trouble."
After Antwan Odom was released, Johnson has moved to first string at right defensive end. That was made official on Monday as the first depth chart of the season was released in time for Friday's preseason opener at Detroit.
Because of injuries to Odom, Jonathan Fanene and Frostee Rucker, Johnson started 10 games last season, including the final eight, despite dealing with a couple of nagging injuries of his own. Johnson, who played linebacker during last year's training camp, said he really didn't feel comfortable back on the line until the final six games of the year.
"From then on I felt pretty good about everything I was doing. Once I pushed through that I was starting to do good things," Johnson said. "I really got to build a lot of confidence playing my hand in the dirt and understanding how to play."
Over those final six games, Johnson had two sacks and 13 quarterback pressures. He ended up leading the team in tackles for loss (eight).
He ended up playing the second-most snaps of the Bengals defensive linemen.
Combining with Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins, the self-named Fisher-Price Package helped upgrade the Bengals' pass rush from abysmal to respectable. If all three can pick up where they left off, it might be pretty good.
"I've got to pick up my end of it.," Johnson said. "Those guys (Dunlap and Atkins) have shown and they're going to get the attention so I'm probably going to end up getting the matchups and I've got to win those."
While Johnson's biggest strength has been as a pass rusher, he was pretty solid against the run too. According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson had the second-best run defense grade of Bengals' linemen last season. In the Week 16 win over San Diego, he had a three tackles for loss, including a stop of Ryan Mathews for a one-yard loss on third-and-goal from the 1.
With Johnson now at home on the line, defensive line coach Jay Hayes has had more time to work with him. Among the things Hayes has stressed is attention to fundamentals. Johnson traditionally starts the season slowly, but Hayes noted that he has gotten better the last two seasons as they've gone along.
"In a four-man front, this is probably the best position for him because he's so athletic and potentially you want to maximize a guy," Hayes said. "He has a certain skill level when it comes to playing defensive line and he knows fundamentally what to do. There were flashes last year where he looked really good. Hopefully we can have those happen on a consistent basis and he can make those types of plays throughout the year."
During player-run workouts in June, Johnson got a feel for what it would be like on a line with Domata Peko, Tank Johnson and Robert Geathers. Besides working on fundamentals, Johnson hopes to be healthy once the season starts Sept. 11 in Cleveland.
"I just want to strike a match and pick up where I left off last year," Johnson said. "We're going to have a lot of fun. If we do that, we're going to be trouble."
