Andre Johnson brings complete package to Texans

HOUSTON — Darnell Jenkins — friend, protégé and Houston Texans teammate of Andre Johnson — remembered seeing Johnson play quarterback in high school.

Jenkins said Johnson could really throw the ball. Johnson, modest as ever, disagreed.

"I didn't throw the ball that well," said Johnson, who will officially begin his seventh season with the Texans when Houston opens Sunday at home against the New York Jets. "I would drop back and take off running. I never felt comfortable at quarterback. I always wanted to be a receiver."

Johnson played the game well from the beginning and kept getting better and better. Last year, he led the NFL with 115 receptions and 1,575 receiving yards, finishing more than 100 yards ahead of second-place Larry Fitzgerald.

What separates Johnson from many of the game's best known receivers is the way he approaches the game, like a secret agent. There is no flash with his dash, no dances with his touchdowns, no theatrics that earn penalties from officials or air time on ESPN. He never pulled a Sharpie or a cell phone out of his sock.

"That's just his personality," said kicker Kris Brown, one of the original Texans. "That's one of the things we love about him, and respect about him. He's not going to do something that isn't who he is.

"In this business, players feel like they have to do some of those things to get noticed. Obviously, with Andre, his play is enough to get people's attention pretty quick."

The unusual aspect about Johnson is that he actually enjoys the antics of others, the first thing he watches for when he returns home from a Sunday game at Reliant Stadium. "It's good for football," he said. "It's entertainment."

Former NFL receiver turned analyst Keyshawn Johnson wrote a book titled "Give Me the Damn Ball." That's not Andre Johnson's style. But he does get the message to the top when needed.

"I can tell when he walks by me on the sidelines," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. "That's his way of saying of 'give me the ball.' He's a competitor. He deserves the ball by the way he works."

Ask almost any Texan about Johnson and the conversation will inevitably turn to one topic: work ethic. Nobody does it better.

"He just shows up every day, does things the right way," said tight end Joel Dressen. "He's consistent and obviously he's such a gifted athlete. He's phenomenal in everything he does, catching the ball, running with the ball, making guys miss."

When you think of Andre Johnson, think Jerry Rice. Not Terrell Owens.

Where did his work ethic come from?

Johnson can't give credit to any one coach or specific person. He said the older guys on his high school team worked hard, worked out in the offseason. He ran into similar types at the University of Miami.

The Hurricanes earned a reputation for their brashness as much as their national championships. In truth, most of the players were good people.

Texans offensive tackle Eric Winston, who grew up in Midland, overlapped with Johnson for one year at Miami.

"They're some of the best guys in the world, and they come from a meek existence," said Winston, including Johnson in his analysis.

Johnson was the meekest of all, despite catching seven passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns to help the 'Canes blow out Nebraska in the national championship game during his final season at Miami.

"He never said a word," Winston said of Johnson's demeanor in college.

He is more talkative now, a patient and willing interview but soft-spoken by pro athletes' standards. His teammates insist more of his personality surfaces when he's with the other Texans.

The better he knows people, the more comfortable he becomes, explained Johnson. He doesn't mind the media, he just doesn't know them well enough to reveal all his personality.

Jenkins looked up to Johnson for years, Andre helping to prepare him for college, telling him what to expect on the field and in the classroom.

When Jenkins worked at a playground in the summer in Miami, Johnson used to pick him up to go work out. Just knowing Johnson gave Jenkins instant credibility with the kids.

"He was a big help to me," Jenkins said. "That's when the kids started listening to me."

He has continued to help his teammates, the receivers in particular, as his stature grew in pro football.

"Kubiak likes to use him as a demonstration for a typical pro athlete that will be around for as long as he wants," said teammate David Anderson, another wide receiver. "He's not only got the athleticism, he's got the smarts and the work ethic.

"Normally guys like that, who are consistent Pro Bowlers, want to cause problems. He just puts his head down and goes to work every day, which makes him even more exceptional in my opinion."

Anderson, beginning his fourth season with Houston, said he has seen Johnson improve every year.

"That's a lot to say about a guy who had already made the Pro Bowl," Anderson said. "His hands have gotten better, his routes, his patience."

Of course, Anderson and the other receivers appreciate the fact that the attention that Johnson draws opens holes in the secondary for them to catch passes.

Johnson will be the first to praise other receivers.

"When we catch a pass, it makes him excited," Anderson said. "We get the ball because he takes so much attention."

The Pro Bowls were nice, but not where Johnson wants to go. He has yet to make the playoffs, after knowing nothing but success before Houston.

When the Texans took him with the third pick in the 2003 draft, Johnson understood joining a year-old franchise would not be a freeway to the Super Bowl. But at times, Houston went in the wrong direction, bottoming out with a 2-14 record in 2005.

"Everywhere I played, even in Little League, we were always in the playoffs, winning 9-10 games a year," he said. "It was different (losing). It was hard."

The defeats never soured his enthusiasm. After back-to-back 8-8 records, the Texans open the 2009 season with renewed hope.

Johnson was built to be a pro receiver, combining size (6-3, 228) and speed with great hands. "That's what God built him for," said guard Chester Pitts. "He is the mold."

Johnson brings even more to the field that makes him one of the best in the game.

"His best attribute is his explosiveness," said Kyle Shanahan, the Texans' offensive coordinator. "I think DBs are shocked how much ground he can eat up. If they're off 10 yards, he can eat up that cushion way before they're expecting it. Either they're surprised and he runs by them, or they get out of there and we can throw underneath all day."

His best skill may be the fact he doesn't have to be open to catch the ball. Shanahan compared Johnson with a basketball player who gets good position with his body and can go up and get the ball, covered or not.
What else could a receiver need, other than blocking?

Johnson does that, too.

"He's very good," Shanahan said of Johnson's blocking. "A lot of receivers don't do it, especially the ones who feel they've earned it. With our offense, if we had a guy like that, it would really hurt us. We expect our receivers to block in the running game."

There really is only one bottom line for No. 80: Winning.

"That's the only reason I play," he said.



(statesman.com)