Andre Johnson reaches 1,000-catch milestone

Case Keenum received the shotgun snap, took one small step back and fired a pass out to his left. The nose of the football hit between the 8 and 0 on Andre Johnson’s Texans jersey.

Johnson caught the ball three yards behind the line of scrimmage, sprinted ahead and fought off a charging Terrell Suggs for a 4-yard gain in the second quarter.
A routine play. A special play. A milestone play.

It was Johnson’s 1,000th career catch, making him the 10th player in NFL history – and second fastest – to reach that milestone.

“It puts you in an elite group,” Johnson said. “I tell people I never thought I would be in this situation.”

It took Johnson 168 games to reach the milestone. Indianapolis’ Marvin Harrison reached the mark in 167 games. Johnson missed last week’s game at Indianapolis with a concussion, but he reached the milestone at NRG Stadium.

“It was just special to do it here because we have fans that have been riding with us for a long time, and I’ve been here to experience a lot of the things that have went on with this organization,” said Johnson, the Texans’ No. 3 overall pick 2003. “It was just fun to do it here.”

Johnson finished Sunday with six catches for 65 yards. He has 1,002 receptions, moving into ninth place on the all-time list.

“This guy is a hall of fame wide receiver,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “I just have a tremendous amount of respect for him. He’s one of the best leaders in our locker room and he does it by example, which I really respect.”


(chron.com)