Interesting nugget from the Buccaneers’ popular roookie returner/receiver on The Rock Riley Show yesterday on WDAE radio.
Of course, Joe is referring to Tez Johnson, the seventh-round pick out of the University of Oregon.
Johnson told Riley that Chris Godwin has been talking to him about figuring out how to his speed consistently. Per Johnson, that’s something he must improve upon.
“Chris Godwin came to me and was like, ‘You’re so fast. You just got to use it to your advantage,'” Johnson said. “I think sometimes when I get to thinking, I don’t play as fast as I normally do. He was just telling me that.”
That intrigued Joe because Johnson fell to Round 7 in the NFL draft, in part, because of his 40-yard dash time –4.51 seconds as a 5-10, 154-pounder. (Yes, 154 pounds. That’s 20 pounds less than Scotty Miller.)
Perhaps Johnson, as he suggested, gets too much in his head and it affects his play-speed?
Johnson does not have elite track-style speed to go deep and he’s not exceptionally quick off the line of scrimmage, Joe believes. But Johnson sure can catch, and he seems to get open well, and he’s ridiculously slippery with the slightest amount of space.
Johnson missed the last two practices with an undisclosed injury, a scary scenario for any bubble player. He’s going to have to get back on the field soon and look quick and dangerous in the preseason. If not, what would the Bucs really be banking on?
