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Seth Polansky
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Cardinals center Al Johnson can’t wait for the second minicamp to begin. The first one was a great experience for him after leaving the Cowboys. But this is Big Red football. The new staff and offense is what made Johnson want to come over in free agency, and now he aims to solidify his place on the offensive line.
“I’m real excited to be here in Arizona. I think this is going to be one heck of a good turnaround,” Johnson said. “All the talent that’s on this team … it’s really in the right direction. You can just feel it from the atmosphere around here and the guys’ attitudes that they’re ready to turn it around and do whatever it takes. It’s exciting and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
At the camp a month ago the players and coaches were going through the motions for the first time together. It might have been a little awkward initially, but everyone got a pretty good handle on things by the time it was over. Now is when the players get to show head coach Ken Whisenhunt and his staff what they learned. And everything should be a little bit easier.
“The first minicamp is just to get a feel of knowing how things are done around here. And just getting to know the plays is the biggest thing,” he said. “There will be no guessing or ‘what’s going next, what’s coming next’ on the schedule. The more you know the better it is you can just go out and play and relax and have fun. Concentrate on your job and not worry about what you have to do next.”
However, it’s going to be rough for one group of players -- the 25 newly drafted and undrafted rookies. This is going to be their first-ever minicamp. While the veterans had a sense of what to expect back in April, these rookies are going to be thrown into the fire.
Johnson is going to be shoulder-to-shoulder with six first-year guys on the line. On top of trying to implement what he has learned up to this point, Johnson also has to help the new guards next to him get in the right position. He feels that as long as those rookies don’t get star struck about the defenders on the other side of the ball, then there won’t be any problems.
“I think the biggest thing for these rookies will be the tempo at which it’s played and just basically not to let themselves overthink,” he said. “They just have to go out and play and do what got them here. In the end it just comes down to football. Learn from what the coach is trying to tell you. The rest takes care of itself. They’ll be fine.”
Johnson knows the importance of starting camp off strong. He was drafted in the second round in 2003 by Dallas and was penciled in to be the starting center right off the bat. But a knee injury early on ended his rookie season. Successful rehab, great coaching and helpful teammates helped Johnson become that starter in 2004.
Now he is going to need some of that help again. With the defense throwing different looks in there all the time, it’s important for he and his linemates to make sure the opposing unit doesn’t get the upper hand. Never mind that it’s just practice. This will benefit Johnson as he is sure to encounter other exotic schemes throughout the 2007 campaign.
This season Johnson is going to be battling with Nick Leckey for a shot at being the starter. Nothing is a given at this point. Leckey came into his own by starting the final 11 games last year. Now two guys with a great amount of potential are going to have to balance being competitors and teammates at the same time.
“Nick’s a great guy. We get along fine,” Johnson mentioned. “And in the end I think it’s one of things like me and Andre (Gurode) in Dallas. We still had a friendship and the communication was there. But when it came to practice, the gloves are off and the best man wins. But that doesn’t mean when he comes back off the field and did something wrong you wouldn’t try to help him. You just go out there and do it. You hope you’re the one that wins. In the end you just do anything you can.”
The situation between Johnson and Gurode in Dallas was an interesting one. Gurode was handed the starter’s role last year after Johnson held down that spot in 2004 and 2005. But that didn’t mean Johnson could take a back seat and do nothing. He still had to rotate in when Gurode needed a breather. Then there was that unfortunate incident in the game against Tennessee when Gurode was intentionally stepped on. Johnson then played extensively in the following contest. Even here in Arizona Leckey backed up Alex Stepanovich until emerging as the starter in 2006.
All of this has made Johnson into the mentally tough, yet easy going player that he is.
“Last year was tough. But when it comes down to it, you’re still a pro athlete. You still have to be a professional and you can’t cry over spilled milk,” he said. “So I did whatever I could to help the team. I wasn’t down. I wasn’t a hindrance. I tried to help anyway I could; help the guy that was in front of me so he could do his job better and help the team. It’s one of those things you never want to go through again, but somehow you have to make the most of it. I wouldn’t say I accepted the (backup) role. I think once you accept not being the starter you have already lost. But you can still make the best of the situation.”
Johnson has a uniqueness that could help him earn the starting job by the end of training camp. Despite playing at the University of Wisconsin, where running the ball is priority No. 1, and with the Cowboys, whose O-linemen love to play smash-mouth football, Johnson is also considered to be a great pass blocker. This is due to his fairly long arms. With Johnson’s size (6-foot-5, 311 pounds) and arm length, he is able to consistently keep defenders out of the backfield effectively on both running and passing plays.
So now the competition is on for Johnson and his quest to be Arizona’s starting center. He has a leg up by being the No. 1 guy in Dallas for a couple of years, but now he goes up against the Cardinals' No. 1 guy from last year. It should make for some interesting battles in the trenches.
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/detail.php?PRKey=1698
[/FONT]“I’m real excited to be here in Arizona. I think this is going to be one heck of a good turnaround,” Johnson said. “All the talent that’s on this team … it’s really in the right direction. You can just feel it from the atmosphere around here and the guys’ attitudes that they’re ready to turn it around and do whatever it takes. It’s exciting and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
At the camp a month ago the players and coaches were going through the motions for the first time together. It might have been a little awkward initially, but everyone got a pretty good handle on things by the time it was over. Now is when the players get to show head coach Ken Whisenhunt and his staff what they learned. And everything should be a little bit easier.
“The first minicamp is just to get a feel of knowing how things are done around here. And just getting to know the plays is the biggest thing,” he said. “There will be no guessing or ‘what’s going next, what’s coming next’ on the schedule. The more you know the better it is you can just go out and play and relax and have fun. Concentrate on your job and not worry about what you have to do next.”
However, it’s going to be rough for one group of players -- the 25 newly drafted and undrafted rookies. This is going to be their first-ever minicamp. While the veterans had a sense of what to expect back in April, these rookies are going to be thrown into the fire.
Johnson is going to be shoulder-to-shoulder with six first-year guys on the line. On top of trying to implement what he has learned up to this point, Johnson also has to help the new guards next to him get in the right position. He feels that as long as those rookies don’t get star struck about the defenders on the other side of the ball, then there won’t be any problems.
“I think the biggest thing for these rookies will be the tempo at which it’s played and just basically not to let themselves overthink,” he said. “They just have to go out and play and do what got them here. In the end it just comes down to football. Learn from what the coach is trying to tell you. The rest takes care of itself. They’ll be fine.”
Johnson knows the importance of starting camp off strong. He was drafted in the second round in 2003 by Dallas and was penciled in to be the starting center right off the bat. But a knee injury early on ended his rookie season. Successful rehab, great coaching and helpful teammates helped Johnson become that starter in 2004.
Now he is going to need some of that help again. With the defense throwing different looks in there all the time, it’s important for he and his linemates to make sure the opposing unit doesn’t get the upper hand. Never mind that it’s just practice. This will benefit Johnson as he is sure to encounter other exotic schemes throughout the 2007 campaign.
This season Johnson is going to be battling with Nick Leckey for a shot at being the starter. Nothing is a given at this point. Leckey came into his own by starting the final 11 games last year. Now two guys with a great amount of potential are going to have to balance being competitors and teammates at the same time.
“Nick’s a great guy. We get along fine,” Johnson mentioned. “And in the end I think it’s one of things like me and Andre (Gurode) in Dallas. We still had a friendship and the communication was there. But when it came to practice, the gloves are off and the best man wins. But that doesn’t mean when he comes back off the field and did something wrong you wouldn’t try to help him. You just go out there and do it. You hope you’re the one that wins. In the end you just do anything you can.”
The situation between Johnson and Gurode in Dallas was an interesting one. Gurode was handed the starter’s role last year after Johnson held down that spot in 2004 and 2005. But that didn’t mean Johnson could take a back seat and do nothing. He still had to rotate in when Gurode needed a breather. Then there was that unfortunate incident in the game against Tennessee when Gurode was intentionally stepped on. Johnson then played extensively in the following contest. Even here in Arizona Leckey backed up Alex Stepanovich until emerging as the starter in 2006.
All of this has made Johnson into the mentally tough, yet easy going player that he is.
“Last year was tough. But when it comes down to it, you’re still a pro athlete. You still have to be a professional and you can’t cry over spilled milk,” he said. “So I did whatever I could to help the team. I wasn’t down. I wasn’t a hindrance. I tried to help anyway I could; help the guy that was in front of me so he could do his job better and help the team. It’s one of those things you never want to go through again, but somehow you have to make the most of it. I wouldn’t say I accepted the (backup) role. I think once you accept not being the starter you have already lost. But you can still make the best of the situation.”
Johnson has a uniqueness that could help him earn the starting job by the end of training camp. Despite playing at the University of Wisconsin, where running the ball is priority No. 1, and with the Cowboys, whose O-linemen love to play smash-mouth football, Johnson is also considered to be a great pass blocker. This is due to his fairly long arms. With Johnson’s size (6-foot-5, 311 pounds) and arm length, he is able to consistently keep defenders out of the backfield effectively on both running and passing plays.
So now the competition is on for Johnson and his quest to be Arizona’s starting center. He has a leg up by being the No. 1 guy in Dallas for a couple of years, but now he goes up against the Cardinals' No. 1 guy from last year. It should make for some interesting battles in the trenches.
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/detail.php?PRKey=1698
