Sep
JJ’s paying big dividends
Courtesy Hamilton Spectator:
For Ticat linebacker Jamall Johnson, this underestimating thing has been going on for a while. How long? The Canadian Football League’s leading tackler got cut from his middle school football team. Twice.
He didn’t play at all his freshman year in high school, sparingly as a sophomore. He went to a small college, Northwestern State, and, despite being conference defensive player-of-the-year his senior season, went undrafted in the National Football League. He’s since been signed twice by clubs down south, only to be released.
The CFL was hardly better. He languished on the roster of the B.C. Lions for four seasons, without every getting a chance to start on a regular basis.
Notice a pattern?
“I’ve always had to deal with a little bit of adversity playing this game. It helped me build a little more character and have some patience,” Johnson said after practice yesterday.
“Going through being cut and not playing when I thought I could contribute has kept me motivated and grounded. Right now, we’re having fun, but I know there are a lot of guys that want to be in my position. It keeps you humble and it keeps you hungry.”
After being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in June, Johnson spurned a chance to return to B.C. and instead signed with Hamilton. Ticat general manager Bob O’Billovich, who brought Johnson to the CFL while director of player personnel for the Lions, enticed Johnson with the thing he wanted most: playing time.
“One of the reasons he was so keen about signing with us, was that it was an opportunity to play full time at his position. I thought he could make a contribution to our football team,” O’Billovich said.
By coming East, Johnson was reunited with fellow Lion castoffs Otis Floyd and Markeith Knowlton, who now form one of the best linebacker units in the league.
“I knew what he had. When Bob called me up and told me we were going to bring in JJ, I was like ‘You better hurry up and get ‘em.’ He didn’t get a chance to show his talent in B.C. But I knew if he got the opportunity he was going to be an all-star and he’s on his way,” Floyd said.
“All three of us have a chip on our shoulder because of what happened in B.C.”
Johnson has paid big dividends, and quickly, for the Ticats. In just eight games this season, he has amassed 63 tackles and is on pace to threaten the league’s single-season record of 129, set by Argonaut Calvin Tiggle in 1994.
Listed at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds – and that’s generous – Johnson has been considered undersized his entire career. NFL clubs tried to convert him to a strong safety, where he could use his superior speed in pass coverage as well as stuff the run.
But Johnson says he prefers to mix it up with bigger backs and offensive linemen.
“It’s always fun when somebody’s bigger than you and they think they have an advantage and you go and dominate them. It feels good, you get an adrenaline rush,” he said.
He’s faced challenges off the field, as well, growing up fatherless in Norco, La., population 3,500.
“My mom raised me and my three brothers, pretty much by herself, and did a good job of keeping us on the right track. She worked really hard and I love her for everything she’s done for me,” said Johnson, who carries his mother’s surname.
“I had a lot of family and people around that cared and wouldn’t let you take certain routes. Our whole community was good.”
Johnson recently reconnected with his dad, who’s also still in Louisiana.
“I got in contact with him last year some time and we’ve been talking and building a relationship and things are going well with that situation,” Johnson said.
Going well seems to be the new theme for Johnson. Head coach Marcel Bellefeuille said the tough start to his career may have helped instill an approach that’s finally paying off.
“He’s a pro and he works at. He’s in the office after practice watching tape, he’s not waiting until the coaches give it to him. His preparation is very solid. What separates the better pros is the guys who do the extra work and he seems to do that,” Bellefeuille said. “He’ll play well and be named player of the week, but he’ll be the first guy to say ‘I made three or four mistakes.’ That humility is part of what makes him a great player.”
Johnson is under contract for next season and says he isn’t considering the possibility of another shot at the NFL.
Surrounded by players and coaches that have faith in him and finally – finally – getting a chance to play, Johnson says he feels at home in Steeltown.
“I’m glad things turned out the way they did. I’m having a good time here in Hamilton and hope to keep it rolling.”
