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Posted by MadRussky on 2008-09-05 08:50:00
Bryant Johnson hoping to catch on in Niners debut
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
13 hours, 55 minutes ago
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Return to Original Buzz Up PrintSANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP)â€"Bryant Johnson would love to tell his San Francisco teammates exactly how to stop the Arizona Cardinals, whose uniform he wore for the past five seasons.
The 49ersâ€TM new receiver promises he would give up every nuance of the Arizona attack before the season openerâ€"if the Cardsâ€TM game plans hadnâ€TMt already been pushed out of his head by the new schemes heâ€TMs cramming to absorb by Sunday.
â€oeHonestly, I donâ€TMt remember the playbook any more,” Johnson said Thursday. â€oeOnce Iâ€TMve been doused into this (Mike) Martz offense, I kind of forgot the playbook from last year. Thereâ€TMs no room in the brain for that. You just have to stay in line with what youâ€TMre learning.”
Johnson changed NFC West teams as a free agent last spring for the chance to be more than a No. 3 receiver. He spent the last four years behind Pro Bowl talents Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, quietly providing an excellent tertiary target for Kurt Warner and Matt Leinart while always believing he was capable of more.
Heâ€TMll get that chance against the Cardinals at Candlestick Park, although coach Mike Nolan still hasnâ€TMt decided whether Johnson, who missed three weeks of the preseason with a hamstring injury, will start at split end alongside fellow newcomer Isaac Bruce.
Whatever his concerns, Nolan shouldnâ€TMt worry about Johnson overextending himself with excitement.
â€oeThe thing you have to be careful about going into a situation like this is ODâ€TMing on your emotions,” Johnson said flatly when asked if he was excited to face his former team. â€oeIâ€TMm here now. Iâ€TMm not there any more, and Iâ€TMm taking the approach (that) theyâ€TMre an opponent now.”
If rookie Josh Morgan gets the starting nod after playing well in the preseason, Johnson essentially would be a No. 3 receiver again, at least for one gameâ€"but his former Cardinals teammates donâ€TMt expect Johnson to take a supporting role for long.
â€oeHe was a No. 3 (receiver) here, but as we know, probably deserved to be in a higher position than that, if it wasnâ€TMt for the other two guys that weâ€TMve got here,” Warner said. â€oeHeâ€TMs that kind of talent. To have that as your No. 3 receiver was just a great position as a quarterback to be in.”
Johnson had 210 catches in five seasons with Arizona, which drafted him in the first round in 2003. He missed just three games with injuries over five years, and he was high on the 49ersâ€TM wish list in free agency after catching 46 passes for 528 yards last season.
The Cardinals didnâ€TMt want to break up their trio, but the club had its hands full keeping the other two pass-catchers happy. Boldin is upset with Arizona for its handling of his contract situation, while Fitzgerald eventually got a $44 million dealâ€"and Johnson agreed to a one-year deal to prove himself in San Francisco.
â€oeIâ€TMm happy for him, as long as he doesnâ€TMt hurt us too badly,” Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. â€oeI would have loved to have had him here. We were trying to do that. We were strapped a little bit because we were trying to get it worked out with Larry, and we never had a chance to address Bryant before he got the opportunity in San Francisco, but I am happy for him.”
Johnson saw San Francisco as a chance to work for offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who turned Bruce and Torry Holt into stars in St. Louis, while rejoining Jerry Sullivan, his receivers coach during his rookie season with Arizona. He also liked his chances of becoming a starter in San Francisco, though his injury might have delayed that transformation.
Johnson still speaks frequently to Boldin, who joined the Cardinals with him in the same 2003 draft, and heâ€TMs in contact with Warner and Fitzgerald. Heâ€TMs hoping theyâ€TMre congratulating him on the next step in his career after Sundayâ€TMs opener.
â€oeBryant was a great complement to our other two guys,” Warner said. â€oeHe was very explosive and could give us the big play and stretch the field for us. I always knew that if we had Larry and (Boldin) on one side of the football field, and I got B.J. on the other side in a one-on-one situation, I had full confidence that he would win. I just knew that if people wanted to overload the other two guys, I had extreme confidence in B.J.”
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Updated 13 hours, 55 minutes ago
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- MadRussky 2008-09-05 08:50:00 (160 views)