Has Antonio Johnson Been Transformed?

[atapcl]

Colts.com lists Antonio Johnson as 6-3 310. Paul Kuharsky over at ESPN says Johnson has added 10 lbs and now weighs 330. If Johnson added 10 lbs he should be at 320 unless he weighed 320 last year and Colts.com did not update the Roster. Stampede Blue reported that Johnson himself said he weighed 330. Maybe Johnson has bought into Pagano's program and added 10 lbs of muscle. If Johnson has been transformed maybe this explains why he is still holding on to the starting NT job. Johnson bears watching this preseason to see if he can anchor the nose and maintain the starting job.

[Colts12to87]

I cant wait to see are D play.

[Andy]

It doesn't matter because Mookie will never see the field.

[RGIII]

Players' weights tend to fluctuate quite a bit over the course of a season and are not regularly updated or even necessarily accurately reported on roster listings, so I wouldn't worry too much about the math. That he's holding on to the job could be a good sign for him or it could be a bad sign for everyone else and while you do want your NT to be a behemoth, you also have to be wary of the fact that some guys just play better when they're lighter. There's no guarantee that the weight that he put on is muscle (not that it has to be), either.

Basically, this news is perhaps cause for hope but don't get too excited until you see him out on the field. It seems to take a while for those big guys to adjust to a defense that features 3-4 looks and I have to stress that it pays to be patient.

[Restored]

Players' weights tend to fluctuate quite a bit over the course of a season and are not regularly updated or even necessarily accurately reported on roster listings, so I wouldn't worry too much about the math. That he's holding on to the job could be a good sign for him or it could be a bad sign for everyone else and while you do want your NT to be a behemoth, you also have to be wary of the fact that some guys just play better when they're lighter. There's no guarantee that the weight that he put on is muscle (not that it has to be), either.

Basically, this news is perhaps cause for hope but don't get too excited until you see him out on the field. It seems to take a while for those big guys to adjust to a defense that features 3-4 looks and I have to stress that it pays to be patient.

Heard Rex Grossman is looking better than you at TC.

[Golfr]

It doesn't matter because Mookie will never see the field.

Hmm.....OK...........why do you think he will not see the field?

[The Peytonator]

It doesn't matter because Mookie will never see the field.

Why do you say that?

At least until Chapman gets healthy and proves himself, I'm thinking Mookie is the starting Nose. McKinney might provide some depth, but that's about it from him.

[RGIII]

Heard Rex Grossman is looking better than you at TC.

I would advise you to check out the thread in NFL General

[Andy]

Hmm.....OK...........why do you think he will not see the field?

Why do you say that?

At least until Chapman gets healthy and proves himself, I'm thinking Mookie is the starting Nose. McKinney might provide some depth, but that's about it from him.

For staters, he's not getting first team snaps. He's never played in a 3-4. McKinney is a better fit than him, and Chapman should be back within the next 2 weeks.

I'm just saying, he won't be seeing the field much because the 2 players he's competing with have played in a 3-4, and are more talented. He hasn't been that impressive from what I saw last week.

[Superman]

For staters, he's not getting first team snaps. He's never played in a 3-4. McKinney is a better fit than him, and Chapman should be back within the next 2 weeks.

I'm just saying, he won't be seeing the field much because the 2 players he's competing with have played in a 3-4, and are more talented. He hasn't been that impressive from what I saw last week.

I keep reading that he is in fact getting first team snaps. And he's been listed as the starter throughout camp.

[Golfr]

For staters, he's not getting first team snaps. He's never played in a 3-4. McKinney is a better fit than him, and Chapman should be back within the next 2 weeks.

I'm just saying, he won't be seeing the field much because the 2 players he's competing with have played in a 3-4, and are more talented. He hasn't been that impressive from what I saw last week.

Hmm....you said at all. I took that as never.........no preseason and no regular season. I hope we do not rush Chapman back like they did Ben.

[Smonroe]

For staters, he's not getting first team snaps. He's never played in a 3-4. McKinney is a better fit than him, and Chapman should be back within the next 2 weeks.

I'm just saying, he won't be seeing the field much because the 2 players he's competing with have played in a 3-4, and are more talented. He hasn't been that impressive from what I saw last week.

That's the first I heard about Chapman being back in two weeks. That would be great, but I hope they give him plenty of time to heal.

I'm pretty sure they'll be rotating that position so Mookie should see time. Of course, you may be right if he shows he can't play in the preseason.

[jbaron04]

Chapman anchored bamas d an will anchor ours he shoulda bin a late second early third but torn acl drop him in our lap so no reason to think the top nt prospect in this year draft can't beat out mookie monster

[Horse Shoe Heaven]

Johnson is listed now as the starter we will see how he does. At times he has played very well. Extra weight can be gained by eating something he probably does well. I hope its good weight he put on. I am rooting for him, altough I have high hopes for Chapman.

[Andy]

I keep reading that he is in fact getting first team snaps. And he's been listed as the starter throughout camp.

During the earlier part of camp, McKinney was getting most of the first team snaps.

[The Peytonator]

During the earlier part of camp, McKinney was getting most of the first team snaps.

I can't argue with you if you were at camp, but I remember seeing Mookie as the starter for the mini camps too. He will be the main starter.....whether or not he'll be adequate remains to be seen. I actually think he's a better fit for a 3-4 lineman anyway.

[Gavin]

My philosophy or thinking on Antonio Johnson is simple, He couldnt hold his ground or beat his man in a 4-3 and thats 1 on 1 so hows he going to draw the attention of two guys all of a sudden

[coltsfanatic24]

mckinney should be starting over johnson. johnson has been our dt the pass 3 years and were last in run defense almost everyear, something has to change.

[The Peytonator]

My philosohy or thinking on Antonio Johnson is simple, He couldnt hold his ground or beat his man in a 4-3 and thats 1 on 1 so hows he going to draw the attention of two guys all of a sudden

No it is not always 1 on 1. Typically one DT gets doubled at the snap and the other has to beat his man 1 on 1. In the 4-3, DTs are required to be quicker off the snap. That is not Mookie. In the 3-4 they are required to hold up against double teams and be immovable rocks. Antonio Johnson is more of the latter, and he was doubled plenty. He is not the Geno Atkins kind of gap penetrating DT. He is better suited for being a hard to move blob.

[Gavin]

No it is not always 1 on 1. Typically one DT gets doubled at the snap and the other has to beat his man 1 on 1. In the 4-3, DTs are required to be quicker off the snap. That is not Mookie. In the 3-4 they are required to hold up against double teams and be immovable rocks. Antonio Johnson is more of the latter, and he was doubled plenty. He is not the Geno Atkins kind of gap penetrating DT. He is better suited for being a hard to move blob.

I see, you explained that pretty well, I understand that now, Thanks

[That Guy]

mckinney should be starting over johnson. johnson has been our dt the pass 3 years and were last in run defense almost everyear, something has to change.

Ummm... Like our coaches, scheme, focus, and half our team's roster?

There has been plenty of change. Mookie himself has changed. I want to see what he can do.

[Larry Horseman]

During the earlier part of camp, McKinney was getting most of the first team snaps.

You're the only person I have read or heard say that AJ isn't getting the first team reps. Not saying that's a good or bad thing, or that it will stay that way. Just saying you're off base about AJ not being #1 up to this point in time.

[The Peytonator]

I see, you explained that pretty well, I understand that now, Thanks

That's what I'm here for.

[HtownColt]

By the end of preseason Chigbo Anunoby will be the 2nd string NT..I'm going out on a limb and booking that

[Andy]

All I can say for now is, even if Mookie starts, don't expect him to start for long as he has never done anything special in this league, and he has 2 talented people "behind" him in McKinney and Chapman.

He may be getting more first team snaps lately, but from I saw at camp during days 3-6, I noticed that McKinney was getting the majority of the snaps. Not much was happening from the NT spot.

He could start against the Rams, but that doesn't mean much. It's the start of the preseason, it's a long road for many of these guys.

I'm just saying, don't expect to see much from Mookie this season; we got McKinney and Chapman for a reason.

[Rich Cannon]

Colts.com lists Antonio Johnson as 6-3 310. Paul Kuharsky over at ESPN says Johnson has added 10 lbs and now weighs 330. If Johnson added 10 lbs he should be at 320 unless he weighed 320 last year and Colts.com did not update the Roster. Stampede Blue reported that Johnson himself said he weighed 330. Maybe Johnson has bought into Pagano's program and added 10 lbs of muscle. If Johnson has been transformed maybe this explains why he is still holding on to the starting NT job. Johnson bears watching this preseason to see if he can anchor the nose and maintain the starting job.

Im not holding my breath, the man cant even play half a season. I expect him to be in the rotation but McKinnie should get the starting nod. Or maybe i have a bias towards Johnson, who has dissapointed me for years :slaphead:

[lollygagger8]

The only thing Mookie is getting doubled up on is milkshakes.

[Jason_]

mckinney should be starting over johnson. johnson has been our dt the pass 3 years and were last in run defense almost everyear, something has to change.

But also during that time, one of our other primary DT's was Eric Foster at 268 lbs. Mathis and Freeny have been our primary DE's, even during run downs except for last year when they tried to use Anderson and Brayton on run downs but that simply telegraphed our defense and the opposing teams would check to pass when Anderson/Brayton came in the game and they'd run when Mathis/Freeney came in. Also let's not forget how out of position our MLB has been in run support due to dropping back in deep coverage because of the tampa 2. Add to that our coaching staff came up with the adjustment to start running a lot more stunts with our "other" DT to compensate for dropping the MLB so deep in coverage so even with a 4 man front, we really only had 3 guys rushing/playing the run. Our woes in run defending have NOT been because of AJ. I think too many people just think "well, our run d sucks so it has to be that our NT sucks" and that is not the case. I'm not saying AJ is an elite NT but I think he is at least above average and in a better defensive scheme can be good. He will never be a B.J. Raji or Haloti Ngata, but there are only a couple of guys like that in the league period. Mookie has gotten a very bad wrap from colts fans and imo that is largely undeserved.

I'll go out on a limb and say many will be surprised by Mookie and I don't think we'll be looking for a NT in next year's draft at all, at least not early. We might look for more depth if Anunoby doesn't work out but I like our rotation of AJ, McKinney and Chapman.

No it is not always 1 on 1. Typically one DT gets doubled at the snap and the other has to beat his man 1 on 1. In the 4-3, DTs are required to be quicker off the snap. That is not Mookie. In the 3-4 they are required to hold up against double teams and be immovable rocks. Antonio Johnson is more of the latter, and he was doubled plenty. He is not the Geno Atkins kind of gap penetrating DT. He is better suited for being a hard to move blob.

Exactly. very well said.

[Smitto]

Yea i dont get why the johnson is starting, let McKinney play and see how he does... the colts need a big guy like that in the middle... i think he's gonna overtake johnson for that starting spot.. but as for now Johnson is the starter, this very well could be his scheme.

[Shepman]

I talked briefly with Chapman at training camp and he said a few weeks. Did this while he autographed my replica helmet.

[HarassedOffTheSite]

You know...it hasn't occured to me before to ask (and I'm too lazy to try and figure it out) but what did Antonio Johnson's College defense run? 4/3 or 3/4?

[HarassedOffTheSite]

No it is not always 1 on 1. Typically one DT gets doubled at the snap and the other has to beat his man 1 on 1. In the 4-3, DTs are required to be quicker off the snap. That is not Mookie. In the 3-4 they are required to hold up against double teams and be immovable rocks. Antonio Johnson is more of the latter, and he was doubled plenty. He is not the Geno Atkins kind of gap penetrating DT. He is better suited for being a hard to move blob.

^^^^^That!^^^^^

[KarlKuffs]

It doesn't matter because Mookie will never see the field.

We have 3 healthy NT's, one of which wasn't good enough in college to be drafted by any NFL team.

Mookie will most definitely see the field. Probably alot.

[Jason_]

You know...it hasn't occured to me before to ask (and I'm too lazy to try and figure it out) but what did Antonio Johnson's College defense run? 4/3 or 3/4?

Good question but hard trying to find the answer. According to this:

http://cfn.scout.com/2/554666.html

the way the depth chart is setup it would appear they ran a 4-3 but I have no idea how accurate that is.

[HGRekks]

You know...it hasn't occured to me before to ask (and I'm too lazy to try and figure it out) but what did Antonio Johnson's College defense run? 4/3 or 3/4?

I don't recall watching the team, but I know Ellis Johnson (not that one) likes to run a 4-2-5. He was the DC back then, and will be the HC at Southern Miss this year, so that might be some indication.

[chad72]

No it is not always 1 on 1. Typically one DT gets doubled at the snap and the other has to beat his man 1 on 1. In the 4-3, DTs are required to be quicker off the snap. That is not Mookie. In the 3-4 they are required to hold up against double teams and be immovable rocks. Antonio Johnson is more of the latter, and he was doubled plenty. He is not the Geno Atkins kind of gap penetrating DT. He is better suited for being a hard to move blob.

Very well said, my friend, very well said.

Our best run D numbers were probably in the 2009 year when AJ & Muir had a decent year next to each other and neither of them are penetrating DTs, it was like putting two 4-3 NTs next to each other who had their best year (at least till the 14-0 start). We stuffed several running teams that year, including the Ravens twice, our division rivals, and Jets plus Broncos on several key 3rd and 4th down attempts. But we gave up good numbers without pass rush or pocket push against passing teams like the Pats, and Broncos (with Orton & Marshall), and eventually the Saints.

Guess where we got Muir from, the Packers' PS and we got AJ from the Titans' PS. If you saw the Packers game yesterday, they played Muir at 3-4 NT and he looked bigger and played very well, though it was against 2nd teamers. Muir's problem was always consistency, AJ was more consistent though not a world beater by any means, servicable.

These guys know the 1-gap NT role well in a 4-3. The big question is, can they play the 2-gap NT role well? But make no mistake, they are NTs and that is all they can play, without much pass rush.

When it is all said and done, AJ might very well be a backup 3-4 NT but I am not going to dismiss his chances of making the rotation at least as a backup 3-4 NT and primary 4-3 NT.

[Jason_]

what you said

agreed...Muir did play well. He isn't elite by any means but played like a solid backup or rotational player which I think AJ can be as well. AJ's used to playing next to:

Mathis who, at 246 lbs, is not suited to play run defense as a DE. His only real chance is to get around his blocker and run down the play from behind. If they run at him then the opposing OT is going to take him out.

Freeney who, while he is an elite pass rusher and has improved somewhat in run support, still notoriously spins himself out of running plays more often than not

Angerer who, much to his own chagrine I'm sure, was forced to back peddle at the start of just about every defensive snap so he was constantly anywhere from 1-10 yards out of position to provide run support.

*insert name of any other colts DT who, more often than not, was stunting, spying or flat out way too undersized to be playing DT

This could be the first chance we get to see exactly what AJ can do. I wouldn't be too quick to completely dismiss his pass rush skills either. there were several times last year he pushed the pocket and got past his defender, he just didn't have the speed to run down guys like colt mccoy and ben roethlisberger (those were 2 games I specifically and distinctly remember AJ getting good pressure on the QB before the coaches started doing all the creative and (imo) pointless stunting that they started doing). Don't twist my words around, I'm not saying AJ will ever be a great pass rusher, but I don't think he'll be completely useless on early down pass plays either. he can still at least be disruptive even if he's not putting up big numbers in the sack dept.

[Golfr]

That's what I'm here for.

Now thats funny.

[throwing BBZ]

mckinney should be starting over johnson. johnson has been our dt the pass 3 years and were last in run defense almost everyear, something has to change.

Yes well, we sorta played a 3-0 front as Freeney was worthless againt the run. 7 games last year without a tackle/sack. Pitiful.

[MAC]

No it is not always 1 on 1. Typically one DT gets doubled at the snap and the other has to beat his man 1 on 1. In the 4-3, DTs are required to be quicker off the snap. That is not Mookie. In the 3-4 they are required to hold up against double teams and be immovable rocks. Antonio Johnson is more of the latter, and he was doubled plenty. He is not the Geno Atkins kind of gap penetrating DT. He is better suited for being a hard to move blob.

But also during that time, one of our other primary DT's was Eric Foster at 268 lbs. Mathis and Freeny have been our primary DE's, even during run downs except for last year when they tried to use Anderson and Brayton on run downs but that simply telegraphed our defense and the opposing teams would check to pass when Anderson/Brayton came in the game and they'd run when Mathis/Freeney came in. Also let's not forget how out of position our MLB has been in run support due to dropping back in deep coverage because of the tampa 2. Add to that our coaching staff came up with the adjustment to start running a lot more stunts with our "other" DT to compensate for dropping the MLB so deep in coverage so even with a 4 man front, we really only had 3 guys rushing/playing the run. Our woes in run defending have NOT been because of AJ. I think too many people just think "well, our run d sucks so it has to be that our NT sucks" and that is not the case. I'm not saying AJ is an elite NT but I think he is at least above average and in a better defensive scheme can be good. He will never be a B.J. Raji or Haloti Ngata, but there are only a couple of guys like that in the league period. Mookie has gotten a very bad wrap from colts fans and imo that is largely undeserved.

Exactly. And specifically responding the to OP, it's reasonable to assume that previously he was trying to adapt his body to what the old staff wanted, and now he is trying to adapt his body to what the new staff wants. It is entirely possible that he will be more successful now than previously. 330 is a load.