NFL: Johnson, Role Players Thrive vs. Jaguars

Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars was quarterback Brad Johnson’s one chance to get away from the speculation and questions swirling around him.

His agent, stupidly not realizing that any peep from Redskin Park these days ignites a media frenzy, announced last week that he will not negotiate a long-term contract for Johnson until after the season.

Johnson can become a free agent, but unless the Redskins flat out don’t want him, he can’t go anywhere. Johnson is the apple of coach Norv Turner’s eye--and the heart of his offense--so he won’t be going anywhere. They will make him the franchise player and pay him the average salary of the five highest paid quarterbacks in the league. Despite appearances to the contrary, Turner still has more say in his personnel than his boss Dan Snyder does.

Maybe the agent wasn’t being stupid--maybe he did it intentionally to get some publicity for his client, one of the best but most overlooked QBs in the league. Either way, the timing and the tone of the statement were all wrong.

He made it seem like Johnson wants to leave, which is far from the case.

What is frustrating about the whole situation is that these mindgames occur all the time in most contract negotiations without raising an eyebrow. It happens on the Redskins and it’s a prime-time development: "Will Johnson be gone next year?" "Is he unhappy with the team?"

This whole episode seemed to bother everyone except the Redskins. They went out and whipped the Jaguars like an expansion team. Johnson is obviously not worried about his contract--he sparkled, along with Albert Connell, who had 211 yards receiving and three touchdowns.

The real story, however, was the depth this team exhibited in the face of a rash of injuries. Many backups, and their backups, made plays against the Jaguars. Special teams player Eddie Mason had to fill in at linebacker when Shawn Barber went down with a sprained knee. Mason collected two sacks. Matt Stevens, a backup safety, intercepted a pass and forced a fumble. On offense, Andy Heck started at left guard in place of Keith Sims. Heck hurt his back and left the game in the second half. He was replaced by rookie Mookie Moore, whom coaches have said many times "is not yet ready to play in the NFL." This patchwork offensive line held Jacksonville to zero sacks and opened up running lanes for Stephen Davis to the tune of 114 yards and two touchdowns.

The team scored more than 30 points for the first time since October 31, 1999. Turner and his staff have to be congratulated for the way they’ve been preparing the team during this five-game winning streak, and the front office has to be congratulated for bringing in players who can provide much-needed depth.

With the quality quarterback play and overall depth on the team, this is starting to shape up as a special season in Washington. Too bad the media is too busy trying to start controversies to notice.

D.C. Notes: The likes and dislikes of Americans continue to baffle me. Last week, Patrick Roy breaks the record for most wins in the history of the NHL at the MCI Center downtown. 13,000 fans show up, at least a third of them wearing Avalanche jerseys. The following weekend, Tiger Woods comes to an outer suburb of D.C., Gainesville, Virginia. 20,000 people come each day to watch people hit little white balls with clubs and walk across the grass. I don’t get it.

A Peek at this Week’s Game: Obviously as Eddie George goes, so go the Titans. Right now it’s unclear whether he’ll play Monday night. If George doesn’t play, the Redskins will only have to worry about QB Steve McNair beating them on the ground. Tennessee’s receivers aren’t talented enough to burn the secondary. So it comes down to defense, again. I’ll be at the game, and I haven’t been to a game the Redskins lost since 1992. That trend will continue. Redskins 24, Titans 14.