The Quiet Storm

In 2001, a Sophomore Wide Receiver from the University of Miami burst onto the scene. As the Hurricanes played the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Rose Bowl, Andre Johnson let the world know he was coming, the storm was brewing. He caught 7 balls for 199 yards and was named Co-MVP with QB Ken Dorsey. That was just the beginning. The following season at Miami, Johnson became only the 2nd player in Canes history to gain 1000 yards receiving, what’s amazing is that it only took him 52 catches to do it as Johnson had an incredible 21.0 Yards Per Catch (YPC) average.

But’s lets rewind a little.

Andre Johnson was born in Miami, FL on July 11th, 1981. His family moved across the state to Clearwater, FL where he attended John F. Kennedy Middle School. Then at the age of 13 he went back to Miami where he finished up middle school and went to Miami Senior High School. There Johnson was a Parade All American and was considered one of the best Wide Receivers in the country. Andre was simply an exceptional athlete. At Miami Senior, he also played basketball where he averaged 34 points and 12 rebounds a game. A track star in high school and in college, he won the Big East 60 Meter Dash Indoor and the Big East 100 Meter Dash Outdoor. Yes, its easy to see that Andre was a gifted young man.

Andre decided to leave Miami after his productive Junior year and declared himself eligible for the 2001 NFL Draft. At the Combine, Johnson didn’t disappoint scouts and coaches. He checked in at 6′ 3″ and 230 pounds, ran the 40 yard dash in 4.41 seconds with a 41 inch verticle leap. Those numbers combined with his success at Miami was enough for the Houston Texans to select Johnson 3rd overall. It was a wise choice.

All Andre Johnson does is produce. He goes out each game, focused and prepared to help the Texans win. So far in his career Andre has caught 500 balls for 6,563 yards and 35 Touchdowns. It should be noted that Johnson had to endure some shaky QB’s during the beginning of his career. Once Matt Schaub came onboard Johnson showed what he could do. His best season was 2008 when the young man had 115 catches for 1575 yards.
Over the last 2 years he has proved he is one of the most physically gifted receivers in the NFL, a prototype of what all coaches look for. His size, speed and hands are unmatched, except for maybe Larry Fitzgerald but that is some elite company.

What makes Andre Johnson so special isn’t just his size or speed or route running or soft hands or any of his football ability but rather the type of man he has become. He is a man that is humble, quiet, hard working and true to the game of football. The Wide Receiver position in the NFL is sometimes one of selfishness as receivers only get paid according to their numbers. Similar to a sales person, if they don’t produce numbers they don’t get paid, it’s that simple. It’s one reason you see some players at the position acting in a “me first” fashion. Not Andre, he hardly says a peep and when given the chance to talk about his accolades and accomplishments he usually defers the attention to his teammates, giving them the credit that he rightfully deserves.

This week Andre Johnson had a monster game, he single handedly lifted the Texans over a tough Tennessee team. Playing on the road in a hostile environment, Johnson simply did what he has done since his days in Miami; perform his best in big games. He caught 10 balls for 149 yards and a TD and what did Johnson have to say after the game?

“It started off ugly, but we talked last night as a team and we said all we have was each other”

He may not want to talk about his success, his skills or his accomplishments but don’t worry Andre, we’ll bring to light the tale of one the best Wide Receivers in the league – the guy who does it all, except talk about it!

Hat’s off to Andre Johnson