Ben Johnson – July 29, 2018
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Sunday, July 29, 2018
Wide Receivers Coach Ben Johnson
(How would you evaluate the work of the wide receivers in these early parts of training camp?) – “It’s been good. We’re only four days in, so we have a long ways to go; but we really picked up where we left off this springtime. We’re not making the same mistakes that we made back then. It’s encouraging. It’s encouraging. I like the direction this group is heading right now.”
(WR Isaiah Ford is a guy who has flashed to us watching practice. What have you seen from him?) – “There’s no question. He’s a guy that when he left college, he kind of faced some adversity. He got drafted later than he hoped for (and) got injured that first year. He’s done a nice job for us in terms of picking up this offense and now he’s being able to show us what he’s able to do. For him, we’ve just got to see him in games. He missed all of preseason last year, so the games will tell us the tale of how good Isaiah can be for us this year.”
(How has WR Danny Amendola stepped up as a leader so far?) – “It’s unbelievable because as long as he’s been in the league, he’s still the first one in the meeting rooms every time. He’s the first one in the bubble for walkthrough. I think it’s great for the rest of the group just to see his professionalism. And, believe me, he has not mastered this offense yet. He comes in (and) he’s scared. He’s scared that he’s going to mess up and he doesn’t want to do that. I think the rest of the guys understand, ‘Hey, if this guy, with as much success as he’s had, is this worried about not messing up, then I better be on my stuff as well.’ So it’s great to see what kind of leadership he’s got for the rest of the group.”
(How have you seen WR DeVante Parker’s development coming along so far?) – “He’s done a great job. Like I said in the springtime, we’re going one day at a time with him. We’re going to have some bad days in there, but we’re just looking to keep stacking as many good ones in a row as possible. He’s trending in the right direction right now. We’ve got to keep developing him and get him going; but we’re really, really excited about him as well.”
(Have any under-the-radar young guys caught your eye so far?) – “That whole back end, there’s a ton of competition. I could not tell you four practices in who’s going to separate themselves in terms of back end of the roster (and) practice squad spots. Everybody is in play. As you know, (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator) Darren Rizzi is going to have a huge say, special teams-wise, in who ends up staying on the roster this year. I’m really confident because none of those guys are rookies. We’re probably the only group in the NFL that doesn’t have any rookie receivers. We’re in front of probably the rest of the league in terms of knowing the playbook and being where we’re supposed to be for the quarterback. It’s encouraging.”
(What have you seen from WR Isaiah Ford? He’s a guy who seems that he’s flashed out here.) – “Like I said, he faced a lot of adversity coming out of college, and being injured last year was part of that. It’s funny because when he faces this, it’s not ‘woe is me’ or anything like that. He just puts his head and starts grinding harder than the rest. It’s almost like he’s a mute because he’s just focused on his job. It’s been fun to watch him work. He’s incredibly smart. I was in the quarterback room for a little bit early on in my career and he would be fine surviving in that room with everything a quarterback has to handle. He’s that intelligent. He knows every position. He’s extremely versatile, but we’ve just got to see him in games at this point. We’ve got to see him do it live. He’s got to also contribute on special teams, like I said earlier, but he’s headed the right direction.”
(One more on WR Isaiah Ford. With size at 6-foot-2 and he has some speed, we’ve seen some acrobatic catches. You said you obviously need to see him in games, but does the package and the talent suggest better than seventh-round talent?) – “Oh, yes. We liked him better than the seventh round. We were shocked that he was still there in the seventh round. We felt like we were getting a steal when we got him in the first place. His 40 time that he probably ran in college, it’s not indicative of how good of an athlete he is. He can jump out of the roof. I know (Assistant Head Coach/Offense) Shawn Jefferson and I joke all the time, he probably could play in the NBA. That’s the level of athleticism (that he has). When you get him on the basketball court with the rest of the receivers, he’s the best one, which you might not think of because that room is so talented. He’s an incredibly talented player and has a lot going for him, no doubt.”
(I’d like to ask you one thing about WR Isaiah Ford, tongue firmly in cheek: Isn’t it unfair to throw to a guy in a red jersey? How can they defend him?) – “(laughter) He’s been trying to take that jersey off in the middle of practice and it’s up to us to keep that thing on him right now. He hates it. He hates it. He doesn’t want it on there. He wants that thing off as quickly as we can get off of him.”
