How Good Was Prime Andre Johnson?

Andre Johnson was one of the greatest wide receivers to ever play in the NFL his incredible athleticism heartbreaking tragedy I get a phone call and then you can hear his mom so I'm like hello and she was like Dre he's he's dead an immense Talent led him to becoming the Houston Texans first Hall of Famer Andre Johnson on behalf of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in every Hall of Famer that's elever play this game we want to welcome you to Football H welcome from his early days as a parade All-American at high school to his National Championship celebrations at college and record-breaking dominance in the NFL Johnson's story is one of Relentless success but just how good was Prime Andre Johnson healing from Miami Andre Johnson was raised by his single mother Karen after his father looy left before before he was born Andre only met him once for a few hours when he was 8 years old in the third grade came in from school and he says mom I um I saw my dad today you know I was like really I said yeah so I said well what do you guys talk about I said well he act like he didn't know me so I act like I didn't know him and that was the end of that relationship the absence of a father figure played a significant role in his upbringing it just left a bad taste in my mouth so I was just kind of like well if he don't want to deal with me I don't you know have to deal with him with Johnson Bowing in more ways than one to ensure no child in his life ever suffers the same experience Andre's first onfield action came at Miami Senior High School where he was nothing short of remarkable Johnson caught 31 passes for 98 yards and 15 touchdowns showing off blazing speed to go along with his big frame he quickly established himself as one of the nation's most exciting talents earning recognition as a ra All America in the third highest ranked receiver in the nation his freakish athleticism meant that he also excelled as a kick and a punt returner while also performing well as a track athlete and on the basketball court his dazzling High School career laid the foundation for more excitement to come at the University of Miami in 1999 Johnson joined one of the greatest college football programs of all time in Miami that was primed for a brief period of dominance he red shirted his first year and was primarily used as a return specialist in his true freshman season his first opportunity to show what he could do though arrived in 2001 and I mean what a season it was for the Hurricanes Andre Johnson was the leading receiver on the team with 682 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 37 receptions with him making an imposing Target downfield and with Clinton poris and Frank Gore dominating in the Run game the Miami Hurricanes earned an unbeaten 12 12-0 regular season record I mean they were absolutely manhandling everybody they played I mean that 2001 Miami Hurricanes team is a team unlike we've ever seen before and with Johnson on the roster people were filled with excitement to see what he could do next but what he did in the postseason is what truly set him apart from the others in the 2001 Rose Bowl Andre Johnson erupted for 199 yards and two touchdowns on just seven catches it was his first opportunity to show what he could do on the big stage and I mean the guy did not disappoint Johnson helped Miami land an incredible 34 points in the first half alone winning them the game in a national championship as well Johnson earned co-mvp honors alongside his quarterback Ken dorsy cementing his legacy As A hurricane's Legend after just one year in a starting role while on the field he was living a dream of being a national champion but off the field Johnson was about to receive some of the most tragic news anybody could ever hear I get a phone call answer the phone like what's up man and it was silent and then you can hear his mom so I'm like hello and she was like Dre he's he's dead you see during the season Andre was informed that his best friend K Jones had been shot and killed he left behind a son of just 1 and 1/2 years old and a couple weeks later Johnson received a call from the boy's mother jun's mother called tell me about that phone call and she asked me would I be his Godfather want little to grow up the same way I grew up without my father and from then on Andre Johnson had a very important role in sirel Jones Jr's life he was always speaking to him on the phone when he could visiting him during the holidays and when he could too he would even show him how to play football I mean he dedicated so much time to sah that he even when he found out was getting in trouble at school he drove down to the school and visited him so that way he could straighten him out s got in trouble in school and uh so I told his mom I was like let's just drive up to the school everybody's being quiet sar's the only one jumping up running around the class walked in the door his eyes look like his eyes got big what' you think when he walked into school I was in trouble not having a father of his own to look up to Johnson wanted to make sure that he was there for his best friend's son when he needed them back on the football field though Johnson returned for his senior season with the Hurricanes picking up right where he left off after an incredible Rose Bowl game his 1,092 yards and N touchdowns on 52 receptions made him the second player in Hurricane's history to amass 1,000 receiving yards in a season his 21 yards per reception led the nation underscoring his dominance as a big play machine I mean Johnson was was a mold of consistency throughout the year averaging 94 yards per game which alongside his total of 1,092 yards both LED the Big East he was named a first team all Big East player and a third team All-American wrapping up his college career with the fifth most career receiving yards on the school's all-time leaderboard standing at 6'3 in 230 lb as a wide receiver Johnson was an unreal physical specimen at the position with the speed needed to make him a very enticing Prospect in the draft Johnson ran a 44 in the 40 yard dash at his prod day confirming his freak athlete status in pinning him as a top pick in the 2003 NFL draft his dreams to play in the NFL then became a reality as he was picked third overall by the Houston Texans and for the first time in his life Johnson left Miami to call a new city home at that point in time Houston was a newly formed team with only one full season under their belt and look there wasn't going to be a championship anytime soon there but that's what motivated Johnson because he knew he could build something there if he went there and I mean it took no time at all for Houston to realize they had used their third overall pick wisely Johnson picked up 76 yards in his first game of the season 71 yards in week two and 102 yards and two touchdowns in week three it took him no time at all to adjust to life in the NFL collecting 66 receptions for 976 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie and with those numbers it earned him a spot on the all rookie team being that size and be able to run like that very very impressive but as a tech physically could dominate a football game and look I mean when most wide receivers even this year when we look at the 2024 draft most of these guys dominate in college because of their just physical freakness that they have above all the other kids that they're playing in college but once you get to the NFL that Advantage goes away but for Andre Johnson that didn't happen I mean immediately he was a player who needed to be respected by defenses offering a huge frame and incredible hands that allowed him to dominate cornerbacks he improved as a sophomore to hit 1,000 yards for the first time in 2004 catching 79 balls for 1,142 yards and six touchdowns resulting in his first Pro Bowl nod year three though for Andre Johnson was marred by inj injuries in poor play by the Houston Texans I mean their 2 and4 records suggested that things were heading in the wrong direction after their founding just four years earlier consequently resulting in the head coach Dom Capers being shown the door as well and coming in to replace him was Gary kubak who had this really really really really good game plan get Andre Johnson the ball in his first year under Gary kubak Johnson saw 100 to a career high one possible was clearly an Avenue for Success like who would have thought throwing the the 63 230 lb freak the ball would result in more wins like I mean Johnson had the size to run over linebackers in the speed to burn past Corners you don't find that in many wide receivers his size and ability to High Point the ball meant that there were very few defensive backs who could challenge him at the catch point and I mean even if they could Johnson's hands were among the best and strongest in the league he was a contested catch machine who is also a menace with the ball in his hands and I mean if one play could sum up a Johnson in a nutshell it would be his catch against the Arizona Cardinals in 2009 sha to throw it pressure coming sha unloads and complete to Johnson Andre Johnson touchdown oh what an individual effort by the pro bowler I mean the dude was a monster it was as simple as that and the arrival of his new head coach is what really helped Elevate Johnson to his Elite status he became the Al of the Texans offense and clearly one of the most feared offensive Playmakers in the whole of the NFL I mean between 2006 in 2013 Johnson surpassed the 1,000 yard Mark six times only falling short in two seasons in which he suffered a good amount of injuries in 2006 and 2008 he led the league in receptions with 103 and 115 respectively in 2008 he led the league in receiving with 1,575 yards and in 2009 he became only the third player to lead the league in receiving yards in consecutive years as he posted another 1,569 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns like I mean it is insane how Andre Johnson was dominating at an outrageous level but at the same time it was impossible to ignore how the Houston Texans despite Johnson's dominance could never improve I mean Johnson was delivering week in and week out at an elite level but his career was being wasted on a Fran that only managed to secure their first winning season in 2009 which was Johnson's seventh year in the league finally in 2011 after 9 years of battling on poor Texans teams Houston made it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and for the first time in his career Andre Johnson would be featured in the playoffs despite missing a lot of the Season due to injury Johnson's return to the team in the later stages gave Houston a major boost and they went on to to hammer the Cincinnati Bengals by 31 points to 10 Johnson celebrated his first dose of playoff action by catching five of nine targets for 90 yards and one touchdown I mean the atmosphere in Houston was unlike any other in completely electric as the city celebrated a historic day in franchise history unfortunately though the playoff run ended one week later with a divisional round loss to the Baltimore Ravens but Johnson once again showed his dominance by catching eight ball BS for 111 yards motivated by the postseason run in 2011 the Texans returned as a team on a mission in 2012 they surpass their previous best record of 10-6 by posting a 12-4 record that won them the AFC South for the second consecutive year and just when you thought the guy couldn't get any better Johnson was in imperious form setting a new career eye with 1,598 yards on 112 receptions his incredible season was highlighted by an ins 14 catch 273 yard performance against Jacksonville in which he took a screen to the house for a walk-off touchdown in overtime Houston won 43 to 37 with Johnson proving to be the only difference between the two teams for the second year the Texans defeated the Bengals in the Wild Card round only to be defeated in the divisional round This Time by the New England Patriots and unfortunately the team fell dramatically to a 2-4 record the following year marking the end of their short spell of dominance Johnson remained productive posting over 1,400 yards that year which he followed up with another 936 yards in his 12th and final year with the team in 2014 talking about somebody who threw a 10 season period from 2004 and 20 to 2013 as you said led the NFL in receiving yards 11,684 so he did it a long time with a lot of average to below average quarterbacks across his career as a Houston Texans Andre Johnson was a Relentless performer in a statistical Juggernaut including the final two years of his career which he spent with the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans Johnson amassed 14,18 yards and 70 touchdowns he set new franchise records in almost every receiving category possible also earning two first team All Pro selections two second Team all pro selections and Seven Pro bowls his status as an NFL legend was then solidified when he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024 becoming the first Houston Texan player to do so Andre Johnson's production on a poor Texans team was simply Elite his ability to produce for the team consistently for 12 years straight is a testament to his work ethic in immense no doubt that he is a top 10 wide receiver of all time but I want to know what you guys think where do you have Andre Johnson on your all-time list personally for me he might even sneak into the top five but it's G to be close but let me know down in the comments section below and if you guys haven't make sure you join our Discord where we are going to be talking a lot about the NFL draft in this upcoming season and as always I will catch you guys in the next one

Channel: KRICH Productions

Views: 19,928

Keywords: nfl, nfl top 10, nfl highlights, tom brady, football, espn, first take, first things first, chicago bears, sports, russell wilson, espn first take, american football, trade, pat mcafee, nfl super bowl, nfl playoffs, touchdown, redzone, field goal, 2024, KRICH Productions, andre johnson, andre johnson hall of fame, houston texans, indianapolis colts, best wr, andre johnson highlights, andre johnson interview, andre johnson hall of fame knock

Id: KmJ4aiTo3r8

Length: 14min 40sec (880 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 28 2024