More than words

With little fanfare, Bucs' Johnson simply thrives, survives

SAN DIEGO -- It's closing in on 5 p.m. Tuesday, and Brad Johnson is calling the first audible of his Super Bowl week. He's at the Bucs' team hotel, the Hilton Torrey Pines in nearby La Jolla, and he's changing a route at the last minute.

He checks the lobby, but being the veteran he is, the Tampa Bay quarterback quickly recognizes that there's no way he's going to be able to make anything work in that direction. Too many people, too little time, way too much of that cloistering Super Bowl atmosphere.

No, if he's going to connect with his intended target, an old media acquaintance from his days in Minnesota, it's going to take improvisational skills that most people don't know he has. Accompanied by a team security official, he decides on an end-around that leads out a side door and all the way to the right front corner of the complex, by the tennis courts that stand deserted in the fading light.

There the hook-up takes place, and Johnson, with yet another successful completion on record, leads us back to a quiet side room in the bowels of the hotel. The game, by far the biggest of his football-playing life, is still five days away at this point, but Johnson already has a look of quiet intensity and building anticipation.

"I don't think any of this will actually hit me, everything we've gone through and everything that's been accomplished, until I'm sitting home back in Tallahassee," Johnson says, as security men keep circling past us every few minutes, checking I guess to see if the Bucs' prized property is safe and sound. "That's when looking back I'll say, 'Wow.' But right now it's happening too fast. It's real fast. But I kind of like it like that."

That's rich in irony, of course. Because however you choose to describe Johnson's road to the Super Bowl, it hasn't been fast. Eleven NFL seasons, three teams, two prime years curtailed by injury, one trade and one free-agent signing later, here he is. Center stage. Ready for his close-up.

The survivor

There's a song that Johnson recorded in 1998, along with country star Jo Dee Messina, and it keeps drifting back to mind this week. It's titled I'm a Survivor, and it was part of an otherwise unmemorable compilation CD that the NFL produced, teaming various players with country singers.

In spots, the lyrics eerily seem based on Johnson's career, which has been dealt more than its share of quirks of fate and reversals of fortune. The song is a celebration of perseverance. Something Johnson knows a thing or two about.

"It's unbelievable when you listen to the words," he said. "The meaning there is for me. It fits my whole career to a tee."

I was born a believer, biggest dreamer this world has ever seen
Ready to face most anything, but learned that I was naive
Ran into things in life that I never planned
But that's made me who I am
I've had highs and lows and seen my share of ups and downs
But I'm still here
'Cause I'm a survivor
I won't let it get the best of me, I'll try my very best to be that strong
Oh, oh, oh, I'm a survivor
And I'll never give up, never lay down, never give in
I'll just keep moving on

"She just left me a message about 30 minutes ago," said Johnson of his singing partner, Messina. "I knew right away how that song fit me. It describes everything. My whole get-up. I kept those lyrics, because when I read them, I said, 'There's something to this one.'"

That is not altogether unlike what the Bucs and the rest of the NFL belatedly have discovered about Johnson on the strength of this year's Super Bowl run. Johnson was benched by Bobby Bowden in favor of Casey Weldon at Florida State, traded away from Minnesota by Dennis Green in favor of Randall Cunningham and foolishly shunted aside in Washington by Daniel Snyder, who somehow had the hots for the coach-killing Jeff George.

Shoot, even first-year Bucs head coach Jon Gruden was leaving the door open for the newly signed Rob Johnson to take away Johnson's starting job this preseason. When was the last time you heard anything about that Johnson versus Johnson debate?

Survivor, indeed.

"Survive and thrive," Johnson said, putting the emphasis on the final word. "I think you have to be a survivor. For me, my whole deal was that I was a late bloomer. In college, it was do I play basketball or football? I had to play football if I was ever going to make it. I was just late."

Super Bowl trip pays off for Johnson The ultimate payoff to Brad Johnson's big season would be a victory on Sunday in Super Bowl XXXVII. But even without one, he has had a rewarding year that keeps getting more rewarding. Johnson's play this season triggered a $1 million escalator clause in his 2003 base salary, raising it $5.5 million, a neighborhood that could prompt the Bucs to open contract extension talks with him this off-season in an effort to lower his salary cap number. In addition, because Johnson played so well and the Bucs made the Super Bowl, $1.5 million of his 2004 base salary is now guaranteed. Here's the breakdown: In order to trigger half of the $1 million escalator clause in 2003, Johnson had to finish within the top four NFC passers or top eight NFL passers in passer rating, and win at least 10 games as the Bucs' starter, playing 75 percent or more of the team's snaps. Johnson's 92.9 led the NFC and was third in the league. He was 10-3 as Tampa Bay's regular-season starter, missing three games with injuries. The other half of the $1 million escalator was triggered by the Bucs reaching the NFC title game, in which they upset top-seeded Philadelphia 27-10. The passer rating/10-win incentive resulted in $750,000 of Johnson's 2004 base salary being turned into guaranteed money, and the other $750,000 of guaranteed salary was trigged by Johnson leading the team to the Super Bowl. Johnson in 2001 signed a five-year, $28 million contract that included $6.5 million to sign. That means Johnson's salary cap number is at least $6.8 million in 2003, the third year of his contract. The size of that figure, in concert with the team's other pressing cap issues, could prompt the Bucs to strongly consider extending Johnson this off-season, thereby lowering his cap number in 2003. It is believed that Tampa Bay, like most Super Bowl teams, will have to rework several key players to get to the expected $75 million salary cap next season. -- Don Banks, Sports Illustrated

Trading San Diego for Hawaii

Johnson, 34, led the NFC in quarterback rating this season (92.9), set Bucs records with 22 touchdown passes and a 62.3 completion percentage and had just six interceptions. But you want to know my favorite Johnson statistic? It's this one: 4-0. That was his record this season in head to head battles with Michael Vick, Brett Favre, Jeff Garcia -- the three NFC quarterbacks who were elected to the Pro Bowl.

Oh, and Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb was named to the NFC's Pro Bowl team Tuesday, replacing the injured Favre. Johnson went 1-1 against McNabb, beating him when it really mattered, in last week's shocking NFC title game upset. All told, Johnson was 6-1 when facing a playoff team, and the Bucs are 12-3 in games he starts.

That success boosted Johnson's career record as a starter to 51-28, giving him a .646 winning percentage that ranks second only to Favre's .665 among active quarterbacks.

The Pro Bowl snub is clearly a sore spot for Johnson, but don't feel sorry for him. He's not going to Hawaii next week, but he is in San Diego this week. As postseason trips west go, there's no comparison.

"To make the Pro Bowl, you have to start the season out hot," said Johnson, a Pro Bowl pick in 1999 in Washington. "You have to have numbers right away. You have to be on the highlights. You have to have that perception thing going for you.

"But when I wrote down my goals this year, of all the goals I wrote down, I did not write 'Pro Bowl.' I wrote 'Super Bowl.' And that was it. I think I can feel more relaxed now, because I made it. I've made the Pro Bowl before. My quest, my goal this year was strictly the Super Bowl."

Talk to Johnson for long, and the words "perception" and "highlights" become a recurring theme. It's not hard to figure out why. He's never had either one working for him. Despite his sterling numbers, Johnson often has been stereotyped as a middle-of-the-road quarterback who might beat you, but will never dazzle you. In a world that always prefers style over substance, Johnson has been saddled with a bad hand.

This week, with the Super Bowl spotlight shining in his direction, he has a few things to say about the power of the media to create perceptions, and thus burnish the images of some at the expense of others.

"It's unfortunate the people that have that power, the power of creating perceptions," Johnson said. "That power is strong and it's in the wrong hands sometimes. What's unfortunate as a player is, it comes down to, are you on the highlights? Are you on the highlights on ESPN? That's the power, that's it. They have the prism you're seen through. Either you have to be on the highlights or you have to be flamboyant or you have to speak out about yourself.

"I took out an article the other day about a player I won't name, and it said 'I' 63 times. Sixty-three times, I, I, I. And that guy's sitting at home today. You take out a story about me and look at it, and it's how many times can you say 'we'? That doesn't go very far in this league, but maybe it comes to San Diego with the right team. For one time, for one moment, it can happen. That's your chance. That's the shot you wait for."

The same old story?

Though he didn't say so, I have a feeling that Johnson probably didn't just eat it up this season when ESPN turned into the All-Michael Vick Network for about three or four weeks. The Vick-fest, though, kind of ended in early December, after Johnson and the Bucs beat Atlanta for a second time, with Johnson far outperforming the media's darling.

• King: Bucs' defense rests its case • Banks: Bucs' Johnson validated • Banks: No. 1 D the difference • Donovan: Raiders too slow • Donovan: Controversy burns Raiders • Statitudes: Havenots can have faith • Statitudes: By The Numbers • Mandel: Broadcast took its time • George: Super Bowl ads fun again

At least one other time this season, Johnson's blood boiled over the inability of others to see him for what he is: one of the NFL's best quarterbacks. It came after the he and Bucs had handled Favre and Green Bay at home in Raymond James Stadium in late November.

"You know what? I can't fight it," Johnson said of his perception problem. "I can't fight it. I can't. I laugh. Wanna hear this one? Here it is: After a game, Nikki [his wife] and I stop at a Steak and Shake and go home and talk about the game. We turn on the radio and listen to music, and my buddy calls and says, 'Oh, my God, you won't believe this one.'

"A former player on the radio -- well, let's call him out -- [ex-Bucs offensive lineman] Ian Beckles says 'The Tampa Bay Bucs just beat the Green Bay Packers, but Brett Favre was unbelievable. He was a gun slinger. He's a warrior.' And he threw four picks. Now, hopefully that doesn't happen to me this week. But it was, 'Brad Johnson had a good night. He threw two touchdowns. But what about that Buc defense?'

"So how do you deal with that? That's the perception. There's no way to fight it. I just can't, and I'm not going to. I take pride in having a winning season every year, and there's something to be said for that. Now maybe I'm on a good team and it just happens to be a coincidence. But the only way to validate this thing is to win it all. Making one of these type of Super Bowl runs validates the whole career."

Plenty of folks have been jumping on the Johnson bandwagon in recent weeks, or they're poised to do so should the Bucs beat Oakland on Sunday. Just be advised: Johnson isn't a bandwagon type of guy. He knows some of the same people who were awarding his job to Rob Johnson five months ago will be singing his praises with a win.

"Oh, I'll see right through it," he said. "What's neat is to stay the course. That's what this whole thing is about. [His agent] Phil [Williams] hasn't lashed out, nor have I lashed out. I haven't tried to steal anybody's thunder. But because of what I've been through, I know the difference between the pat on the back and the slap on the face.

"When my career is over, it's over. I'm not trying to be a TV analyst. I'll be coaching Max [his son] and his youth teams. I'll be at a high school helping out some kids and at summer camps. If we win, you will not see me playing the Super Bowl winning quarterback unless it's a special event. That's where this thing is."

Even with a Bucs win, Johnson isn't certain the media will view him as integral to Tampa Bay's success. And I suspect he's right.

"When it's over, maybe, and I say maybe, the story will be different," he said. "Because if we win this thing, you know what's going to happen? It'll be 'The Bucs have a dominant defense.' It's going to be the same story. But as long as my name's on there, I'll be happy. That's when I'll finally say 'I.' I'll be happy. I'll be content."

Make the read, make the throw, make the play

Thirty minutes into our 40-minute interview, we are interrupted by Bucs quarterbacks coach Stan Parrish, who delivers at least part of the Tampa Bay game plan for Oakland.

"All you've got to do is three or four touchdowns and I won't get yelled at," Parrish said.

"You're going to get yelled at regardless, Stan," Johnson quips.

Turning to me, Johnson says, "He's my buffer. Jon yells at Stan and Stan relays it to me."

About the time I'm wondering what it's like to be Gruden's quarterbacks coach -- a role along the lines of being a limited partner of George Steinbrenner's -- Parrish is back, talking to Johnson about an even more pressing Super Bowl-week issue, namely game tickets. What, you thought this was all football business here this week?

I asked Johnson what it was like playing for Gruden, and if he was worried that the same pull-the-rug-out-from-under-him routine was going to happen this year in Tampa Bay, the way it had happened to him at Florida State and with the Vikings and Redskins.

"I felt like I had to prove myself anyways because I was playing for a new coach," Johnson said. "But when they signed Rob, I thought it was good on their part. It wasn't like he signed a $15 [million] to $20 million deal. I think they took a flyer on him. My biggest deal was I just hoped Jon would play it out even and I'd have a chance to be seen. But I felt from day one, from the way he treated me, I felt like a starter."

Not that Johnson ever intends to slip into got-it-made mode.

"Next spring I'm sure they'll draft another quarterback. I'm counting on that. There could be two new quarterbacks. That could happen. But my biggest thing is, and it's very simply put, I say it 100 times: Make the read, make the throw, make the play consistently. That's where I'm at. And that's where I've been at everywhere I've been."

Gruden has said repeatedly that his respect for Johnson has grown throughout the season. It's as if he didn't know quite what he had in Johnson until he had seen him day in, day out for months. It is a familiar story. The quick glance and quick summation has never accurately shown the measure of Johnson, either the player or the person.

"I think he gained some respect for me after our first game, which we lost at home to New Orleans," Johnson said. "There were some neat things that kind of occurred in that game, and I think he said, 'I've got a guy.' He could see some things happening there.

"Jon's an easy person and he's a dominating person. He's a control freak, but in a good way. But it's his system and his team.''

Odds are, you won't see Johnson in the city's Gaslamp Quarter this week. He made sure he went to Super Bowl events and parties in past years, when he wasn't playing in the game, to get that part of the Super experience out of the way.

The one that's left is the one he's waited for his whole career. The one that could finally make amends for all the bad breaks and everything else. Can one game deal with that respect issue once and for all?

"It'll go a long ways," Johnson said. "The thing about is, it's a feather in my back pocket. But I'll be more like a peacock. That's where it will be.

"But come next mini-camp and next training camp, I'm in another year. That's a whole different deal. But I guarantee you I won't be into trying to live up to expectations. I'll be into make the read, make the throw, make the play. That's it."

Maybe some day folks will see that when it comes to Brad Johnson, that has always been enough.

 

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