Ed Johnson released because of a "lack of production"

by psvirsky on Oct 14, 2009 2:32 PM EDT Comment 31 comments

From Oesher

Indianapolis Colts DT Ed Johnson release because of a “lack of production,” Head Coach Jim Caldwell says

Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell on the release Wednesday of DT Ed Johnson: “It was production. It was a lack thereof.”

More to follow.

Here's Phil B's article: http://www.indystar.com/article/20091014/SPORTS03/910140366/1004/SPORTS/Caldwell++DT+Johnson+not+performing

I'm curious about what else Caldwell might say. Is there something else behind this? If it's really just production, another team is likely to sign him I assume. This really is weird - all night yesterday we kept saying it has to be drugs b/c there's no way it's a production issue.

On the bright side, if it's true, than at least our defense shouldn't take a huge step back, right?

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.

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Hmmmm

I don’t get it. How do you go from starter to cut? Don’t you just get benched? Whatever, I guess. They seem to know what they are doing.

The Shogun of Harlem

by shonuff on Oct 14, 2009 2:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That is what I wanna know...

how do you go from starter to cut???

Well… Caldwell means business and this shows it!

Go Colts!

by Marked Hoosier on Oct 14, 2009 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not sure

several other players have shown ZERO so far this year and none of them have been cut. Simpson was cut before, but brought back so he could do nothing again. Vinatieri was doing and allowed to stay on the roster. I realize he is injured now and there are probably rules against releasing an injured player, but he sucked in the first few weeks too. Ugoh has looked awful and still on the team. Jennings looked bad for a few games. The list goes on.

I just don’t understand why they would cut Johnson, given our past history with the DT position. There are other guys that could be cut that have also not produced very much.

"Melissa, it's Ace. I'm in Psychoville and Finkle's the mayor!"

by AceOfSpades on Oct 14, 2009 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'll say this

If it were a lack of production, verses conduct policy, than this coaching staff has earned my trust that its the right decision.

I just wonder if its production related, why he was starting games and not Ugoh-ed (benched)

by MARVININDY on Oct 14, 2009 2:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah it seems weird not to Ugoh him first

I really have a hard time believing there isn’t something behind this.

I guess it answers the question earlier in the week of who Polian was referring to

"If you don't [draft me], I promise you I'll come back and kick your ass for the next 15 years."

by psvirsky on Oct 14, 2009 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

the more I think about it

the more I agree……….there has to be something else. Unless they are pissed that they gave this guy a second chance and he was not making the best of it.

I know if i got canned at work because I was doing something retarded, and they gave me a second chance……I’d be busting my balls to make the right impression.

by MARVININDY on Oct 14, 2009 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

plus, from all reports, he was well liked by the players

so he’s not a locker room cancer or anything either

"If you don't [draft me], I promise you I'll come back and kick your ass for the next 15 years."

by psvirsky on Oct 14, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I really wish I hadn't erased the Titans game last week so I could rewatch Johnson in it :(

Guess who my favorite team is...

by Indcolt18 on Oct 14, 2009 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

good idea

i still have the cards and titans game.

erased the seahawks game already….

ill have to check it out

by MARVININDY on Oct 14, 2009 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

is there any way

you could share the cards game???

"We’re only going to score 17 points? haha...OK" - Tom Brady

by Piojocuau on Oct 14, 2009 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm going to do the same. I have all the games on my DVR.

"You can't defend the perfect throw, what can I say?" Peyton quoting Marino

by Indy Lori on Oct 14, 2009 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well

after we had Polian saying that Ugoh played “pretty darned well”, then this is completely normal i guess

"We’re only going to score 17 points? haha...OK" - Tom Brady

by Piojocuau on Oct 14, 2009 2:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I guess

they figured that they were going to cut one DT (why a DT, and not Chad Simpson, I have no clue), and that Ed’s performance from the past 5 games had demonstrated that he’s inferior to Foster and Muir.

by hahasound on Oct 14, 2009 2:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Big Ed's production issues . . .

. . . .maybe had something with the fact he was a Dunkin Donut Franchise bigger than 2007 or 2008. Roster said 6-2 and 296 lbs. Hell, he’s 340 if he’s an ounce. Not as agile as he was earlier.

by oldecoltsfan on Oct 14, 2009 3:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

lol

If this is a production issue, then I have some lake front property in the gobi desert I’d like to sell…

First, as we’ve seen from Gilbert Gardner, Tim Jennings, various running backs, various offensive linemen, and various other linebackers, the colts don’t flat out cut people, they bench them.

Second, DT isn’t an area of great depth. I could see if it was DB or WR (if Gonzo was healthy) or RB, but DT isn’t all that deep (Muir and Mookie only 2 real DTs, with Foster a tweener size more for pass rushing).

Third, he wasn’t playing poorly.

Think about this logically. When have the colts or any team? for that matter just flat out CUT a starter in the middle of the season for performance issues? Someone doesn’t go from starter to gone for performance. They get a talk. They get benched. They get warned. Then in the off-season they get released. He was on a min salary, so its not like this was saving them money or anything. One more thing, BBS made a post about this a few months ago – the people on the Colts, especially Freeney and Mathis, LOVE this guy. THey wouldn’t just cut him.

by SpazMo on Oct 14, 2009 4:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Agree 100%

That’s why it is so discouraging for me. I thought he was playing well. He didn’t have a ton of tackles, but he isn’t supposed to. His numbers are comparable to Muir and Foster and he has one less game to compare with.

Muir better show up the next couple weeks, same with Foster. And the coaching staff better start getting Moala prepared a little faster because we are one DT injury away from being the 2008 or early 2006 Colts again.

"Melissa, it's Ace. I'm in Psychoville and Finkle's the mayor!"

by AceOfSpades on Oct 14, 2009 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're probably right...

but I am gonna take Caldwell on his word for now. Until we find out more, it is just speculation. Not sayin’ it’s a bad thing… :D

Go Colts!

by Marked Hoosier on Oct 14, 2009 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

In Phil B's article, Caldwell uses the word "probably" a lack of production.

What the heck does that mean? It sounds like spin to me. We’ll “probably” never know the whole truth.

"You can't defend the perfect throw, what can I say?" Peyton quoting Marino

by Indy Lori on Oct 14, 2009 5:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

you are right...

we probably never will know the whole truth (unless it was an arrest or failed test)

by Matic on Oct 14, 2009 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Arrest

If it was an arrest, we would have heard all about it before they cut him.

"Melissa, it's Ace. I'm in Psychoville and Finkle's the mayor!"

by AceOfSpades on Oct 14, 2009 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

also...

Caldwell was being pressed for a more specific explanation. So I can see why he said ‘probably just overall’ when he was being asked for specifics on the lack of production.

by Matic on Oct 14, 2009 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

well...

i agree with most all of you that it seems that there is something more to this. why was he not benched? however, if Ed didn’t fail a drug test, wasn’t arrested, then other than disturbing the team’s chemistry or lack of production, what could it be? it will come out sooner or later if it was an off-field issue, and Caldwell knows that, so for now i believe the explanation. i know Fili has been hurt, but we didn’t draft a 2nd rounder to ride the pine. maybe Ed was odd man out. and it’s easy to watch a game and think he is playing well, but we aren’t at practice, we aren’t there watching the game live on the sidelines, so if Caldwell and staff said he is not performing up to par, I take his word for it.

if it is just a performance thing, then that is the reason i was hoping to hear and maybe Ed wasn’t the reason for recent improvement. much better than hearing he screwed up again and he will be dearly missed. i guess we will soon found out the impact he had. but Fili needed to get in there sooner or later.

Next man up…GO COLTS!

by Matic on Oct 14, 2009 5:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Odd man out

I always thought Muir would be the odd man out but that shows what I know….not much.

"Melissa, it's Ace. I'm in Psychoville and Finkle's the mayor!"

by AceOfSpades on Oct 14, 2009 6:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Production ???? this is a bad bad desision if this is the real reason

how he will have tackles if RBs dont dare to go between tackles(see CJ) , his presence on the line was more important than tackles, if our line looks small it will encourage the run. unless we are getting another Big scary and mean DT this looks like it will backfire.

by thebossuzzi on Oct 14, 2009 6:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Agree

Not really a backfire right away, but if someone gets injured they will be sorry unless they have eyes on another DT somewhere else. Ed’s presense alone was worth keeping him as a starter IMO. It looks like the D was getting better and better every week and I think having Ed out there had a lot to do with it.

"Melissa, it's Ace. I'm in Psychoville and Finkle's the mayor!"

by AceOfSpades on Oct 14, 2009 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

For what it's worth

I would advise people to go over to 18to88.com – someone bothered to document about a dozen plays from the Titans game and see how much Ed Johnson helped. Made me feel better about this move. Good reading

"If you don't [draft me], I promise you I'll come back and kick your ass for the next 15 years."

by psvirsky on Oct 14, 2009 11:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

just rewatched the first play of the game

in which this guy says,

11:20 first quarter, 1st and 10: Chris Johnson gets stopped for no gain, and the Titians get flagged for holding. Ed was on the back side of the play but was blocked up the entire play by Jake Scott and is pushed back 10 yards off the line of scrimmage.

I think we can stop right there with this guy being credible. Here’s what he got right: Ed was on the back side of the play and was blocked by Jake Scott.

Good job, sir, I’m sure your NFL scouting job will arrive in no time.

Johnson didn’t beat his man, but the only time he was ‘pushed back’ was after he saw where the play was going and was trying to disengage from Scott (who was committing a hold at that point, btw) and chase the play. He was actually a whole yard behind the line of scrimmage until he tried to chase.

Antonio Johnson, on the other hand, was also single blocked for most of the time (a helper, TE or WR, showed up later), he got no push, either. I think wilyduer (sp) and I are really guilty of this, but maybe message board GMs should stop posting stuff as fact.

by SpazMo on Oct 14, 2009 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

the play before this one

is a passing play. Both Johnsons get good penetration. =)

Ed Johnson actually follows the pass (swing to another Johnson, lots of dicks on the field that night), and is the first non-secondary member in the picture.

by SpazMo on Oct 14, 2009 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

next play where Polian, Jr says:

11:00 first quarter, 2nd and 16: gets walled off completely one on one, gain of 8 to his side.

He’s not walled off? Ed Johnson and Robert Mathis are running a stunt. the stunt winds up getting Mathis tripled teams (rofl) and taking #92 out of the play. And once again, #92 is being held, this time as he tries to disengage and make the tackle around the LOS (not just a ticky-tack being held, #76 has his arm across his chest grabbing his far shoulder pad.

by SpazMo on Oct 14, 2009 11:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

sorry, was on the phone with Jim (mr. irsay to you) about a job

7:20 first quarter, 1st and 10: Screen pass 6 yards to his side, Ed is left virtually unblocked takes a poor angle and doesn’t even get close to making the tackle (could have been a play for no gain).

This is a complete fucking lie? I mean, this guy is just making stuff up. Ed is engaged one on one with the LG the entire time. He is the ONLY DL to recognize the screen. He is the DT on the far side of the play. He is the first DL to react to the screen. Maybe he takes a bad angle. Or maybe he is 300 FUCKING POUNDS and doesn’t run the 40 in 4 seconds, I’ll let the experts decide. ANd then, to add insult to making stuff up, the LG cuts Ed as he is chasing the play from behind.

I mean, its not real hard to go back and watch the DVD to see that this guy is just making stuff up out of thin air.

by SpazMo on Oct 14, 2009 11:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Something is amiss

There is definitely something that the Colts are not willing to be upfront about concerning Ed’s release. I just hope that this incident does not cause morale problems with the team. Raheem Brock is also confused with his release, as Ed was popular with the team and this move seemed to have caught some of the defense by surprise. How do you just cut a 4 game starter without first demoting him to the bench as has been the Colts style in the past, especially at DT. The next few games will give an indication if the Colts made the best decision if Ed was dismissed for lack of production. As the saying goes, in Polian we trust. Good luck to Ed! I hope we don’t run into him in a Titans or NE uniform before the season is up! Go Colts!!

by baller3 on Oct 15, 2009 10:02 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs