Johnson Makes Impact

Year after year, the Baltimore Ravens' defense has been regarded as one of the best the NFL has to offer. The Ravens' defense proved its mettle once again in 2006 by wrapping up the season ranked No. 1 in the league, allowing just 264.1 yards per game.

Led by an intimidating trio of defenders that includes two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Ray Lewis and Pro-Bowlers Ed Reed and Chris McAlister, opposing offenses night-in and night-out face a defensive effort that would make Johnnie Cochran jealous. However, the daunting prospect of losing games when going against the fierce unit might not be the biggest headache for the NFL's other 31 teams.

Perhaps more fear-inducing than catching eyes with Lewis in the trenches is Baltimore's assembly line-like ability to keep the Ravens defensive machine running. Whether it's losing players to injury, free agency or retirement, the Ravens defensive coaches seem to effortlessly replace the departed year after year with players who embody the essence of the purple and black.

Exhibit ‘A' on this preseason night against the New York Giants: goodbye Adalius Thomas; hello Jarret Johnson.

Much has been made during training camp, by the media, of how the loss of Thomas to free agency will impact the Ravens' No. 1 ranked defense. Just as much has been made, by the Ravens, of Johnson's role in filling in that blank.

"I think Jarret Johnson is a tremendously physical player who loves throwing his head into stuff," teammate Bart Scott recently said. "He allows us to do more smash-you-up, beat-you-in-the-mouth stuff."

The Giants certainly found that out Sunday night. With 4:37 remaining in the first half, New York quarterback Eli Manning took the snap at the Baltimore 45-yard line. Johnson swiftly shed his man and located Manning for what would be a violent 5-yard loss and a forced fumble. Johnson also added a quarterback hurry to go along with his forced fumble and brutal sack that quickly acquainted Manning with M&T Bank Stadium's Sportexe Momentum turf.

Until being tabbed as a starter this season, Johnson has primarily spent his time in Baltimore as a backup, first to defensive end Tony Weaver, then to defensive tackle Trevor Pryce and Thomas. A veteran entering his fifth season, Johnson has been waiting for the chance to step out of the role-player realms and show what he can do.

Not that the 6-foot-3, 270-pound Florida native has been wasting away on the bench in his previous four NFL seasons. Johnson, whose 23 career sacks at Alabama rank second all-time with the Crimson Tide, has played in all but one game in his entire four-year career, including 15 total starts. For his career, Johnson has racked up 85 total tackles (57 solo) and three sacks.

While those kinds of numbers don't immediately lend themselves to Thomas comparisons, Johnson knows that football is more than a game of pure talent and physical ability.

"It's about being smart," Johnson said in recently published reports. "Even if you watch ‘A.D.' [Thomas], who is a great athlete, he knows where to be. It's not like he was jumping over people; he just knew where to be, and he knew where not to be. He knew how to read his coverages. If I can do the same thing, I can be a similar player."

With four years of experience under his belt, not to mention some valuable tutorial from some of the league's greatest, Johnson is poised to take over that linebacker void left by Thomas. Some might say that it's the dawn of a new era in Baltimore. Then again, maybe it's just more of the same old, same old.