New Texas RBs coach Anthony Johnson met with the media Monday for his first time in Austin, at least as a coach. My first impression of Johnson as a coach is one who is still green and growing, but one who has a lot of confidence and is not intimidated by the step-up in stage from Toledo to Texas.
As a former Texas player under Mack Brown, Johnson brings a lot of energy and a deep connection to the state as well as the Texas program's 2005 national championship. Here are some quotes from Johnson at today's breakout session for the print and electronic media:
On how he got into coaching:
I'd broken (my foot) eight times, had two different surgeries, so after my junior year, I went in and told Coach Brown that I wanted to get into coaching, so I started helping out with recruiting, I started helping with looking up different stats for Coach Brown and the staff ... I would help Coach Applewhite, he was a grad assistant at the time, with any kind of odd jobs that he had as a student assistant.
On what it means to be back on the staff at his alma mater:
It's like I tell everybody, 'words can't even describe how I feel right now' - having the opportunity to come back and coach - I knew at some point I would be back, I just didn't know when, but yeah, words can't describe it, wouldn't do it any justice.
On the running back talent at Texas:
Got quite a few guys, young guys, too, that are unbelievable. I was looking at those guys the other day and just trying to think back to when the University of Texas has had two running backs of that caliber - size, speed, strength, stuff like that."
On the ratio of run/pass in the new Texas offense:
I've talked to Sterlin about it he wants to be as balanced as possible - when you have those two (runners- Warren and Foreman) and you can't count out Kirk Johnson and Kyle Porter the freshmen - we've got some guys back there to hand the ball off to.
On if he's had any interaction with the team thus far:
I have gotten a chance to be around them, they're all good kids, they want to be great and I think that's why the energy around the program too has been really great.
On how long he's known Strong:
"I haven't known him long - here for about a week or so now (laughing).
Thoughts on Strong's career thus far?
I've followed his career, obviously kept up with the Longhorns from afar, and love - love - what he's done and I think the energy I mentioned. The energy in the building is unbelievable. It reminds me of the energy here when I was a player and they're working their tails off to get better.
Thoughts on no recent 1000 yard-backs like his teammates Selvin Young and Cedric Benson?
And then don't forget about Jamaal Charles, Fozzy Whittaker, I make for of DBU, our DBs came up with this 'DBU' and there's some great DBs that have come through this university but I tell them it's RBU and don't you ever forget it - don't forget who the two Heisman Trophy winners are. This is RBU.
How many plays per practice at Toledo
150-200
On his coaching philosophies
Number one is lots of effort. gotta have great ball security, physical, relentless. A relentless effort of trying to score, every inch counts. Coming out with unbelievable effort.
Is this running game a "power spread"?
You can call it that I guess, Like I said, those guys are big running backs, they're physical, but at the same time, they can run, too. They make people miss in the hole and they break tackles, they can do it all, they're complete running backs.
When he knew he wanted to be a coach
When I was in pee-wee football, I used to draw up plays for my pee-wee coach Coach Jackson and give 'em to him. I'd say, 'we should run this!' I think I took that into middle school, high school - even as a quality control coach, I'd slide plays under Coach (Greg) Davis' desk.
How perception of UT has changed with recent struggles
I don't know about you guys - my perception hasn't changed. This place is still unbelievable. Still a down year by our standards and you still get a Top 10 recruiting class? That's really hard to do. The perception of the place is still the University of Texas.
Understand that this is a pivotal year for Strong?
Every year is a pivotal year, that's the nature of this place and understand that. I understand the expectations here, you've got to pin your ears back and just go to work.
How similar is Toledo offense to Gilbert's offense?
From a tempo standpoint, we tried to run as many plays as we could, play as fast as we could, try to wear defenses out and overwhelm them with our speed and athleticism.
Is it true that run-blocking principles will mainly man-gap-power and less zone - and is that what he did at Toledo?
Yep, it's exactly the same, exactly the same run-game from what those guys are doing, after looking at the cut-ups and stuff, there's a lot of carryover. They haven't run anything that we hadn't run before at Toledo. It makes it easy from a conceptual standpoint for me.
How important to have guys that understand those concepts?
Football is football. The plays are all the same. Everybody runs the same plays, you talk about tempo, you talk about huddle-up, they are different ways to run it, but it's all the same plays it's about execution of the plays.
How good may he have been had he stayed healthy?
I think I would have been really good to be honest with you. The injuries were a setback as a running back, you need your wheels. When you break your foot as many times as I did, it's tough, each time was different ... it was a time to get bigger and faster and stronger and I'm having to rehab and not being able to get out there and work as much. I think I would have been pretty good.
Remember all eight times he broke foot?
Yes I can go through the history of that pretty easily.
All on the football field?
All on the football field it was a stress fracture.
On the same foot?
It was the same foot, same bone, it was a part of my bone in my fifth metatarsal - it was a weak area. I went to see all kinds of specialists, I had a special shoe made for me with orthotics, over time of just putting stress on it, it would break, it would fracture. The first time, they put a big screw in it and then the second one they took it out. They took from my knee and from my fibula to kind of pack it around that area to try to make it stronger and still, nothing would work.
What happened with the first one
First day on campus. It was freshmen, freshmen reported early back then so it was just me and Cedric (Benson) we were going through some rope drills and I thought I needed some new shoes. So I went in and I'll never forget, Tom McVan was our athletic trainer and I went up to him and said "I think these shoes are a little tight," and he looked at me kind of like, "first of all, I'm the trainer, I don't deal with equipment. Second of all, let's check this thing out, let's go ahead and X-ray it," then it came back it was a stress fracture.
As a former Texas player under Mack Brown, Johnson brings a lot of energy and a deep connection to the state as well as the Texas program's 2005 national championship. Here are some quotes from Johnson at today's breakout session for the print and electronic media:
On how he got into coaching:
I'd broken (my foot) eight times, had two different surgeries, so after my junior year, I went in and told Coach Brown that I wanted to get into coaching, so I started helping out with recruiting, I started helping with looking up different stats for Coach Brown and the staff ... I would help Coach Applewhite, he was a grad assistant at the time, with any kind of odd jobs that he had as a student assistant.
On what it means to be back on the staff at his alma mater:
It's like I tell everybody, 'words can't even describe how I feel right now' - having the opportunity to come back and coach - I knew at some point I would be back, I just didn't know when, but yeah, words can't describe it, wouldn't do it any justice.
On the running back talent at Texas:
Got quite a few guys, young guys, too, that are unbelievable. I was looking at those guys the other day and just trying to think back to when the University of Texas has had two running backs of that caliber - size, speed, strength, stuff like that."
On the ratio of run/pass in the new Texas offense:
I've talked to Sterlin about it he wants to be as balanced as possible - when you have those two (runners- Warren and Foreman) and you can't count out Kirk Johnson and Kyle Porter the freshmen - we've got some guys back there to hand the ball off to.
On if he's had any interaction with the team thus far:
I have gotten a chance to be around them, they're all good kids, they want to be great and I think that's why the energy around the program too has been really great.
On how long he's known Strong:
"I haven't known him long - here for about a week or so now (laughing).
Thoughts on Strong's career thus far?
I've followed his career, obviously kept up with the Longhorns from afar, and love - love - what he's done and I think the energy I mentioned. The energy in the building is unbelievable. It reminds me of the energy here when I was a player and they're working their tails off to get better.
Thoughts on no recent 1000 yard-backs like his teammates Selvin Young and Cedric Benson?
And then don't forget about Jamaal Charles, Fozzy Whittaker, I make for of DBU, our DBs came up with this 'DBU' and there's some great DBs that have come through this university but I tell them it's RBU and don't you ever forget it - don't forget who the two Heisman Trophy winners are. This is RBU.
How many plays per practice at Toledo
150-200
On his coaching philosophies
Number one is lots of effort. gotta have great ball security, physical, relentless. A relentless effort of trying to score, every inch counts. Coming out with unbelievable effort.
Is this running game a "power spread"?
You can call it that I guess, Like I said, those guys are big running backs, they're physical, but at the same time, they can run, too. They make people miss in the hole and they break tackles, they can do it all, they're complete running backs.
When he knew he wanted to be a coach
When I was in pee-wee football, I used to draw up plays for my pee-wee coach Coach Jackson and give 'em to him. I'd say, 'we should run this!' I think I took that into middle school, high school - even as a quality control coach, I'd slide plays under Coach (Greg) Davis' desk.
How perception of UT has changed with recent struggles
I don't know about you guys - my perception hasn't changed. This place is still unbelievable. Still a down year by our standards and you still get a Top 10 recruiting class? That's really hard to do. The perception of the place is still the University of Texas.
Understand that this is a pivotal year for Strong?
Every year is a pivotal year, that's the nature of this place and understand that. I understand the expectations here, you've got to pin your ears back and just go to work.
How similar is Toledo offense to Gilbert's offense?
From a tempo standpoint, we tried to run as many plays as we could, play as fast as we could, try to wear defenses out and overwhelm them with our speed and athleticism.
Is it true that run-blocking principles will mainly man-gap-power and less zone - and is that what he did at Toledo?
Yep, it's exactly the same, exactly the same run-game from what those guys are doing, after looking at the cut-ups and stuff, there's a lot of carryover. They haven't run anything that we hadn't run before at Toledo. It makes it easy from a conceptual standpoint for me.
How important to have guys that understand those concepts?
Football is football. The plays are all the same. Everybody runs the same plays, you talk about tempo, you talk about huddle-up, they are different ways to run it, but it's all the same plays it's about execution of the plays.
How good may he have been had he stayed healthy?
I think I would have been really good to be honest with you. The injuries were a setback as a running back, you need your wheels. When you break your foot as many times as I did, it's tough, each time was different ... it was a time to get bigger and faster and stronger and I'm having to rehab and not being able to get out there and work as much. I think I would have been pretty good.
Remember all eight times he broke foot?
Yes I can go through the history of that pretty easily.
All on the football field?
All on the football field it was a stress fracture.
On the same foot?
It was the same foot, same bone, it was a part of my bone in my fifth metatarsal - it was a weak area. I went to see all kinds of specialists, I had a special shoe made for me with orthotics, over time of just putting stress on it, it would break, it would fracture. The first time, they put a big screw in it and then the second one they took it out. They took from my knee and from my fibula to kind of pack it around that area to try to make it stronger and still, nothing would work.
What happened with the first one
First day on campus. It was freshmen, freshmen reported early back then so it was just me and Cedric (Benson) we were going through some rope drills and I thought I needed some new shoes. So I went in and I'll never forget, Tom McVan was our athletic trainer and I went up to him and said "I think these shoes are a little tight," and he looked at me kind of like, "first of all, I'm the trainer, I don't deal with equipment. Second of all, let's check this thing out, let's go ahead and X-ray it," then it came back it was a stress fracture.
