Yet Johnson is reverent of the veterans in camp. Respectful. He studies the game and understands the responsibilities of his place. When the Texans asked Johnson which number he wanted to wear last spring, he told them, "Anything in the 90s. Or No. 75."
He wears No. 75 to pay tribute to Deacon Jones, one of the all-time great defensive linemen, who retired eight years before Johnson was born. First shown a tape of Jones by coach Kevin Rooney at Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame High School when he was a sophomore, Johnson has idolized the Hall of Famer since.
"Deacon was a ferocious player, always intense in everything he did," said Johnson, who as a high school senior met Jones on a TV show in Los Angeles. "I'm in love with the history of the game. To me, Deacon Jones is probably the greatest defensive lineman of all time. I aspire to be like that. When I'm done playing, I want people to remember great things about me just like they do him."
"Deacon was a ferocious player, always intense in everything he did," said Johnson, who as a high school senior met Jones on a TV show in Los Angeles. "I'm in love with the history of the game. To me, Deacon Jones is probably the greatest defensive lineman of all time. I aspire to be like that. When I'm done playing, I want people to remember great things about me just like they do him."
Johnson brought some 30 tapes of great defensive linemen with him to Houston. He watches the tapes to study footwork, hand movements and techniques. He'll rewind a play 15 or 20 times trying to pick up an edge. He has tapes of Jones, Reggie White, Warren Sapp and others. "You have to know the history of the game to be great," Johnson said. "I'm an ESPN Classic junkie. You've got to watch their tapes. You've got to understand what they did, why they did it and how they did it."