corrosion said:
For those of us OLD enough to remember him playing for the Oilers . There is no doubt that there will be comparisons made between Billy "White Shoes" Johnson and Jerome Mathis. Both are electrifying in the return game and Johnson was the first to introduce "Celebrations" to the touch down with his funky chicken dance after he scored ....
I don't fully understand why these two are being compared. I guess it's because Houston hasn't been home to a "dangerous return man" (in general) like Mathis since White Shoes.
But these are very different players, physically and in the way they play the game. The only similarity right now in terms of performance is that both players have two career kickoff returns for TDs - White Shoes had two in 14 years and Jerome has two in 7 games.
White Shoes did most of his damage on punt returns (6 career returns for TD) and over 80% of that damage was done in two seasons with the Oilers ('75 and '77). Jerome has three punt returns in his career for 28 yards and no touchdowns. But he's shown potential to be as dangerous there as he is on kickoffs.
White Shoes gained his legendary status as much for the funky chicken as he did getting into the endzone. Mathis isn't a showboat, at least not yet. It was former Coog and Chiefs player Elmo Wright that started the endzone celebration thing with his high step jog in place dance btw.
White Shoes had very respectable numbers as a receiver here and in Atlanta - over 300 career catches for over 4200 yards and 25 TDs. Mathis has shown signs that he could have a promising career as a receiver - but that's all still ahead of him.
White Shoes had a little bit of a fumbling problem. The year he returned 4 kicks for TDs, he also had 5 fumbles.
White Shoes was 5'9" 170 in his playing days (and I think that's being generous) - he was slight of build - yes, players didn't work in the weight room as much back in those days -- and was essentially a faster version of JJ Moses - he had good breakaway speed but he relied heavily on jitterbug. Jerome is 5'11" 190 and is built like a world class track star - and runs like it.
One similarity I see in these two is the reaction they are getting from fans and media as dangerous return men (in general) or as corrosion put it, "electrifying in the return game." I agree with that general assessment but aside from that and the fact that neither went to a D-I school, that's where most of the similarites end.
It's very cool though for Billy to send Jerome the shoes. I'm sure that's something he'll always remember.
