It was just over a year ago when Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans were first introduced to the growing legend that is Cory Johnson.
A 6-2, 297-pound man mountain, Johnson instantly flashed a dominant push from his defensive tackle position in the early days of camp last spring, and just as instantly endeared himself to his teammates and the club’s faithful with his constant grin and wacky sense of humour.
Well, here we are a year later and the ever-present grin remains, as does his unique nickname, which he earned during his days at Kentucky. The next step Johnson takes – from a wide-eyed Canadian Football League rookie who appeared in 15 games (all starts) to a consistent force in the middle of the trenches – is all up to him.
“I feel 110 percent more comfortable now,” said the amiable Johnson following another sunny day at Bombers training camp. “Everything is just coming easier for me now and things are slowing down. I feel like I’ve always been a guy who worked hard, but now even when I’m feeling sluggish I’m still making some plays. It feels good to be back because I just feel like I know it now.”
Johnson finished his rookie year with five sacks and 17 quarterback pressures, ranking third on the team in both categories. As the year progressed, he became more and more effective as he picked up three sacks in his last two regular season games and with half of his 22 pressures coming in the final third of the year.
“I wouldn’t say there was an adjustment period last year, I would just say early on in the season I just missed a lot of sacks,” Johnson admitted. “It was just about me training better and then understanding why I had to be at certain places at certain times.”
There’s also the fitness factor. All of this isn’t to suggest Johnson wasn’t in shape in his rookie campaign, but the ability to run all day is important for any defender – especially given the smaller rosters – if he wants to stay in the lineup in the CFL.
“He looks good in camp right now,” said head coach Mike O’Shea of Johnson. “There were a few things he knew he wanted to work on and identified and they were in line with what we thought, too. It looks like he’s done that. Some guys with rosters down there (in the U.S.) play in certain situations and some guys with his size play certain downs.
“So being able to play the run and pass rush – and he’s a very good pass rusher – and put it all together and have the fitness level to stay on the field for an extended period of time, those are all things he would have worked on and thought about. He’s come back in good shape and looked good doing it.”
O’Shea has mentioned often that the game starts to slow down for players entering their second year as pros in the same system. The Bombers have a number of players who started games last year as first-year CFLers and will be critical in 2018. Count Johnson among them, as well as defensive backs Brandon Alexander and Brian Walker, linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox and defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat.
Other Bombers entering their second years include linebacker Kyrie Wilson, receiver Drew Wolitarsky, defensive backs Kahlen Branning and Abu Conteh, and offensive lineman Qadr Spooner.
Johnson desperately wants to continue to morph into a dominant and consistent player. But he’s also just thrilled to be back in Winnipeg. And he still marvels at his journey – from his hometown of Columbia, S.C. to Kentucky for his college ball to stints in the NFL with Atlanta and Kansas City before his trek north to Canada.
“I talk about it all the time,” he said. “Not many Americans think they will end up in Canada playing football. One thing about Winnipeg is everybody treats you like family and that makes it like a second home. I didn’t expect to be here, but I sure am glad I am now.”
BOMBERS TRAINING CAMP REPORT | DAY 7
OUCH UPDATE:
A handful of players were back on the field practicing on Sunday, just a few days before the Bombers play their first preseason game at home against the Edmonton Eskimos on June 1st. Back at work were WRs Drew Wolitarsky and Weston Dressler, along with linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox.
STANDING OUT:
DB Kevin Fogg, RB Timothy Flanders, DB Tyneil Cooper, DE Jackson Jeffcoat, LB Jovan Santos-Knox, LB Jevaris Jones, LB Adam Bighill, LB Kyrie Wilson, and DB Marcus Sayles.
Bomber head coach Mike O’Shea was asked about Cooper and Sayles after Sunday’s session.
On Sayles: “We’ve talked about this and you hear guys talk about it: you can sit back and let things go in front of you or you can take some chances and go and try and make plays. He’s doing that. I don’t think he’s taking a lot of risks; he’s in the right spot. He’s athletic and he’s seeing the ball well and breaking up on it. You’ve really got to make an effort to get in front of footballs and make big catches and interceptions. In one-on-ones you have to make some plays to get noticed.”
On Cooper: “He’s a little quieter on the field presence, but he’s always around the ball. There are definitely some guys who are always around the ball and he’s one of them.”
KA-BOOM!:
Big-time collision on Sunday between RB Andrew Harris and LB Adam Bighill, who has quickly settled into the Bombers defence.
“He’s pretty impressive,” said O’Shea of Bighill. “All the physicality, everything like that… there’s just a level of football IQ that’s pretty special. There are leadership qualities and we just keep finding out more and more about him. He’s good for our team. He’s going to make sure everybody is doing the right thing.”
PLAN B:
Leftover from our chat with Cory Johnson. Asked what he would do if he wasn’t playing football, Johnson revealed he is working on some sketch comedy.
“I do a little comical stuff. I don’t see myself at a desk or a time puncher. I’d be trying to do something entrepreneurial to brand myself. Nowadays you can make money without working. I’d be trying to figure out how to get it, for real.
“A lot of people have been telling me I’m funny, so I’m doing more skits on things. One skit had me going for a job interview and the only thing on my resume was McDonald’s, NFL and CFL. That’s how a lot of us who play football, that’s how our resumes look… you had a job in high school and then it was university, football, football, football. So a lot of guys who don’t make it, you try and show somebody your resume and that’s all it’s got on it. We’ve done nothing but play football.
“Look,” added Johnson with a laugh, “the only reason I started doing it is because some people told me I would be able to make money off it.”
ANSWERS… OR NOT?
O’Shea was asked Sunday if, a week into camp, the coaching staff was starting to get some answers about the positional battles.
“Not really,” he said. “I really would prefer to have them in a game setting and see because there’s just a different level of physicality that comes out, a different sense of timing. We’ve got to see guys play against opponents in a different setting.”
NEXT: Monday, May 28: Practice: 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
