Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE
Houston Texans WR Andre Johnson has heard the whispers. They have been to the tune of he’s injury prone, he’s lost his legs, and even that he’s old. In the season opener against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday he did not resemble an old Andre Johnson. Instead, he looked like the same old Andre Johnson. The same Johnson who entered the season fifth among active receivers in both career receptions (706) and receiving yards (9,656), having led the league in both categories in a single season twice. The same one who is a five-time Pro Bowler, two-time first team All-Pro selection and generally recognized among the top 3 wideouts in the game.
After missing 3 games in 2010 and another 9 games in 2011 with groin and hamstring injuries to both legs, some started to feel that perhaps the 31 year old Johnson was past his prime. When he returned for the playoffs, he shined on the postseason stage with 13 catches for 201 yards and a touchdown in the Texans 2 postseason games. However, when he tweaked a groin on the first weekend of training camp, and left a preseason game at the New Orleans Saints with sore ribs, those injury prone and old whispers grew even louder.
Don’t tell that to the Dolphins secondary, who he burned to the tune of 8 catches for 119 yards and a 14 yard touchdown grab on a beautiful fade route where he toe tapped to get his feet down in bounds in the Texans 30-10 victory. It was the 33rd career 100 yard receiving game for Johnson (34 counting the playoff game at the Baltimore Ravens), who helped the Texans improve to 7-0 all time against his hometown team.
As a matter a fact, I’m sure the Dolphins will be content to not have to face him again anytime soon. Johnson, who on Sunday became the first Texans player to be part of 10 seasons with the team, has made a habit of torturing Miami. He has played in 6 of the 7 Texans victories against them and the one word to describe his play against them, unstoppable. Johnson made his NFL debut at Miami in 2003 and finished with 6 receptions for 76 yards in a 21-20 Texans victory to open their second season.
His numbers against the Dolphins since then read like this: 2006 – 9 catches, 101 yards and a touchdown. 2008 – 10 catches, 178 yards and a touchdown. 2009 – 5 catches, 71 yards and a touchdown and 2010 – 7 catches 93 yards and you guessed it, another touchdown. I’m sure Johnson takes extra satisfaction in playing well against the team he loved growing up. He literally grew up minutes away from Miami’s old Joe Robbie Stadium, and tells stories of sitting in his grandmother’s front yard and watching the Dolphins games on the stadium’s jumbotron.
Now Johnson is the one making highlights on the jumbotron and if Sunday’s performance is any indication, he will continue to be on the highlight reel throughout the 2012 season. On the night before the Dolphins game, Johnson stood up in the team meeting and talked about what the team meant to him and what he wanted to get out of his career. His message was seize the moment that the team has in front of them. In the conversation of who the top game changing receivers in the league are, Johnson remains in that category along with Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald. Don’t sleep on him NFL, #80 is definitely still elite.
