When we think of the Philadelphia Eagles of the 2000’s, the automatic names that come to mind are Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid. However, one of the true legends of coaching Jim Johnson was merely a blip on the radar.
He was the Eagles defensive coordinator starting in 1999 and help orchestrate one of the blitzing defenses that we had a privilege to watch. The Eagles during their run to multiple NFC Championship games led in most defensive categories under Johnson including sacks, third-down efficiency and red zone defense.
Johnson coached for more than 22 years in the NFL and had stops in Seattle, Arizona and Indianapolis. He was the epitome of a “defensive guru” and has affectively put his stamp in NFL history as one of the best defensive coordinators.
Johnson passed away from skin cancer, he was 68 years old.
In Memoriam: Jim Johnson (1941-2009)
