Mr. P Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants today filled one of the openings on their coaching staff when they named Craig Johnson as their running backs coach. Johnson, who is entering his 32nd year in coaching and 15th in the NFL, was the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterbacks coach the previous three seasons. He previously held the same position for 10 seasons with the Tennessee Titans, where he was also assistant head coach and running backs coach in 2010. “This is a veteran coach that has coached some great players, like Steve McNair,” head coach Tom Coughlin said. “He’s been around a while and has experience as a quarterbacks coach, as a running backs coach and he’s been a coordinator in college.” “I’m really excited about the opportunity to join such a great franchise,” Johnson said. “I’ve always admired coach Coughlin during the many years I’ve coached against him. I’ll come here to do my part to help the Giants get to and win a Super Bowl.” Johnson is the second former quarterbacks coach from the NFC North to join the Giants’ staff since the end of their 2013 season. Last week, Ben McAdoo was named the offensive coordinator. He had been the quarterbacks coach in Green Bay. “I think (Johnson) is an excellent teacher and his versatility is going to add a lot to our staff and, of course, to the running backs room,” Coughlin said. “He’ll be an excellent contributor for the coordinator with ideas. His interview was very impressive as we put him on the board. He really did an outstanding job with protections. And he’s talked long and hard about ball security. Pass protection and ball security are both very important to me.” They are to Johnson as well. “I know he’s a stickler for that and that’s good,” Johnson said. “He’s a coach that has a great attention to detail and I feel very comfortable being around a coach that stresses that.” Johnson replaces Jerald Ingram, who was the team's running backs coach from 2004-13. With the Vikings, Johnson presided over the development of Christian Ponder, Minnesota’s first round draft choice in 2011. Ponder started all 16 games and led the Vikings to the playoffs in 2012. In the recently-completed 2013 season, Ponder suffered a concussion and was limited to nine games. Matt Cassel led the team with 254 pass attempts, 15 more than Ponder. And Josh Freeman started one game, an Oct. 21 loss to the Giants in MetLife Stadium. In Johnson’s first season as quarterbacks coach in 2011, Ponder threw for 1,853 yards and 13 TDs in 11 games. During his long stint with the Titans, Johnson coached McNair, Vince Young and Kerry Collins to Pro Bowl seasons. McNair was voted the NFL’s co-MVP in 2003 and was a Pro Bowler in 2000, ’03 and ’05. Young was the 2006 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. In 2008, Collins, the former Giant, was pressed into action after Young was injured in the season-opener and responded with one of his career-best seasons, leading the team to a 12-3 mark as the starter and returning to the Pro Bowl. Johnson said he is excited about coaching running backs again. “It’s a challenge, because it’s a different spot,” he said. “I broke into coaching as a running backs coach. I feel confident that I’ll be up to the task and I’ll take them where they want to go. “The key is seeing what the players do best and also make sure I am up to date on the schemes. With Ben here we’re going to have a new style, a new terminology and a new look and I want to make sure I’m comfortable with that and I’m able to teach it correctly.” Before joining the Titans staff, Johnson coached quarterbacks and running backs at the collegiate level from 1983-99. Johnson was a graduate assistant at Wyoming (1983) and Arkansas (1984). He also coached at Army (1985), Rutgers (1986-88), Virginia Military Institute (1989-91), Northwestern (1992-96) and Maryland (1997-99). Johnson coached the Maryland quarterbacks, and for the 1997 and ’98 seasons he served as offensive coordinator. During his five years at Northwestern, he helped the Wildcats win consecutive Big Ten titles in 1995-96 for the first time in team history. http://www.giants.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Craig-Johnson-named-Running-Backs-Coach/7a12c3d1-718f-4843-8b7c-9a56e24388a3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarence the Blue Puppet Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmenroc Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 With all the QB experience in both the DC and now RB coach...kinda makes you wonder a bit. I'm likely reading too much into it, but the credentials he has with QBs in years where the QBs have seemingly done well...gives the fan a little confidence. I would like to see, though, the years where his QBs did not do well. I'd also like to hear more about how his RBs did...you know, since we hired him as a RB coach. Are we looking at this guy as a future OC and McAdoo as a future HC? I'm really looking at these hirings in a different light until I hear that Coughlin has been extended beyond 2014. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boohyah Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Next year, our third string quarterback will be a long jumper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedinBlue Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Interesting. Looks like next years offense is going to be a whole different look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueInCanada Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 So are the Giant's basically getting ready for a reboot? Coughlin doesnt get an extension at the end of the season, Macaroni is premoted to HC, this guy is used to groom Eli's replacement in a couple seasons. Hard to believe that it felt like just the other day the Eli era was starting and honestly in a couple years will be done with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treehugger Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I don't want the former Vikings QB coach anywhere near Eli's replacement, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 So are the Giant's basically getting ready for a reboot? Coughlin doesnt get an extension at the end of the season, Macaroni is premoted to HC, this guy is used to groom Eli's replacement in a couple seasons. Hard to believe that it felt like just the other day the Eli era was starting and honestly in a couple years will be done with. Eli's gotta a lotta of good years left Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueInCanada Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Eli's gotta a lotta of good years left Just turned 33, only has a couple years left on his contract and by that point he will be 35. He has nothing left to prove after two SB wins and SB MVPs, unlike Peyton who is trying to shake "The best QB in the regular season" stigma. I honestly don't see Eli playing after 35 or 36 since by that time his daughter will be older and ready for family time. Eli isn't going to play into his late 30s and if his play keeps on the pace of the last two seasons or the Giants are in a "rebuild" mode, then Eli is simply going to walk away with his head held high knowing he's the best QB to ever suit up in Giant's blue. Heck 29 out of 32 starting QBs in the league would kill to be able to have done what Eli has in his career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gman329 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Of course, none of us have any way of knowing what's in Eli's head about this but I don't think he's anywhere near formulating an exit strategy. My guess - and that's all it is - is that he's got at least another five years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmenroc Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Yeah, I'm not expecting an early exit by Eli. I think he's too much of a competitor for him to cut his career short. I think 5-7 more years is about where we could start to expect him to hang it up. Might stick for an extra year to backup a new starter, but that'd be about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Just turned 33, only has a couple years left on his contract and by that point he will be 35. He has nothing left to prove after two SB wins and SB MVPs, unlike Peyton who is trying to shake "The best QB in the regular season" stigma. I honestly don't see Eli playing after 35 or 36 since by that time his daughter will be older and ready for family time. Eli isn't going to play into his late 30s and if his play keeps on the pace of the last two seasons or the Giants are in a "rebuild" mode, then Eli is simply going to walk away with his head held high knowing he's the best QB to ever suit up in Giant's blue. Heck 29 out of 32 starting QBs in the league would kill to be able to have done what Eli has in his career. You make a compelling argument and I think it will come down to how competitive the team is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedinBlue Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 The Star Ledger has a nice write-up on Craig Johnson. Apparently, he is good at using RB's for protection schemes on quarterbacks. That would be a novel idea. http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2014/01/giants_links_new_rb_coach_brings_fresh_ideas_and_protection_schemes.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sephiroth Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 If he can develop RBs the way he developed QBs in Minnesota, a championship is pretty much inevitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gman329 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 The Star Ledger has a nice write-up on Craig Johnson. Apparently, he is good at using RB's for protection schemes on quarterbacks. That would be a novel idea. http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2014/01/giants_links_new_rb_coach_brings_fresh_ideas_and_protection_schemes.html And one which, even if healthy, David Wilson could have a hard time with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedinBlue Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 And one which, even if healthy, David Wilson could have a hard time with. Yeah...I'd be shocked if the Giants didn't pick up another RB in the draft - maybe even earlier than the 5th round. And probably a bigger guy that can block as well as pull the hard yard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gman329 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Yeah...I'd be shocked if the Giants didn't pick up another RB in the draft - maybe even earlier than the 5th round. And probably a bigger guy that can block as well as pull the hard yard. Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 LOL, it's funny how Coughlin is such a "stickler" for ball handling and pass protection yet every year he's had a fumbler and mediocre pass protection from any back not named Ahmad Bradshaw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandolphScott Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 LOL, it's funny how Coughlin is such a "stickler" for ball handling and pass protection yet every year he's had a fumbler and mediocre pass protection from any back not named Ahmad Bradshaw. Jacobs was a really good blocker, one of the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 and bradshaw and jacobs both have 19 fumbles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazedDogs Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Jacobs was a really good blocker, one of the best. .... when he went the right direction. He wasn't above some really ugly mental lapses out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishgutmartyr Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Jacobs was a really good blocker, one of the best. Ward and Barber were good at it, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigblue25 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 and bradshaw and jacobs both have 19 fumbles. Wilson did it they stuck him on the bench. Bradshaw, Jacobs and even Brown fumbled and it was no big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fringe Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 http://www.giants.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Craig-Johnson-named-Running-Backs-Coach/7a12c3d1-718f-4843-8b7c-9a56e24388a3 Championship...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMFP Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 So are the Giant's basically getting ready for a reboot? Coughlin doesnt get an extension at the end of the season, Macaroni is premoted to HC, this guy is used to groom Eli's replacement in a couple seasons. Hard to believe that it felt like just the other day the Eli era was starting and honestly in a couple years will be done with. Retool the offensive line, bring in a new system, breathe some new life into Eli, and position the team to replace both Coughlin and Eli down the road. I think the time to do all that stuff is now, starting with the OL and scheme. McAdoo will need time to become HC material, and honestly, of all the coaches in the NFL, I don't think he could be working under a better guy than Coughlin.....with the exception of maybe Belichick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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