LB Thomas "Pepper" Johnson (All B1G, All-American, 5x Super Bowl Champion)

[Buckskin86]

Pepper recalls introduction to Parcells
09.28.10
By Christopher Price
Patriots Camp Football

Pepper Johnson (left) has been an asisstant coach with the Patriots since 2000. (AP)

As a player, Pepper Johnson came of age under Bill Parcells. Parcells was the head coach of the Giants when Johnson was a second-round pick of New York in 1986, and the Ohio State product played for Parcells for five seasons, helping anchor a linebacking corps that was one of the best in the league. Johnson won a pair of Super Bowl rings while playing for Parcells, who is now helping guide the Miami Dolphins.

But their professional relationship started on an interesting note, Johnson recalled on a Tuesday afternoon conference call.

?All the draft picks, he got us into one room and he told us, ?[You?re] all a bunch of crap.? He said, ?We won a lot of ball games around here and none you guys are really needed around here. You just join in wherever you can find a spot,?? Johnson said of his first meeting with Parcells. ?And that was the end of the meeting and he got up and walked away.

?He was a hard and tough cookie to deal with from day one and he kept that going until my last year,? said Johnson, who would also play for Parcells for two seasons at the end of his career, 1997 and 1998, with the Jets. ?Year 13 he was still hard on me. I thought I was going to get a break after the little span in between, but he was the same person.?

http://itiswhatitis.weei.com/sports...9/28/pepper-recalls-introduction-to-parcells/

 

[Buckskin86]

Pepper Johnson still looks up to Belichick
Karen Guregian By Karen Guregian / Patriots Notebook
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Boston Herald General Sports Reporter and Columnist

FOXBORO ? At the start of the year, defensive line coach Pepper Johnson was among the candidates to be named the next Patriots [team stats] defensive coordinator. Johnson appeared to be a finalist, along with linebackers coach Matt Patricia.

But no one was tabbed for the role. Asked yesterday during a conference call with the local media how the season has gone without an official defensive coordinator, Johnson shot down the premise of the question.

?I don?t agree with that because I think we have the ultimate defensive coordinator with (coach) Bill Belichick,? Johnson said. ?He?s always going to be my coach. With him coming in and (with) some of the things that he does in our meeting rooms and orchestrating the meetings and the players and the (advice) and all that stuff, to me it?s priceless and I think we have the ultimate defensive coordinator.?

Even though he didn?t get the position, Johnson still feels he?s learning and expanding in the role he has with the team.

?I?ve always been blessed with defensive coordinators that sat down and taught me the game and explained to me why we do this and why we do that,? Johnson said. ?Now I just broaden myself as far as some of the things that I didn?t know with defensive linemen. I asked them questions or I just screamed at some of my defensive linemen for guessing things right in the past. But I got a chance to talk to a lot of guys that I played with and played against to get a little experience. But growing up (as a coach) with Vince (Wilfork), Ty Warren [stats], Jarvis (Green) and Mike Wright ? growing up with those guys really helped me.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/...oks_up_to_belichick/srvc=home&position=recent

 

[Buckskin86]

Pepper viewed as head coach candidate
June, 7, 2011
By Mike Reiss

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com comes up with a list of 10 NFL assistant coaches he believes are top candidates to become head coaches in the future. One of the coaches on the list is Pepper Johnson, who leads the Patriots' defensive line.

Writes Prisco: "He has worked under Bill Belichick since 2000. He first worked with the linebackers, but moved over to the defensive line in 2005. His players have pushed for him to be coordinator, which tells you they like him. But when Dean Pees left last year, Belichick didn't name a coordinator. That's because he is the de-facto coordinator, which makes sense since he is a defensive wizard. Johnson also played under Belichick, which means he has two decades of his knowledge in his head. That means something. Not being a coordinator also does, however."

The 46-year-old Johnson enters his 12th coaching season in 2011. In addition to leading the defensive line, Johnson also directs the "Dirty Show", a.k.a. the Patriots' scout team. Bill Belichick annually lauds Johnson's work in this area.

Last year, Vince Wilfork commented on why he felt Johnson would be a top choice to become defensive coordinator.

"Pep gives it to you raw and uncut, and whatever comes out of his mouth, you have to respect that because you know he's been a player at this level, on championship defenses," Wilfork said in a piece posted on ESPNBoston.com. "I like a coach who looks you in the face and lets you know how he feels about you. There is no beating around the bush. He has a lot of respect from me as a coach and as a person."

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-...4696815/pepper-viewed-as-head-coach-candidate

 

[Buckskin86]

Patriots? Pepper Johnson pleased with pressure
Defensive line doing fine job
By Rich Garven TELEGRAM & GA

Contrary to popular opinion, Patriots defensive line coach Pepper Johnson actually likes what he?s seen from his 300-plus pound charges through the first four games of the season.

The play of Vince Wilfork, Kyle Love, Shaun Ellis, Gerard Warren, Andre Carter, Mark Anderson and, occasionally, Albert Haynesworth is all Johnson had hoped it would be. And then some.

?We?re getting a lot of good plays and a lot of productive plays from some guys that are playing some techniques and are doing some things that they?re not normally used to doing or accustomed to doing,? Johnson said yesterday during a conference call, citing the Patriots? transition from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense this season.

?It?s kind of hard teaching some old dogs new tricks, but we have some guys that are buying into the system and working at it, working hard to try to do some of the things that we ask them to do.?

cont...

http://www.telegram.com/article/20111005/NEWS/110059947/1009/sports

 

[Buckskin86]

Ex-Giants linebacker Pepper Johnson spices up Super Bowl, calls Big Blue trash talk 'gibberish'
Prefers Patriots do their talking on the field
By Jim Rich / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Updated: Thursday, February 2, 2012

Pats defensive line coach Pepper Johnson, who played on some brash Giants teams under Bill Parcells in the '80s and '90s, calls the current Giants' talk "gibberish."

"Lots of times when guys are talking, they're trying to pump themselves, trying to get their name mentioned, they want their name bolder in the papers," said Johnson, who starred on two Giants Super Bowl teams in 1986 and 1990. "We're not like that. The game is won out on the football field and not in predictions. To me, you're just talking to be talking, to hear yourself talk. The rest of the stuff all in between is just gibberish."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...owl-war-words-article-1.1015229#ixzz1lHtge51W

 

[Buckskin86]

After 12 years with Patriots, Pepper looks to climb coaching ranks
Giants Blog
February 1, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS ? Pepper Johnson was roaming the field at Lucas Oil Stadium yesterday looking rather anonymous, wearing a black T-shirt and sweat pants. He looked more like one of the fans that bought a ticket to attend the annual Super Bowl media day, than an assistant coach with the AFC champion Patriots and a past Super Bowl winner with the Giants.

Johnson wasn?t trying to be incognito. It comes with the territory when you?re an assistant coach on a team where the head coach does all of the talking. That?s why yesterday was a big day for Johnson even if he didn?t dress the part. It was his chance to let people know he?s ready to take his coaching career to the next level after spending 12 seasons as an assistant on Bill Belichick?s coaching staff, the last eight as the defensive line coach. If someone is looking for a defensive coordinator, he certainly would take the call.

?I think I?m at the max as far being a position coach and handling different situations,? Johnson told the Post yesterday. ?There?s nothing that really shocks me or catches me off guard anymore. We?ve pretty much been through it all. With different faces moving in and out and game plans changing, I don?t think there?s anything that could possibly happen now coaching-wise that I haven?t experienced.?

Position coaches are required to speak to the media during Super Bowl week, which is a change from the normal routine where only the coordinators and head coaches are allowed to be interviewed. It?s Johnson?s chance to come out of the shadows and show he?s got the ambition and drive to lead to a team someday. He certainly has the pedigree.

He was an inside linebacker on the Giants 1986 and 1990 Super Bowl teams where Bill Parcells was the head coach and Belichick was the coordinator and he has been an assistant coach to Belichick in the three Super Bowls the Patriots have won. Normally those kinds of bloodlines can get you some attention, but when asked how many teams have approached him about being a defensive coordinator, Johnson said: ?Zero.?

It?s seems strange considering there has been a revolving door of coaches, who have worked under Belichick and moved on to high-profile jobs. It continued this year with offensive coordinator Bill O?Brien getting the head-coaching job at Penn State. Before that Josh McDaniels, an offensive coordinator with the Patriots, got a chance to be the head coach in Denver; Romeo Crennel, a defensive coordinator under Belichick, was the head coach with the Browns and now the Chiefs; and former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis got his shot at Notre Dame. Eric Mangini also got the head-coaching job with the Jets after being on Belichick?s staff.

Johnson, 47, tries not to be frustrated.

?I pray,? he said. ?I feel like when my time comes and it?s meant for me, I won?t be that guy having a short term somewhere. That opportunity is going to be there for me and it?s going to be a good situation and not just the first phone call.?

Asked what he has learned under Belichick, Johnson pointed to the mastery of Xs and Os.

?As far as strategy, I owe a lot of credit to that guy,? he said.

Parcells was more about how to utilize the Xs and Os and make them work.

?It?s two different types of teaching,? Johnson said. ?I was blessed to have those two guys to start off my career.?

This week, he will focus on preparing the Patriots defensive line to pressure Eli Manning and stop the Giants running game. Johnson said he won?t have any flashbacks to his Giants days as a player.

?They don?t wear the same uniforms that we wore,? he said.

His loyalty lies with the players he coaches now and in the future.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/gian...s_pepper_c2r3CzmzppuWBvDM9u46WK#ixzz1lNTr5BZh

 

[Buckskin86]

Pepper Johnson has spent the last eight seasons as Patriots defensive line coach, but word inside Gillette Stadium is that he will work with the linebackers this season. Patrick Graham would move from linebackers coach to the defensive line if Bill Belichick follows through with that plan.

http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-...721763/quick-hit-thoughts-around-nfl-pats-102

 

[Buckskin86]

Pepper Johnson on not getting defensive coordinator job, Dont?a Hightower and more

After Dean Pees departed in 2009 and there was technically an opening for the defensive coordinator?s job, defensive line coach Pepper Johnson made it known he would like to be considered for the job given his head coaching aspirations. Nose tackle Vince Wilfork even lobbied for him.

For several years, no one was officially given the title until this year, when Matt Patricia, who was assumed to be running the defense in the interim, was ultimately named.

How did Johnson feel about being passed over? Was their any disappointment?

?No, not at all,? Johnson said flatly when asked earlier today.

Johnson, a linebacker by trade when he played in the league, was also moved from defensive line coach, to linebackers coach. Even though he had been with the D-line the past decade, it didn?t sound like he had any problems with the move. As for the differences in coaching the two?

?Just different people,? Johnson said. ?Instead of coaching guys going forward, I?m coaching guys going backwards in coverage.?

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/s...ive-coordinator-job-donta-hightower-and-more/

 

[Buckskin86]

Pepper Johnson ?brings that attitude?

Patriots linebackers coach Pepper Johnson is as fiery as they come, and he had a brief spurt Saturday when he nearly took out a pair of his own players.

After linebacker Dane Fletcher made a play through the gap, Johnson pulled him to the side, yelled and head butted Fletcher, who was wearing a helmet. On the next play, running back Danny Woodhead broke off the edge and inadvertently wound up in Johnson?s vicinity, and the coach wrapped him up and nearly tackled him.

?There might be a few screws loose, but that?s what you?ve got to like about him,? Fletcher said. ?He brings that attitude.?

Johnson played for Bill Belichick?s defenses with the Giants, Browns and Jets, and Johnson has been on Belichick?s staff in New England since 2000. Because of this, Johnson can relate to players better than other assistant coaches. Fletcher appreciates that.

?Yeah, he can relate really closely to us,? Fletcher said. ?He played under Belichick. In a way, he?s kind of like one of us. He was a linebacker. He was (number) 52. I like the way he coaches. He?s got that grindstone attitude, and the don?t-take-crap-from-anybody attitude, and that?s the way I play. I like it.

?Having a coach that has been there and seen the same reads on the field and gets in the film room and teaches you what he has seen back in the past, how to relate that to what we?re seeing, it helps tremendously. I looked up to Pep when I was a little kid watching him play. Having a guy like that coach you is another level. He helps out a lot, and I?m all ears when he talks.?

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/s...12/07/30/pepper-johnson-brings-that-attitude/

 

[ScriptOhio]

For whatever reason, my best Pepper Johnson memory...

Re: Linebacker Pepper Johnson and tackle William Roberts were responsible for the most creative post-game celebration, doing a funky disco dance at midfield moments after the game ended.
Calling it "The Dog," they said it was a dance they learned at a fraternity party while they were teammates at Ohio State.

http://articles.latimes.com/1987-01-26/news/ss-973_1_super-bowl-xxi

Everytime I hear about Pepper Johnson I recall his post game dance after SuperBowl XXI (Giants 39 - Broncos 20). Seeing Johnson and Roberts dance at midfield John Madden (the TV announcer) commented: "It doesn't get any better than this and you'll remember it the rest of your life". It was a great monemt for two Buckeyes!!!

 

[Buckskin86]

What does Pepper Johnson bring to the table other coaches don?t - including Bill Belichick?

untitled15.bmpDuring his press briefing a short time ago, Bill Belichick was asked about his long-time assistant Pepper Johnson., who is now working with the linebackers.

?I?d say the big thing with Pepper is, unlike anybody else on the staff, he?s actually played in our system,? Belichick said. ?I?ve coached the way I?ve coached at the Giants, and at Cleveland, New York and so forth, but he?s actually played it. I think there?s something to be said for that. There?s certainly a perspective as a player who?s played in the system relative to a coach. Even though I?ve coached it a long time, he has a perspective of playing it, that I just don?t have, or other coaches, Matt Patricia, or Pat (Graham), or Brian Flores or any of those games. It?s nothing against them. It?s just different . . . There?s something to be said for a player who?s played the game, particularly played the system you?re coaching, and then coaches it.?

Johnson is able to help guide the players through the various situations, and tell them what to look for, or what?s most important, Belichick said.

Belichick also said Johnson talks to the rookies about what it?s like to play in a preseason game, what it?s like to play in an NFL game.

?He talks about what the adjustment was for him, and other players he?s coached, what things to expect, what?s different from a college game and a pro game, things like that,? Belichick said. ?I think that helps them make their transition. He brings a lot of that.?

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/s...-other-coaches-dont-including-bill-belichick/

 

[ScriptOhio]

Pats LB coach is banged up

The New England Patriots are used to issuing an injury report for the players on the team, but they may have to start doing that for their own coaches. ESPN reports that Pepper Johnson, the Patriots linebackers coach, underwent surgery this week to repair a torn quad muscle. Johnson will be on crutches when the Patriots face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday afternoon.

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors

 

[Buckskin86]

Pepper Johnson feels LB’s pain



In Mayo’s absence, unit leans on coach

Photo by:
Matt West
UNIFYING FORCE: Linebackers coach Pepper Johnson — shown during the playoffs in 2012 — is playing a big part in helping the Patriots deal with a litany of injuries on the defensive side.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
By:
Mark Daniels

FOXBORO — It’s that time of year when injuries start to creep up on you in the NFL. In New England, November means cold, hard fields and tackles that will sting just a little bit more than they did a month ago.

The impending winter chill is unforgiving for many who put their bodies on the line every Sunday. Players are more than their usual sore and sitting in a two-hour positional meeting only makes those aches worse.

Patriots linebackers coach Pepper Johnson understands this.

The 13-year pro, who played linebacker for the Giants, Browns, Lions and Jets, can relate to the bumps and bruises that some coaches might not fully grasp. That’s why Johnson cuts to the chase in the meeting room at this point in the season. There’s no need to make his players sit for any longer than necessary.

That’s one reason why Johnson is labeled as the ultimate player’s coach. And this season, after the loss of Jerod Mayo, his guidance is needed more than ever.

“Hands down, players coach,” Dont’a Hightower said. “He knows what it feels like, Week 9 playing in this division — especially us big guys trying to be aggressive every play, hitting linemen, trying to make big hits and things like that. He knows our bodies are tired. Sometimes he doesn’t exactly get into the two-hour presentation. He just spits it right out — ‘This is what they’re doing. This is what we have to do to stop them.’ All of it makes it easier and I appreciate that so much.”

Johnson, 49, was named the linebackers coach last season and is a perfect fit. He played for Bill Belichick for 10 seasons, which makes him able to relate to his boss and players even more. His experience has been vital with Mayo out of the lineup.

cont...

- See more at: http://bostonherald.com/sports/patr..._johnson_feels_lb_s_pain#sthash.wZMFiE1r.dpuf

 

[ScriptOhio]

Longtime assistant Johnson leaving Patriots' staff

Longtime New England Patriots assistant coach Pepper Johnson announced Tuesday he is leaving the organization. Johnson has been on the staff of Bill Belichick since 2000 for the head coach's entire tenure in New England. In a written statement to ESPN, Johnson praised Belichick, who also coached Johnson during his playing days with the New York Giants.

Entire article: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/longtime-assistant-johnson-leaving-patriots-200459994--nfl.html

and: http://www.boston.com/sports/footba...ching-staff/B9OpoqbZF76DPY4I0J0GBI/story.html

and: http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/01/...patriots-part-ways-after-14-seasons-together/

Kind of sounds like he was asked to leave (i.e. fired).

I didn't know this: According to the Patriots’ website, Pepper — born Thomas Johnson — got his nickname from an aunt, “who observed his ritual of sprinkling pepper on his breakfast cereal as a youngster.”

 

[maximumblitz]

He probably wants to become the assistant linebacker coach for the buckeyes, I am sure.