Aug. 2, 2010
Pocatello, ID --- It was only two weeks ago that Eddie Johnson, former All-America punter for Idaho State, was serving drinks as a bartender and playing beach volleyball in Newport Beach, California, where Eddie lives when he is not in Pocatello. There are not a lot of beaches in Regina, Saskatchewan, but that's probably just fine and dandy for Eddie, as he is doing what he loves: playing football. The veteran of seven NFL teams, Eddie was signed on July 22 to be the punter and kickoff specialist for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, and if his first two games are any indication, his journeyman days might be a thing of the past.
Johnson, who was signed after punter/kickoff specialist Louie Sakoda (formerly of Utah) struggled, kicked for the Roughriders barely 48 hours after trying out and signing with the club. Johnson, who kept kicking on the side of his bartending gig, averaged 42.2 yards on six punts and kicked off four times in his first game back, which turned out to be Saskatchewan's first loss of the season, a 40-20 setback to Calgary. His next game however, he hit his stride.
Against Hamilton in a 37-24 win, Johnson averaged 51.0 yard per punt, including a 55-yarder for a single (if you force a touchback in the CFL it counts as one point). Johnson also kicked off four times, including an 86-yard kickoff for another single. Touchbacks and singles off of kickoffs are extremely rare, as in the CFL kickoffs are from the 35-yard line, 75 yards from the other goal line. Johnson's single off of his kickoff was only the fourth so far through five weeks of the season.
"I wasn't really expecting a call," said Johnson in an interview with Murray McCormack of the Regina Leader-Post. "I wasn't charging for it like I used to. I was still working out, so I was still in shape." For sure, that first play for Johnson was certainly different for Eddie.
"The first play was unique because I felt that I had a lot of juice in me," said Johnson. "I went from bartending and having people yelling their drink order to cheering for you. It's a little more of an intense environment."
But just like that in two short weeks, Johnson is second in the CFL in punting with a 45.1-yard average, and he has added a pair of singles to the scoring column as well. Johnson's 70.1 yard kickoff average leads the CFL as well.
The success is a long time coming for Johnson. If you looked up the word journeyman in Webster's dictionary, or better yet, typed that into Wikipedia, you just might get a redirect to Eddie Johnson's bio. His career started when he was a fifth round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings in 2003. The Vikings loved what he did at Idaho State, earning All-America honors as after a career in which he averaged 46.3 yards per punt, an FCS record at the time. Johnson wowed the Bengal faithful time and time again, from hitting a ball over the catwalk to averaging an incredible 61.5 yards per kick against Cal Poly, including a 61.3 yard net.
However, Eddie's time with the Vikings didn't last a full season. Eddie, who wore #4 with the Vikings six years before a certain guy named Brett Favre, averaged 39.1 yards per kick before being replaced for the final two games of the season by Leo Araguz. That started an odyssey that saw Johnson get signed and released by the Cincinnati Bengals (2004), the New York Giants (2005), the Jacksonville Jaguars (2005), the Washington Redskins (2006), the Denver Broncos (2007), and the Detroit Lions (2008).
Eddie then was signed by the Toronto Argonauts along with Justin Medlock in 2009 to replace the retired Mike Vanderjagt. Eddie made it out of camp with the Argos only to get hurt on the opening kickoff of the season, separating his shoulder. Eddie eventually punted 26 times for a 46.4-yard average, with a net of 37.1 and he was a perfect 3-for-3 on extra points, and adding a 25-yard field goal.
Now Johnson is quickly becoming a fan favorite in Saskatchewan and he will most likely handle all the punting and kickoff chores this week when the Roughriders take on the Montreal Alouettes. The Roughriders are 4-1 and tied with Calgary for the West Division lead, while Montreal leads the East Division with a 4-1 record. Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm Eastern Time in Montreal at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium. Whether he sticks around or not, Eddie knows that is not something he controls. All he can do is what he does best...kick the football.
"It's up to the coaches so I don't think about all of that," said Johnson. "I just try to do my thing and try to get into a rhythm."
