Landon Johnson
Encyclopedia
Landon Tremone Johnson is an American football
linebacker
who is currently a free agent
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals
in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Purdue
.
Johnson has also played for the Carolina Panthers
.
in Lubbock, Texas
and was a three-time All-District pick, a three time All-City pick, a two time All-League pick, and as a senior, he was the District Defensive M.V.P.. Furthermore, he holds the school career record for tackles
(401 ), and he was also an excellent student who graduated with a 4.0 grade point average.
in West Lafayette, Indiana
. He played in 47 games during his career, starting 45 including 10 as a Defensive End. He recorded 345 tackles (222 individual) and 8½ sacks. He was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Conference
in both 2002 and 2003, and was named Academic All-Big Ten team for all four years. He graduated in May 2003 with a degree in General Health Science.
, Johnson contributed immediately with 11 starts at linebacker while playing in all 16 games. He ended the season as the team's leader with 133 tackles, 92 of which came in the last seven games (over 13 per game). He became the third Bengals rookie to earn the tackling title, joining Takeo Spikes
and James Francis
. He also had six pass deflections, two sacks, a forced fumble and fumble recovery, and nine special teams tackles. His pass break-ups total was tied for the team-high for linebackers. On November 21, against the Pittsburgh Steelers
, Johnson totaled 20 tackles, which was the most in the season for a player and the most for a player in the Marvin Lewis
-era of coaching in Cincinnati.
In his sophomore season in the league, 2005, Johnson totaled 87 total tackles on the season while playing all games on the year. Against the Baltimore Ravens
, Johnson recorded five tackles and forced a fumble on tight end Todd Heap
, which led to a Bengals' touchdown to put the team up 14-3 in the second quarter. In a December victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers
, Johnson totaled 11 tackles and forced another fumble. In a December 24 contest with the Buffalo Bills
, Johnson set a team-high for the season with 14 tackles.
In 2006, Johnson totaled 113 tackles on the year and also recorded his first career interception. He began the season with 8 tackles in the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs
. The next game, he totaled five tackles and a fourth quarter interception against the Cleveland Browns
, which was his first career interception ever. The following game, Johnson totaled a team-high 12 tackles against the Pittsburgh Steelers
. He then had eight tackles in consecutive games: New England
and Tampa Bay
. He then led the team with 11 tackles against the Baltimore Ravens
, followed by a team-high 8 tackles and a forced fumble on Lorenzo Neal
against the San Diego Chargers
. He then finished up against the New Orleans Saints
with 14 tackles, a career-high. In the following shutout against the Browns, Johnson recorded five tackles and a sack that also resulted in a fumble. In the next game against the Ravens, Johnson recorded a team-high 13 tackles. In the December contest against the Indianapolis Colts
, Johnson recorded 10 tackles, which was his fifth double-digit tackle game of the season. On the December 31 game against the Steelers, Johnson recorded six tackles and a pass deflection, and also forced a Willie Parker
fumble on the one yard-line to stop the Steelers' score in the fourth quarter.
The following season, 2007, Johnson won his third team tackling title with his career-high 143 tackles. His tackle total was 32 tackles ahead of the closest player, linebacker Dhani Jones
. He finished the season leading the team in tackles in five games, while finishing second in another five games and was tied for the team lead with two fumble recoveries. He also had five pass deflections, fourth on the team. Johnson began the first eight games of the season at outside linebacker, but finished the second half of the season at middle linebacker due to other injuries on the team. Johnson began the season with 8 tackles against the Browns
and then 7 against the Seahawks
. Then against the Kansas City Chiefs
, Johnson led the team with 10 tackles and also had a sack of Damon Huard
. He was then second with 10 tackles against the Buffalo Bills
, then led the team with 11 tackles against the Ravens
. After missing most of the Tennessee
game due to an injury, Johnson bounced back with consecutive 9-tackle games against the Steelers
then the St. Louis Rams
. He also had a third down stop for no gain on Rams' running back Steven Jackson
. In the December victory over Cleveland, Johnson had a tackle on running back Jamal Lewis
for no gain on a fourth down situation to add to his total of seven tackles. In the season finale against the Miami Dolphins
, Johnson led the team with 11 tackles.
Johnson became an unrestricted free agent
in the 2008 offseason.
.
He got injured in the 2008–2009 divisional game against Arizona
after taking a big hit to the helmet from teammate Jon Beason
, after Beason missed a tackle on Cardinals running back
J. J. Arrington.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Purdue
Purdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
.
Johnson has also played for the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
.
Early years
Johnson attended Coronado High SchoolCoronado High School (Lubbock)
Coronado High School is the second newest high school in the Lubbock Independent School District. Coronado, named for the great Spanish adventurer and explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, opened its doors in 1965 as the fourth high school in Lubbock, joining the list of Lubbock High, Monterrey...
in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
and was a three-time All-District pick, a three time All-City pick, a two time All-League pick, and as a senior, he was the District Defensive M.V.P.. Furthermore, he holds the school career record for tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
(401 ), and he was also an excellent student who graduated with a 4.0 grade point average.
College career
Johnson played collegiately at Purdue UniversityPurdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
in West Lafayette, Indiana
West Lafayette, Indiana
As of the census of 2010, there were 29,596 people, 12,591 households, and 3,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,381.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 74.3% White, 17.3% Asian, 2.7% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.03% Pacific...
. He played in 47 games during his career, starting 45 including 10 as a Defensive End. He recorded 345 tackles (222 individual) and 8½ sacks. He was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
in both 2002 and 2003, and was named Academic All-Big Ten team for all four years. He graduated in May 2003 with a degree in General Health Science.
Cincinnati Bengals
After being drafted in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
, Johnson contributed immediately with 11 starts at linebacker while playing in all 16 games. He ended the season as the team's leader with 133 tackles, 92 of which came in the last seven games (over 13 per game). He became the third Bengals rookie to earn the tackling title, joining Takeo Spikes
Takeo Spikes
Takeo Gerard Spikes is an American football linebacker for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals 13th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft...
and James Francis
James Francis (American football)
James Henry Francis is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins...
. He also had six pass deflections, two sacks, a forced fumble and fumble recovery, and nine special teams tackles. His pass break-ups total was tied for the team-high for linebackers. On November 21, against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, Johnson totaled 20 tackles, which was the most in the season for a player and the most for a player in the Marvin Lewis
Marvin Lewis
Marvin Ronald Lewis is the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League, a position he has held since January 14, 2003...
-era of coaching in Cincinnati.
In his sophomore season in the league, 2005, Johnson totaled 87 total tackles on the season while playing all games on the year. Against the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
, Johnson recorded five tackles and forced a fumble on tight end Todd Heap
Todd Heap
Todd Benjamin Heap is an American football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State-Early years:At Mountain View High School, in Mesa, Arizona,...
, which led to a Bengals' touchdown to put the team up 14-3 in the second quarter. In a December victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, Johnson totaled 11 tackles and forced another fumble. In a December 24 contest with the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Johnson set a team-high for the season with 14 tackles.
In 2006, Johnson totaled 113 tackles on the year and also recorded his first career interception. He began the season with 8 tackles in the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
. The next game, he totaled five tackles and a fourth quarter interception against the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, which was his first career interception ever. The following game, Johnson totaled a team-high 12 tackles against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
. He then had eight tackles in consecutive games: New England
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
and Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
. He then led the team with 11 tackles against the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
, followed by a team-high 8 tackles and a forced fumble on Lorenzo Neal
Lorenzo Neal
Lorenzo LaVonne Neal is an American football fullback who played in the NFL from 1993–2009. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL Draft...
against the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He then finished up against the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
with 14 tackles, a career-high. In the following shutout against the Browns, Johnson recorded five tackles and a sack that also resulted in a fumble. In the next game against the Ravens, Johnson recorded a team-high 13 tackles. In the December contest against the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, Johnson recorded 10 tackles, which was his fifth double-digit tackle game of the season. On the December 31 game against the Steelers, Johnson recorded six tackles and a pass deflection, and also forced a Willie Parker
Willie Parker
"Fast" Willie Everette Parker Jr. is an American football running back for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at North Carolina...
fumble on the one yard-line to stop the Steelers' score in the fourth quarter.
The following season, 2007, Johnson won his third team tackling title with his career-high 143 tackles. His tackle total was 32 tackles ahead of the closest player, linebacker Dhani Jones
Dhani Jones
Dhani Makalani Jones is a former American football linebacker who played for eleven seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, earning All-Big Ten honors for three straight seasons. He was selected by the New York Giants in the sixth round of...
. He finished the season leading the team in tackles in five games, while finishing second in another five games and was tied for the team lead with two fumble recoveries. He also had five pass deflections, fourth on the team. Johnson began the first eight games of the season at outside linebacker, but finished the second half of the season at middle linebacker due to other injuries on the team. Johnson began the season with 8 tackles against the Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and then 7 against the Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
. Then against the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, Johnson led the team with 10 tackles and also had a sack of Damon Huard
Damon Huard
Damon Paul Huard is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He played college football at Washington....
. He was then second with 10 tackles against the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, then led the team with 11 tackles against the Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
. After missing most of the Tennessee
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
game due to an injury, Johnson bounced back with consecutive 9-tackle games against the Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
then the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
. He also had a third down stop for no gain on Rams' running back Steven Jackson
Steven Jackson
Steven Rashad Jackson is an American football running back for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Rams 24th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State University....
. In the December victory over Cleveland, Johnson had a tackle on running back Jamal Lewis
Jamal Lewis
Jamal Lafitte Lewis is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens fifth overall in the 2000 NFL Draft...
for no gain on a fourth down situation to add to his total of seven tackles. In the season finale against the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Johnson led the team with 11 tackles.
Johnson became an unrestricted free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in the 2008 offseason.
Carolina Panthers
On March 7, 2008, Johnson signed a three-year contract with the Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
.
He got injured in the 2008–2009 divisional game against Arizona
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
after taking a big hit to the helmet from teammate Jon Beason
Jon Beason
Jonathan Beason is an American football linebacker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers 25th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami.-Early years:Beason attended Chaminade Madonna College...
, after Beason missed a tackle on Cardinals running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
J. J. Arrington.