Jim Johnson Dies At The Age Of 68

NFL News - July 29, 2009 - Written by Ryan Smith

The Philadelphia Eagles franchise made a sad announcement Tuesday morning, telling the world that Jim Johnson, the long time Eagles defensive coordinator has passed away. Johnson took a leave of absence from the Philadelphia Eagles team in May of this year, to try and fight a cancerous tumor in his spine. Late in the season last year Johnson began complaining about pain in his back, and coached from the press box in the last two games of the season against the Giants in the first round of the playoffs and again against the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC championship game.

Johnson has long been thought of as the best defensive coordinator in all of football. His established exotic Blitz packages and relentless pursuit for the quarterback gained him one of the best defenses in all of football in the ten years he spent coaching with the Eagles franchise. In those ten years Jim Johnson's Eagle defense ranked 2nd in total sacks at 390 and made the playoffs 7 years. Of those 7 trips to the post season Jim Johnson and the Eagles also made it to 5 NFC championship games and one Super Bowl appearance. The Eagles lost that Super Bowl to the power house New England Patriots.

Johnson began his football career 22 years ago and has always stayed on as an assistant coach never taking a head coaching position. Andy Reid the long time Eagles head coach and good friend of Jim Johnson hired him as the defensive coordinator in 1999. ESPN reports Andy Reid had this to say about the passing of Jim Johnson "I'm not sure there's a person that I've met that isn't a Jim Johnson fan. He really represented everything this city is all about with his toughness and grit. That's the way he fought this cancer."

Jim Johnson's toughness and grit more than often rubbed off on his players. His leadership qualities can best be described in the number of players who fallowed his instructions earning trips to the Pro-Bowl. 26 players made it to the pro-bowl in Hawaii just for fallowing the out line and game plan of one of the NFL's greatest football minds. NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell expressed his sentiments today stating "He was a teacher to many players both on and off the field and devoted his life to the game of football," Goodell later stated "He had a positive influence on scores of young men, and leaves behind a wonderful legacy."

In the wake of Jim Johnson's death the Eagles have hired Sean McDermott to replace Johnson as the active defensive coordinator next season. ESPN reports McDermott had this to say in his first press conference "I don't think it would be fair to Jim, in this setting, to try and limit in one statement, one press conference, the effect that Jim has had on my life."  Jim Johnson died at the age of 68, and is survived by two children, four grandchildren, and his Wife.