Johnson’s Holdout May Leave Jets With Washout
Emmitt Smith missed all of training camp his rookie year and didn’t sign until five days before the 1990 season opener.
Did it hurt him?
Smith rushed for 2 yards in his first game against San Diego, started the next week and rushed for 11 against the Giants, then got rolling.
He had the first of his 42 career 100-yard games in his fifth game and hasn’t stopped. Smith finished fifth in the NFC and 10th in the NFL with 937 yards rushing, first among rookies in a class that included Blair Thomas and Rodney Hampton.
In 1992, the Redskins drafted Heisman winner Desmond Howard with the fourth pick overall. He didn’t sign until Aug. 25 and literally never caught on in Washington. He had three catches his rookie year, lasted three seasons with the Redskins, and is now fighting to make it in Green Bay after playing for the expansion Jaguars last year.
How much was Howard’s problems in Washington attributable to his late signing? It couldn’t have helped.
The way things are going, Keyshawn Johnson’s holdout has the potential to stretch to September. It continues to make no sense, of course, why the Jets are picking this fight. Just pay him market value and get him on the field. The rookie salary cap has cut down tremendously on holdouts. The Jets better hope Johnson is good enough to walk right in like Smith.
Certainly, an extended holdout has the potential to lead to a rookie year washout.
“I think it depends on the individual players and probably the position,” said Miami’s Jimmy Johnson, who coached Smith in 1990. “At receiver, I would think it will hurt you, but Keyshawn Johnson is a special talent and he might be able to pick it up faster than most. For some players, it can ruin their whole year. Once you get into the season, it’s hard to practice. You don’t have the benefit of a training camp.”
Last year, Seattle receiver Joey Galloway missed two days of rookie camp but signed in time for the start of two-a-days. He caught 67 passes with seven TDs. The Redskins took receiver Michael Westbrook fourth overall, four spots ahead of Galloway. Westbrook didn’t sign until Aug. 14, played in just 11 games in an injury-plagued year and caught 34 passes.
Notable
Jimmy Johnson lost his three best defensive players in Miami via free agency: CB Troy Vincent, LB Bryan Cox and DE Marco Coleman. He’s replaced them with CB Terrell Buckley, a Dolphin holdover burned by Dallas when Buckley played in Green Bay; LB Jack Del Rio, who played for Johnson in Dallas before he left for the Vikings as a Plan B free agent; and DE Dan Stubbs, acquired by Johnson in Dallas from the 49ers and subsequently released. Del Rio and Stubbs were signed by Johnson with the Dolphins. … After playing a preseason game against each other last Saturday, the Raiders and Cowboys headed down to Austin, Texas, for three days of scrimmages. They would have been better off setting up a boxing ring in the middle of the field. The fighting got out of control. The main event was Jeff Hostetler vs. Leon Lett.