Published: October 27, 2007 11:08 pm         

Colts' Ed Johnson shows he belongs

Paterno ‘went to bat’ for Colts’ rookie tackle

Indianapolis — Ed Johnson wouldn’t say that he’s playing this season in an effort to prove himself to anybody. Rather, the Indianapolis Colts’ rookie defensive tackle from Penn State likes to think of himself of having a little bit of a chip on his shoulder when it comes to his performance on the field.

Johnson’s story is pretty well known by now. An honorable mention All-Big Ten conference defensive lineman for Joe Paterno as a senior, the Detroit, Mich., native saw his collegiate career beset with on-and-off-the-field issues. He was suspended from the Penn State team three times, including last January’s Outback Bowl, for violating various school and team rules.

What happened next probably shouldn’t have comes as too much of a surprise to a lot of people. As a consequence of what transpired in college, as well as the new stricter player conduct policies adopted by the National Football League, he was not selected in the league’s draft last April.

In fact, no NFL teams were even interested in bringing him in as an undrafted free agent. That is, all but one. The Colts, though, thought long and hard about whether to bring Johnson in. Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy and team president Bill Polian have always made it their policy to steer away from potential troublemakers and malcontents.

Still, Dungy and Polian have learned to never say never. Depending on the situation, the Colts will investigate a player’s background thoroughly. And, if the right recommendations come in, the franchise will give that player a second chance — albeit under strict guidelines.

Such was the case with Johnson.

“That’s what you try to gauge and that’s what you hope. We had a talk with him. And we feel like he is going in the right direction. Now he understands that he’s got a microscope on him,” Dungy explained during training camp.

“Now, seven games into the regular season, the gamble appears to be paying off for the Colts. With expected starter Anthony “Booger” McFarland lost in the second week of training camp with a season-ending knee injury, Johnson was given the opportunity to show everybody what he could do.

He has been in the lineup all year, recording his first official NFL sack in last Monday night’s 29-7 win over Jacksonville. In fact, it was his tackle of David Garrard that sent the Jaguars’ quarterback to the sidelines for at least one month with an ankle injury.

Through the Colts’ previous six games, Johnson is eighth on the team in tackles with 26 (including 21 solos). He also has three quarterback pressures to rank fifth in that category.

“I was a little surprised when we got him,” Dungy recalled this week. “I didn’t realize that he was that good of a player. But what we saw in [training] camp, we realized he could do a lot of good things. He’s been another one of the reasons that we’ve been better. He’s a very physical guy. But he still has the ability to run and chase things down. He’s played real solid for us inside.”

Team president Bill Polian says that Johnson’s rapid emergence has been both a pleasant surprise and a validation of the Colts’ scouting department. The Colts also listened to Paterno.

“Ed’s very lucky that he had a coach like Joe Paterno who was willing to go to bat for him.”

For his sake, Johnson is just happy for the opportunity to play in the NFL. Especially with a team like the Colts, although he is being used in a different role that he was used to playing in college.

“I do understand my role on this team. I am pretty much a run stopper and power guy up front. I was used to being more of a finesse guy, a pass rusher, when I was in college. But I don’t mind. Anything that I can do to help the team,” he said.

“I know I belong at this level, in this league. You have doubters everywhere about everything. So I guess that I have more of a chip on my shoulder than I am trying to prove anything to anyone.”