Derrick Johnson's redemption
By Bill Williamson
The Derrick Johnson story in Kansas City has a happy ending.
It didn’t look like that would be the case a year ago. Yet, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the linebacker has signed a five-year extension with the Chiefs. He would have been a free agent after the season.
The extension is a strong message from the Chiefs that a player can redeem himself and that hard work will be rewarded. That should bode well in both the locker room and around the league when its time to recruit free agents.
Johnson was in coach Todd Haley's dog house for much of last season. He was having a hard time adjusting to the 3-4 defense and Haley has had a short leash for players who don’t adjust. Johnson started to come around late last season but it was still a surprise that Kansas City kept Johnson for this season.
Everyone is pleased they did. Johnson has flourished under new defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel and has been outstanding all season. He has 57 tackles so far, 20 more than the previous season. Johnson is clearly playing like a guy the Chiefs want to continue to build their improved defense around and he was awarded for it by getting his new deal.
It shows players can get second chances and succeed in general manager Scott Pioli and Haley’s program. That’s all anyone could ask for.
http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post...ons-redemption