QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Bridgewater, Johnson Developing Camaraderie
Austin Belisle
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When Teddy Bridgewater needed a third down conversion on Saturday night, he looked to Charles Johnson. When the pocket collapsed and Bridgewater needed to get rid of the football, he looked to Charles Johnson. And when the Vikings needed a touchdown in the red zone, who did Bridgewater throw the ball to?
Charles Johnson
If reports out of training camp and comments from Norv Turner weren’t enough to convince you this offseason, the Vikings’ third preseason game was the icing on the “Charles Johnson is the team’s No. 1 receiver” cake. After the game, Bridgewater spoke to the strong chemistry he has developed with Johnson:
[quote_center]”Charles, he came up big for us tonight. You talk about that touchdown catch he had today with the defensive back all over his shoulders. Charles, he’s a big, physical guy. He helps out in the run game with his blocking for the running backs and it showed tonight in the passing game in just the first half – not even the entire first half, but the first quarter. He showed that he’s going to be big for us this year.”[/quote_center]
With his imposing size — 6’2″, 215 pounds — and precise route running, Johnson has emerged as Bridgewater’s go-to target at any point on the field. The relationship blossomed last season, when Johnson took over for a struggling Cordarrelle Patterson and injected some life into the Vikings’ passing game. Together, Bridgewater and Johnson connected on 31 passes for 475 yards and two touchdowns in 2014, planting the seeds for what has become a solid quarterback-to-receiver relationship.
You’ve read about Johnson’s remarkable journey to Minnesota — from 216th-overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft to the Browns practice squad to eventual starter in Minnesota under Norv Turner, who coached him in Cleveland as he recovered from a torn ACL. His rise to the top of the depth chart has been meteoric, and astounding given the current level of talent at wide receiver.
Johnson’s talent is undeniable, and for those within the organization, his growing presence on offense is a manifestation of hard work. Earlier this month, wide receivers coach George Stewart praised Johnson’s many skills. “He’s a big receiver that can run,” Stewart said. “He’s quicker than what you think. He’s a young guy that’s still improving, and his ceiling is as high as he wants it to be.”
Fans caught glimpses of Johnson breaking through that ceiling on Saturday night, most notably in the first quarter of the sloppy preseason game. He snagged a pass thrown behind him on a slant, abused D.J. Hayden on multiple comebacks and curls throughout the game, and beat the young corner on the offensive play of the night, a fade route in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
Lined up in the slot, he freezes Hayden with a stutter step and fights the corner off of his back before hauling in a perfectly thrown pass from Bridgewater. After this play, Johnson hung up his cleats for the night, but led the team with 40 yards on four catches, and head coach Mike Zimmer took notice of his receiver’s strong performance.
“Charles continues to make plays,” coach Mike Zimmer said. “He catches the ball, he runs good routes. The touchdown that he caught, I though the guy was grabbing the heck out of him along the way, but Charles is a big, strong receiver that has good speed and I think they’re developing a pretty good camaraderie between them.”