Posts tagged: George Johnson

Robison And Reed Not Active, While Johnson Is

December 23, 2012, by 2 comments

While it is no surprise that Brian Robison and his sprained shoulder will not be active against Houston today, and Everson Griffen will get his first career start, it is somewhat of a surprise who will be backing up Griffen.

D’Aundre Reed has been inactive the last few weeks and that is going to continue for another week.  Instead, George Johnson will be on the active roster, despite being activated from the practice squad just yesterday.

In addition to Robison and Reed, here are the rest of the Vikings inactives:  QB Bethel-Thompson, WR Burton, CB Burton, LB Cole, and OT Kropog.

The very healthy Texans have no surprises in their inactives with cornerback Alan Ball being the most notable of the bunch.

Saturday Moves Are Indicators

December 22, 2012, by 3 comments

The Vikings made a flurry of moves on Saturday, the night before they face off against the Texans in Houston, and each one indicates a little a nugget of importance.

CB Chris Cook Activated:  If the Vikings are going to make the playoffs then they need all of the stars to align just right over the next two weeks.  One of those stars in already in place as Chris Cook has been removed from the Injured Reserve and activated.  Assuming he plays, at least on a part time basis, he will line up against monster receiver Andre Johnson.  Ever since Cook was injured, the Vikings have clearly struggled a lot more against top flight receivers, so his presence against the Texans could be a major boost.

DE George Johnson Activated From Practice Squad:  Johnson probably won’t be active on Sunday, but the move to add depth at the end position tells us that injured Brian Robison is highly unlikely to play.  Everson Griffen will start in Robison’s place.

G Mark Asper Waived:  Ever since signing offensive tackle Troy Kropog the Vikings have had more offensive linemen on the roster than they would normally carry.  Apparently the Vikings think Kropog offers them more than Asper, who never saw action this season, and so they opted to jettison Asper.  Asper, however, could be a very good candidate to return in the very near future.

TE Allen Reisner Waived:  Reisner comes and Reisner goes.  This has happened enough times that I wouldn’t read anything into it other than he is clearly less valued than rookie Rhett Ellison.

Vikings add George Johnson, waive Ernest Owusu

November 9, 2012, by No comments yet

The practice squad revolving door took another spin on Friday when the Minnesota Vikings swapped one defensive end for another.

The Vikings waived Ernest Owusu from the practice squad to make room for George Johnson.

Johnson, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, went undrafted out of Rutgers during the 2010 NFL Draft. During his three seasons in the league, the 6’4’’, 265-pound end has seen the field during nine games. In that time, he has amassed seven total tackles.

After seeing limited action early last season, Johnson spent the majority of the year on the Injured Reserve list following a knee injury. He played in five games for the Buccaneers in 2012 before being released on November 1.

More than anything, Johnson will provide depth along the line. The former Scarlet Knight does, however, offer some upside as a project who could eventually develop into a contributor.

Owusu is an undrafted rookie out of Cal who has spent the last couple months on and off of the Vikings’ practice squad. Signed by Minnesota shortly after the conclusion of the 2012 NFL Draft, he failed to survive final roster cuts back in August. He was later re-signed to the practice squad, and has been waived five times since then. With the addition of Johnson, it’s unlikely that the Vikings will re-sign him anytime soon.

Just another insignificant roster swap as the Vikings attempt to avoid a mid-season letdown.