Josh Johnson, former Buffalo Bill

[dave mcbride]

Not sure all that many folks remember, but Josh Johnson -- a terrible QB who has somehow managed to last in the league for 15 years (albeit with stints in the United Football League, the Alliance of American Football League, and the XFL) despite a QB rating below the NFL equivalent of the Mendoza line -- did a stint with the Bills in 2015. He was signed mid-season when Tyrod Taylor got hurt and was the primary backup to EJ Manuel in the London game against Jax. We almost got a chance to see him perform given how awful Manuel was in the first half of that game. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Johnson_(quarterback)

 

The most amazing thing about him is that he has played for 15 NFL teams! I mean, I thought Fitzpatrick had played for a lot of teams, but wow. This unintentionally hilarious article from two and half years ago has him about to hang it up after his 13th NFL team: https://www.sportscasting.com/after-13-nfl-teams-josh-johnsons-exhausting-football-career-may-be-over/. He has had over 20 contracts including the non-NFL pro-league contracts!

 

(Jim Harbaugh was his coach at D3 University of San Diego too.) 

 

The non-NFL teams he played for:

Sacramento Mountain Lions - United Football League (he played two games and then the league folded)

 

San Diego Fleet - Alliance of American Football

 

Los Angeles Wildcats - XFL

 

It's both kinda sad and poetic that he now may well be done forever after embarrassing himself on the biggest of stages before getting concussed out of the game by legit bad man Ndamukong Suh. But he's the ultimate survivor, so I probably shouldn't write his obituary yet.

 

Finally, I like the title of this entertaining Vice piece: "Josh Johnson, Emergency Quarterback": https://www.vice.com/en/article/9a4e7y/josh-johnson-emergency-quarterback

 

And here is a picture of him as a Bill: 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by dave mcbride

[Matt_In_NH]

8.5 Million in 15 years...not too bad for someone who "sucks"

[Buffalo716]

It’s not sad or poetic

 

Do you know how many people would  kill to play for 15 NFL teams?

 

The dude understand what it takes to be a back up quarterback in the NFL… Most backups don’t

[dave mcbride]

2 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

It’s not sad or poetic

 

Do you know how many people would  kill to play for 15 NFL teams?

 

The dude understand what it takes to be a back up quarterback in the NFL… Most backups don’t

I dunno, it's more about sports karma than the dollars and cents of it all. I'm not talking about his material well being. Anyway, he has been terrible wherever he's played.  

3 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

8.5 Million in 15 years...not too bad for someone who "sucks"

And yet he sucks. Don't get me wrong, though -- I'm genuinely impressed by how he's managed to keep hanging around. 

Edited January 30, 2023 by dave mcbride

[Buffalo716]

Just now, dave mcbride said:

I dunno, it's more about sports karma than the dollars and cents of it all. I'm not talking about his material well being. Anyway, he has been terrible wherever he's played.  

And yet he sucks.

He’s a 3rd 4th string quality QB… OFC he doesn’t light it up

 

He’s there for the locker room… If you get down to that quarterback you’re screwed

[Maine-iac]

I can't argue with it but I want to anyways.  I never thought he sucked.  Nathan Peterman sucked.  Johnson was definitely a back up but I'd he used to really have some wheels and could make a play here or there.  I mean if you just look at the numbers I don't know what to say because they do suck but I'm telling you, you could do a lot worse at back up.

[dave mcbride]

Just now, Buffalo716 said:

He’s a 3rd 4th string quality QB… OFC he doesn’t light it up

 

He’s there for the locker room… If you get down to that quarterback you’re screwed

There are literally hundreds of guys like him over the last decade and a half -- the Levi Browns and Jeff Tuels of the world. They last for a year or two and that's it. 15 teams in 15 years!  

Just now, Maine-iac said:

I can't argue with it but I want to anyways.  I never thought he sucked.  Nathan Peterman sucked.  Johnson was definitely a back up but I'd he used to really have some wheels and could make a play here or there.  I mean if you just look at the numbers I don't know what to say because they do suck but I'm telling you, you could do a lot worse at back up.

And that's why he hung around, I guess. The numbers are terrible but I guess teams find a reason to believe.

[Maine-iac]

2 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

There are literally hundreds of guys like him over the last decade and a half -- the Levi Browns and Jeff Tuels of the world. They last for a year or two and that's it. 15 teams in 15 years!  

I liked me some Jeff Tuel as well .............. guess I'm just a sucker for an underdog.  He was the one that got picked and run back by JJ Watt right?  Poor bastard ........ he had that game.

Edited January 30, 2023 by Maine-iac

[Maine-iac]

6 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

There are literally hundreds of guys like him over the last decade and a half -- the Levi Browns and Jeff Tuels of the world. They last for a year or two and that's it. 15 teams in 15 years!  

And that's why he hung around, I guess. The numbers are terrible but I guess teams find a reason to believe.

Chase Daniel

[dave mcbride]

3 minutes ago, Maine-iac said:

I liked me some Jeff Tuel as well .............. guess I'm just a sucker for an underdog.  He was the one that got picked and run back by JJ Watt right?  Poor bastard ........ he had that game.

He had a deceptively good game for the Jets last season - https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202111040clt.htm. However, his three TD passes came after the Jets were losing 42-10 to the Colts. He also had decent numbers in a game for the Ravens too last season (same season!), but they lost 41-21 to the Bengals. Those two garbage-time productivity games got his lifetime rating up from the low-mid 60s to 70.6, which is still terrible. 

[billieve420]

Bills curse spreading to the other teams. I think I saw former Bills TE Kroft miss a block which ended up getting Purdy hurt and effectively ending whatever chance the 49ers had.

[dave mcbride]

1 minute ago, Maine-iac said:

Chase Daniel

Yes - 7 teams in 13 seasons and only 5 starts. Still has a long way to go to get to 15, though!

Just now, billieve420 said:

Bills curse spreading to the other teams. I think I saw former Bills TE Kroft miss a block which ended up getting Purdy hurt and effectively ending whatever chance the 49ers had.

Yes, that was Kroft.

[CNYfan]

I think he played and won a blizzard game during the drought years.  Most famous moment with BB

[Buffalo716]

5 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

There are literally hundreds of guys like him over the last decade and a half -- the Levi Browns and Jeff Tuels of the world. They last for a year or two and that's it. 15 teams in 15 years!  

And that's why he hung around, I guess. The numbers are terrible but I guess teams find a reason to believe.

Again you have no idea how he is in the locker room and that’s the difference 

Chase Daniel played for almost 15 years and has less starts then Josh Johnson!

 

There are always a few long-term back ups who stick around and don’t play… Especially if you have athletic gifts

 

HIs athleticism make him a better option than most 3rd string QBs

 

[dave mcbride]

Just now, CNYfan said:

I think he played and won a blizzard game during the drought years.  Most famous moment with BB

No, that was Joe Webb in 2017. 

[thenorthremembers]

Also the cousin of Marshawn Lynch.

[CNYfan]

Joe Webb.  Don't remember that guy.  He was Josh Johnson like, I think.

[dave mcbride]

Just now, Buffalo716 said:

Again you have no idea how he is in the locker room and that’s the difference 

Chase Daniel played for almost 15 years and has less starts then Josh Johnson!

 

There are always a few long-term back ups who stick around and don’t play… Especially if you have athletic gifts

 

HIs athleticism make him a better option than most 3rd string QBs

 

He is legit bad! He always has been. I don't doubt that he may have locker room qualities, and the Niners were of course desperate. But guys like that don't last as long as him and -- more to the point -- they don't play for 15 teams! That has to be some sort of record. 

[Maine-iac]

Just now, dave mcbride said:

He had a deceptively good game for the Jets last season - https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202111040clt.htm. However, his three TD passes came after the Jets were losing 42-10 to the Colts. He also had decent numbers in a game for the Ravens too last season (same season!), but they lost 41-21 to the Bengals. Those two garbage-time productivity games got his lifetime rating up from the low-mid 60s to 70.6, which is still terrible. 

It's not rational.   I think I used him in Madden franchise mode 15 years ago or something nonsensical like that.

[colin]

so, this guy could be a coach or run camps.  he knows more different nfl approaches and playbooks than anyone else.

 

he could also bring in, no joke, like 300 different nfl pros and coaches at any time.

 

imagine if he were your uncle and you had a d1 scholly?  he could tell you EVERYTHING.

 

i personally want him to be an analyst or something like that, want to know what he's learned, and funny stories.