Lane Johnson Has Only Himself To Blame For Looming Suspension

Right tackle Lane Johnson gave the Philadelphia Eagles a new hurdle to climb in 2016 when he was subjected to a 10 game suspension due to PED’s. Regardless of the reasons, Johnson should only blame himself.

The Eagles have had an eventful week. Rookie quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a hair-line fracture of his ribs during his debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday. Newly acquired guard Brandon Brooks injured his arm as well in that preseason game, although Brooks has made it a point personally that he’s good to go. Prior to that was the news that Lane Johnson would be suspended for 10 games due to a second failed drug test for performance-enhancing drugs. Maybe head coach Doug Pederson is getting the difficult stuff out of the way before the start of the regular season.

Unfortunately this situation for Johnson is not like Josh Gordon smoking too much reefer. Johnson is responsible for what he puts in his body from a competitive standpoint. Blunts aren’t helping you prevent Sam Bradford from getting sacked, pills on the other hand…

Criticism runs rampant in baseball and has propelled the anti-steroid movement, but it’s always been frowned upon to cheat at the highest level of any sport. Simply look at the (fake) outrage following the Olympics. Getting popped for recreational drugs is one thing. Taking pills that give you an advantage on the competition is cheating. Plain and simple.

The excuses have flung from every branch of Johnson’s tree. He allegedly notified both the NFLPA and the Eagles of the supplements he was taking. He checked an app created by Aegis Shield, one provided to players through the player’s association, and the substance in question was allegedly approved. A lot of allegedly’s do not equate to facts.

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The facts of Johnson’s on-field play are well known. He’s constantly been viewed as an elite right tackle. His reliability off-field however is becoming a concern. Make no mistake about it, the Eagles organization and their fans should be livid at Johnson’s blunder. The focus needs to be on the athlete himself, not the alleged failed protocols. Why should Johnson be in a different boat than Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova, another athlete that failed drug tests in her respective sport?

The rose colored glasses don’t work as effectively when a player lets down his teammates in this manner. That’s precisely what Johnson has done. He kept looking for an edge, and found himself down a path that he’s become all too familiar with. Suspended without pay while the clean athletes fight for their job. To play the blame game on the system not only shows immaturity, but a continued disregard for the rules. What might the “B” sample reveal? Likely confirmation of the “A” sample. As for Johnson’s excuses, they’re likely a combination of “B” and “S”. Appropriately, the NFLPA’s response to Johnson’s criticism’s of the agency suggested that Johnson is reaching the conclusion of his bold-faced lie.

Jason Peters is on his last leg, both figuratively and literally. An aging left tackle paired with a suspended right tackle must make Bradford say a few more prayers before calling it a night. An avoidable situation. A situation created by a player unwilling to abide by the rules. All to get ahead of the competition. Why didn’t Johnson consider taking the same supplements or multi-vitamins as his teammates? As a player already convicted by the NFL, the leash is short. To fracture it twice is border-line insanity. More so than anything, the situation was avoidable.

Next: Carson Wentz Suffers Rib Injury

Potentially losing $25 million will make the situation much more impactful to Johnson. Guaranteed money continues to be the driving force in contract negotiations. Imagine going to a Lamborghini dealership and having to ask for layaway. Johnson is in for the rough life in days ahead in the wake of his looming suspension. Another suspension and his NFL career likely comes to a crashing halt. While his career continues, the entire infrastructure of the Eagles is shaken at it’s core. Keeping Bradford behind a shaky line serves as a stop-gap between quarterbacks.

The Eagles are not legitimate Super Bowl contenders in 2016. However they could have been legitimate division contenders. With Johnson’s vacancy stretching the fabric of the offensive thin to it’s last thread, there is little margin for error in Philadelphia. Wins and losses during the regular season are on the shoulders of the active 53 players. Johnson can blame himself though for the Eagles not having a certain offensive lineman as one of those 53 active players. He can do it for the first 10 weeks too. After all, he’s blamed practically everyone else other than himself.