Flashback Friday: Inside The Iggles remembers Jim Johnson

Eight years ago on July 28th, the Eagles and the city of Philadelphia lost one of the greatest coaches the organization has ever known.

The Andy Reid era will be remembered for many reasons. We often talk about the unbalanced run-to-pass ratio. The many trips to the NFC Championship Game are mentioned. What sometimes gets lost in all of that is the contributions of the Eagles defense. Jim Johnson led the Philadelphia Eagles on that side of the ball for ten seasons. Melanoma took him from us all on July 28th of 2009 (four days after resigning from his role as defensive coordinator)

The Eagles’ defense hasn’t been the same since.

Johnson was a former tight end with the AFL‘s version Buffalo Bills. He was a native of Maywood, Illinois. A coaching career that began in 1977 eventually led him to “The City of Brotherly Love” in 1999. It was there that his attacking style of defense helped craft one of the greatest playing careers in team history, safety Brian Dawkins. Reid gave complete control of the defense to Johnson and his predatory style. Maybe Coach Johnson’s words are the only words that can describe his philosophy the best.

Here’s a quote:

"It was around 1994 or 1995, when I was with the Colts, and we were playing against San Francisco with Steve Young running the West Coast offense, releasing receivers all the time, guys getting by you. The idea was don’t let these people dictate to you. You have to put more pressure [on the quarterback], and every year we tried to figure out how to do that."

Saluting a legend:

More from Inside the Iggles

Five division titles were won during Johnson’s ten seasons on the sideline. The 2001 version of the Eagles defense was one of its’ best. It was that year that the unit saw its’ defense go through an entire 16 games season without allowing more than 21 points. That was only the fourth time that happened.

The 16-game streak was part of a 34-game stretch where the defense allowed 21 or fewer points. No one can claim a better run except for the Minnesota Vikings. They carved out a similar streak, but their’s lasted from 1968 to 1971.

26 times during Johnson’s tenure, an Eagles defender was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl. There are three current NFL coaches who learned under Johnson. That includes John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens. Then, there’s Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers and Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills.

Next: Rumors: Could Jon Gruden eventually coach the Eagles?

The Eagles placed him in the team’s Hall of Fame in 2011. Only time will tell if the one in Canton does the same thing. If it was up to Eagles fans, he’d already be there.

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