Johnson gains ground on Hardy
This is a tale of two Buffalo Bills rookie wide receivers.
One, James Hardy, was a highly touted second- round draft pick. The other, Stevie Johnson, was a virtual afterthought who was lucky to even be drafted.
While Hardy has occupied a higher spot on the depth chart, Johnson is gaining ground in a hurry.
Johnson was a surprise starter Monday night against the Cleveland Browns instead of Hardy, who started the previous two games and three overall.
Johnson also got more offensive snaps and finished with three catches and 41 yards. Although Josh Reed is expected to return Sunday, the coaching staff believes Johnson has earned the right to continue getting playing time. And based on what transpired Monday night, that playing time may come at Hardy’s expense.
“[Johnson] has a good grasp overall of what we’re trying to do, so he gives us the best chance to go in there and make some plays,” said Bills receivers coach Tyke Tolbert. “Steve has kind of gotten ahead of him as far as the learning curve is concerned, so that’s why he got most of the reps in the game this past week. Although James got some reps as well, Steve got most of them because of his grasp of the offense.”
Much was expected of Hardy. The Bills envisioned the 6-foot-5, 212-pounder would give them a big, physical complement to No. 1 receiver Lee Evans.
But other than Hardy’s game-winning touchdown catch at Jacksonville in Week Two, big plays have been few and far between. He has only nine catches for 87 yards this season. His other touchdown was a garbage-time score at New England two weeks ago. He had started two straight games (three overall) before serving a limited backup role against Cleveland.
“It was surprising, but you can only control the controllable and that was something I couldn’t control,” Hardy said of his diminished role Monday night. “Most of the plays that I’ve been out there I think I’ve done well. But evidently it hasn’t been enough. It’s a learning process. I just have to adapt, keeping working hard and get better.”
Why has Johnson come along so quickly? His college background certainly helped.
In the NFL, receivers must be able to read coverages and adjust their routes according to how the defense is playing them. Johnson did all of that at Kentucky, which ran a pro-style passing offense against top Southeastern Conference defenses.
Hardy, on the other hand, didn’t play in a sophisticated offense at Indiana and ran routes regardless of the coverage.
“It’s a lot of things he never had to do before he got here this year, and Steve did them all the time in Kentucky,” Tolbert said. “So that definitely has something to do with the maturation process of a wide receiver in the NFL.”
It’s far too early to label Hardy a disappointment, however, according to Tolbert.
“You’ve got guys who haven’t even played that are rookies,” Tolbert said. “Some guys who are rookies have sparingly played and some rookies have played a lot. I think it’s different with every team and every particular individual.
“We’re fortunate to have guys who can step in there and play and James can learn from those guys and kind of grow. He’s doing a good job of that. Nobody works harder than James on and off the field. He stays late, comes early. He has a laptop and he has all our cut-ups on it and he looks at it at home. Lee goes to his house and helps him study film. He works at it hard. It just takes longer than some guys than others.”
Johnson was inactive in five of the Bills’ first seven games and has made only four appearances. But it was obvious back in training camp that he had the skills to play in the NFL.
And when Reed got hurt, Johnson took advantage of his opportunity.
“Who knows how any game is going to go,” said Johnson, who has six catches for 72 yards this season. “Who would have thought I would be starting a game on a Monday night? Whatever package it is and I’m thrown in, I’ve got to be ready for it. Whether it’s the third quarter or fourth quarter of the game or starting the first and second quarters you’ve got to be ready no matter when your time is.”
Johnson’s time almost didn’t come on draft day as 223 players were picked before the Bills grabbed him, even though he was a first-team All- SEC selection by College Football News after becoming the fourth Kentucky receiver to top 1,000 yards in a season (1,041).
Though not as big as Hardy, Johnson has the size (6-2, 202) to shield small defenders and make plays on balls in the air.
“I had a very high grade on him, much higher than where he got drafted,” Tolbert said. “We were fortunate that after we fulfilled our needs when we got to the seventh round he was still there.
“I really like both of our rookies. They have a lot of upside and we’re excited about their future here.”
