Create an account : Log In   Josh Johnson, QB San Diego Interview - March 19th, 2008   By, Matt Alkire, Co-Founder Scoutnotebook.com Last season you finished with 3714 total yards, 45 total touchdowns and one interception. Those are obviously very impressive numbers, but what’s with that one interception man? “(Laughs) It was a play where I rolled out and threw it to the tight end and it bounced up in the air and they came down with it and picked it up. Honestly, once we got to that game I was happy not to have thrown an interception and when I threw that one I was upset because I really value the ball and I feel like that’s what the quarterback is about, valueing the ball. Every possession is key and if I feel like if I do my part taking care of the ball it will be a big advantage to our offense.” Talk to me about what it was like working with and learning from Jim Harbaugh at San Diego. What do you think he brought to the table that other coaches may not? “It was a great experience, he took everything that he learned and he inserted it in me. The way I prepared for games, the way my thought process was, everything I did was like I was playing in his shoes. I feel like my knowledge of football grew tremendously in the past four years. In practice he was always on me, never let me got away with using my athletic ability against defenders and really stayed on me to help me along in my development.” Any particular fun stories you can share with our readers about Coach Harbaugh? “I have stories for days. I can’t even pick one; I don’t even know where to start. He always took over the scout team, which was funny. If our scout team quarterback wasn’t playing well he would take over the scout team. He used to say if Vinny Testaverde can come play I might as well make a comeback too. One time he actually made one of our defensive ends look pretty bad when he rolled out of the pocket. He still can really throw the ball around and it was great working with him in practice.” How do you think he’ll do at Stanford? “I think he’s going to do great. He got the best out of players he didn’t recruit this year up there and he won the two most important games on their schedule in my opinion by beating Cal and USC. I guarantee in the next two or three years he’s going to be one of the most sought after coaches to go to the next level because he’s played in the NFL and coached in the NFL. He’s going to turn Stanford around. I don’t know if he’ll ever leave Stanford, but I know teams are going to want him to go to the NFL.” Watching you in the Shrine Game you not only looked like you belonged, but looked to be by far the best quarterback at the game to us. We had you as our offensive MVP. Talk about what it was like getting to prove that you deserved to be in the mix for one of the top quarterbacks taken in the draft. “It was great. I enjoyed it a lot being out there just playing football. I had an opportunity to go out with the big boys and play as they say. If I didn’t belong there I wouldn’t have been there, so I just went out there and tried to do what I do and just play football. The good thing about the Shrine Game is that you’re just going out and playing basic football and they can see what kind of football player you are. I didn’t even get to show what I think is my greatest attribute which is how smart I am. It’s tough to show that in all star games because you’re going and playing in a very basic scheme.” Is there a system that you think best fits your talent? Obviously you played in the West Coast Offense in college, but would you prefer to be in a more vertical offense or play in a more aggressive attack for a guy like Mike Martz? “Honestly I feel like it doesn’t matter. When I have had meetings with teams a lot of the stuff is so similar. There are little tweaks and differences here and there, but I feel like I’m versatile enough to play in any offense. I also think I’m smart enough to play in any offense and know I’ll work hard to learn any offense. Honestly it really doesn’t matter because if I go to a West Coast Offense I know the learning curve will be that much smaller because I’ve been running it the past four years, but I really have no preference at all. I just want to play football again.” Speaking of coaches, who is the best Harbaugh? Is it Jim, John or Jack? Remember that only one of them can draft you in April before answering. “(Laughing) I mean, of course it’s going to be Coach Jack because he’s their dad and they got everything from him because they raised him. He’s great to be around. They’re all great to be around.” (Smart answer Josh, very smart) What do you think will be the hardest skill to master at the NFL level for you? Is it footwork, making quick reads, dealing with that 300-pound defensive lineman that runs like you? “Honestly I think it will just be adjusting to having the best players there are coming out you week in and week out. I don’t think it matters whether you come from the SEC or the Pioneer League like I am, there are going to be 300-pounders running fast every week. It’s how you mentally and physically keep yourself in the game. I can stand in the pocket and look over defenses, but I really didn’t start running until my sophomore year because a lot of people don’t even know that I didn’t fully develop physically until then, so I’ve always been a pass-first guy. I’m not really worried about other players; I’m worried about being smart with the ball and making good decisions. I’ll obviously find out more stuff when I’m actually in the league.” While you were at San Diego did you ever flip on a Thursday night or Saturday night game and think to yourself “I’d really like once chance to line up with All-American layer and play in a huge game in front of 100,000 fans? “Definitely, I dreamed about playing in front of 100,000 people. I mean, we played in front of 20,000 people and the atmosphere was great. I feel like the more pressure there is the better I play, but I didn’t get that opportunity. Hopefully in the near future I’ll get that opportunity though.” At this point what are the things you think you do best and what do you feel you need to improve upon to be a starting quarterback in the NFL? “I feel like I’m an extension of the coach on the field. I take pride in understanding what’s going on in the game. I like to know when I get to the sidelines what the defense is doing to stop us immediately because the game is so mental. The thing I need to work on the most is staying mechanically sound. I have great mechanics, but sometimes being an athlete you tend to get lazy and times and when that happens everything goes downhill.” Do you feel like you’re still playing the role of underdog despite your strong Shrine Game performance? “Oh yeah, most definitely. I love being the underdog. I’m the guy that nobody knows about and nobody wants to talk about. I don’t want anything given to me; I want to earn teams’ respect on the field. After the Combine people were trying to write me off because I didn’t throw particularly well and said that’s why I went to a small school, but I had back spasms and that happens. That’s why I wanted to come out at my Pro Day and just show that I belonged. I had over 80 throws at my pro day and I only missed five or six throws in an hour. I didn’t even get to show my athleticism there. I’m glad I’m the underdog because leading up to the draft it’s kind of a popularity contest and when it’s time to get on the field players that work hard are the ones that have long careers and that’s what I want.” What scares you more, the thought of getting sacked by a 380-pound defensive tackle like Grady Jackson or seeing Michael Strahan’s teeth up close? “(Laughing) Ah, neither one I guess. I mean, it’s going to be a fun experience. I really just love playing football and what a lot of people don’t understand is that when you’re in the game it doesn’t hurt when you get hit because your adrenaline is running so high. It’s going to be different getting hit by 300-pounders with more explosion, but I’ll make the adjustment to it.” (Sorry Michael, we had to go there) What teams have you been talking to the most lately? “I’ve talked to just about every team at this point, but there isn’t a particular team that stands out.” What is the first thing you want to buy after you sign an NFL contract? “I’ve got student loans I have to pay off. I didn’t have a scholarship in college, so that’s priority number one. My mom comes after that, I’m not into buying big things. I like to keep a low profile, so I’ll be taking care of loans and my mom.” Last question, if you had to compare yourself to one quarterback in the NFL who would it be and why? “That is so hard to do. Everybody plays so differently, it’s really hard. I can’t do it. People say I run like Vince Young, but our throwing motion is so different. Some people say Tavares Jackson, but I watched him play and we’re completely different. Mentally I want to be on the same level as guys like McNabb, Brady and Manning. Those are the three best quarterbacks in the league and that’s where I need to be at. Everybody is there own quarterback, so I can’t think of someone physically.” All information is the opinion of Scout. PHP-Nuke Copyright © 2005 by Francisco Burzi. This is free software, and you may redistribute it under the GPL. PHP-Nuke comes with absolutely no warranty, for details, see the license.