Chad Johnson was about as fun a player as there was in the NFL during the decade of the 2000s. Not only was he an eccentric character who proposed to a cheerleader to celebrate a TD and legally changed his last name to the Spanish equivalent of his jersey number—85 aka Ochocinco—he was also a darn good player.
Advertisement
During that decade from 2000 to 2009, Johnson was eighth in the NFL in receptions, yards, and TDs. Johnson was a big-bodied receiver at 6’1″ and 192 pounds who could run a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. But it was his other talents that really set him apart. His sticky hands were notable, but his footwork as a six-foot man was always celebrated by his peers.
A crucial part of being a wide receiver in the NFL is your ability to trick defensive backs with your feet. This creates separation coming off the line of scrimmage, but also coming out of breaks at the top of routes. While Johnson recognizes his footwork was elite, he believes that another, relatively unknown and uncelebrated wideout had the best feet he ever saw on the gridiron: Stevie Johnson.
“The greatest footwork—everyone talks about my footwork and my ability to get off the line. I’ve never seen anything like Stevie Johnson, still to this day. He’s like And-1, And-1, right, like basketball. He does And-1 moves on the field, and it works every time.”
A seventh-round pick out of Kentucky in 2008, Stevie Johnson never put up crazy numbers or made a Pro Bowl, but he was a consistent and well-respected technician. Those quick feet of his helped him achieve three straight 1,000-yard seasons for the Buffalo Bills from 2010 to 2012. During that three-year stretch, Johnson was a top 12 receiver in the NFL.
He played for the Bills, though, so he just didn’t get the plaudits from the media. But, as evidenced by Ochocinco’s celebration of Johnson’s footwork, people who knew football had respect for Stevie. Ochocinco said that the only one who could make Stevie’s footwork—albeit with less speed—was a young Keenan Allen.
“The only person I’ve really seen kinda simulate it, without the actual quickness, is Keenan Allen. A younger Keenan Allen. But Stevie Johnson, dude, unbelievable, I’ve never seen anybody move off the line like that.”
Unfortunately for Johnson, who is actually a cousin of NBA superstar Kawhi Leonard, believe it or not, injuries and inconsistent QB play plagued the later years of his career. He played one injury-riddled season apiece for the San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers before calling it quits in 2017. Johnson’s play may have been forgotten by non-Bills fans, but his feet will seemingly never be forgotten by his peers.
