AJ Johnson

#26
#26
AJ will get evaluated this off-season and see what he needs to work on. His speed and coverage do lack. With an off-season of dedicated work on his overall speed and coverage skills next year he will be able to do a little more.
 
#27
#27
Rocky Top Raby said:
AJ can lay some wood, no doubt about it. That speed picks up a notch or two and you havd a guy that starts on Sunday
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LB in the NFL is one of the most difficult positions to thrive. Just think of all the great college LB's at Alabama- not many have been very good LB's in the NFL lately. I think AJ is a great VOL and a very good SEC LB- he just lacks the speed to be effective in the NFL. I hope he stays 1 more year and gets his degree.
 
#28
#28
He's very, very effective against the run -- which is why he gets so many tackles; he's always near the ball on any sort of handoff -- but he struggles in pass coverage. He doesn't have very good instincts in zone coverage and is too slow to cover anyone in 1 on 1 coverage.
 
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#29
#29
majic73 said:
This guy was a 3-4 backer for Dooley all the way ..anybody else would have made him into a DE .
That being said , he is too big and slow to do the sideline to sideline assignments of the 4-3 and the coverage assignments consistently.

He is giving his all and I salute him . I hope he is back next season as we will be short on LBs and his leadership will be needed .
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He is a very good player for us. I agree with your post. An effective 4-3 DE needs the following:
Robert Nkemdiche DE 6-4 297
 
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#30
#30
jkleno said:
LB in the NFL is one of the most difficult positions to thrive. Just think of all the great college LB's at Alabama- not many have been very good LB's in the NFL lately. I think AJ is a great VOL and a very good SEC LB- he just lacks the speed to be effective in the NFL. I hope he stays 1 more year and gets his degree.
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AJ isn't used properly here. Anyone with a brain would take AJ out on passing downs, but due to depth issues we can't. AJ will do well in the NFL as a run stopping and gap filling MLB in the NFL. He also would be fine in zone coverage situations. He just doesn't man up very well to TE, but the NFL has really transitioned into a system where you almost always have a cover LB on the field at all times whether it's a 4-3 or 3-4.
 
#31
#31
kyoon2 said:
This whole season, I've been watching him get beat by TE, RB, and WR's. I see that his numbers are really good, but they don't tell the whole story. He's a great run stopper, but should not be a starting middle linebacker in the SEC. He couldn't cover the ABC song.
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He reminds me of Herman Lathers. He is playing to his strenghts and he plays lights out, but college is the highest level that he will likely play at.

He is a VFL!!!!! Glad he came to U.T. I remember how excited we were on the day he announced that he was committed to U.T.
 
#32
#32
AJ is all over the field causing chaos when maggit come back next year he and AJ will be a wrecking crew!
 
#34
#34
keckjm said:
AJ isn't used properly here. Anyone with a brain would take AJ out on passing downs, but due to depth issues we can't. AJ will do well in the NFL as a run stopping and gap filling MLB in the NFL. He also would be fine in zone coverage situations. He just doesn't man up very well to TE, but the NFL has really transitioned into a system where you almost always have a cover LB on the field at all times whether it's a 4-3 or 3-4.
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I don't remember the Ravens taking Ray Lewis out on passing downs???
 
#36
#36
The Orange Pants said:
Because he could cover. What is your point? Ray Ray is a HOFer, homey.
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My point is "I don't believe NFL or even dominant college teams take their starting MLB's out on 3rd down." Do you understand now? Maybe your orange pants are cutting off circulation to your brain.
 
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#37
#37
The Orange Pants said:
Because he could cover. What is your point? Ray Ray is a HOFer, homey.
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Did you watch the Super Bowl last year?? Ray Ray couldn't cover anyone. Point is your MLB stays in on 3rd downs. They are play callers and leaders on the field. Thus, I wouldn't take AJ out on 3rd downs. What do you think now orange pants?
 
#38
#38
jkleno said:
Did you watch the Super Bowl last year?? Ray Ray couldn't cover anyone. Point is your MLB stays in on 3rd downs. They are play callers and leaders on the field. Thus, I wouldn't take AJ out on 3rd downs. What do you think now orange pants?
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LOL. I think Ray Lewis is a Hall of Famer who was coming off injury in the Super Bowl. So, yhea, I'm still not sure why you're using Ray Lewis in this whole deal.
 
#39
#39
Rudy123 said:
He reminds me of Herman Lathers. He is playing to his strenghts and he plays lights out, but college is the highest level that he will likely play at.

He is a VFL!!!!! Glad he came to U.T. I remember how excited we were on the day he announced that he was committed to U.T.
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LATHERS would've been an NFL LB if he didn't have 2 major injuries that he had to overcome...:salute:
 
#40
#40
The Orange Pants said:
LOL. I think Ray Lewis is a Hall of Famer who was coming off injury in the Super Bowl. So, yhea, I'm still not sure why you're using Ray Lewis in this whole deal.
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Gotcha. I would prefer to have my MLB on the field at all times. I'm not sure how I got on Ray Ray. Ha
 
#41
#41
kyoon2 said:
This whole season, I've been watching him get beat by TE, RB, and WR's. I see that his numbers are really good, but they don't tell the whole story. He's a great run stopper, but should not be a starting middle linebacker in the SEC. He couldn't cover the ABC song.
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He's just not a cover LB. And we don't have enough guys that can fill that role, so AJ has to play in those situations. Plain and simple.

However, I would be shocked if he leaves for the NFL after this year. He looks to be no more than a 4th or 5th round pick at this point. Stay another year, and try and work on those cover skills.
 
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#43
#43
Has a natural nose for the ball and is a good tackler but he has a very hard time shedding blockers and is a tad slow. These things have caught up to him some at this level and will hurt him for sure at the next. Great in highschool, good in college, average at best as a pro, but he's a true VFL and I hope I'm wrong.
 
#44
#44
jkleno said:
Gotcha. I would prefer to have my MLB on the field at all times. I'm not sure how I got on Ray Ray. Ha
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Ray Ray was also like 40 years old and way past his prime.
 
#45
#45
I like watching him. He get the stops that others missed. His numbers show what he is doing, He can't be the entire defensive line, ya know.
 
#46
#46
perico said:
Ray Ray was also like 40 years old and way past his prime.
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My point exactly. The MLB is still on the field. He is the play caller. I am ready to see some more improvement next year. I hope he stays.
 
#48
#48
Aj is playing the right position. He's gotten better every year. No reason to think he doesn't get better next year. Only a fool would move him to DE.
 
#49
#49
kyoon2 said:
This whole season, I've been watching him get beat by TE, RB, and WR's. I see that his numbers are really good, but they don't tell the whole story. He's a great run stopper, but should not be a starting middle linebacker in the SEC. He couldn't cover the ABC song.
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I do not understand all the infatuation with AJ, I mean he is a Vol and I pull for him and he hope he does well but with that being said he is not a great MLB. He is slow, his tackling style is atrocious,He very rarely lowers his shoulders and puts a hit on someone. He is a liability in pass coverage. He vary rarely wins if he has to fill the hole against a FB.

I just think because the defense was so bad last year and it made everyone think AJ is better than what he is, it wasn't hard to stand out on defense last year.
 
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