Johnson took a lot of punishment this year and toughness is a desirable trait for quarterbacks. The ensuing clip illustrates that Johnson can make intermediate throws in traffic with authority when he’s confident and immediate with his decisions.
Still, it’s not a career-killer for Johnson. Moreover, he’s a lefty, and a lefty with an elongated throwing motion is a hinderance to optimal processing speed.
He is delivery lacks quickness and and compactness. Johnson’s game allows opponents to dictate more often than he does. It also means he doesn’t have to account for it when he’s on defense or offense. If you’re a fighter with a weak right hand - so weak that it’s not worth respecting its potential power - the opponent will allow you to hit with that punch if it means it puts him into position to do what he wants. This contributes to the effectiveness of other plays. No matter the offense or the down-and-distance situation, quarterbacks must make throws that force a defense to respect what he’s capable of doing. That additional pause allows for the pressure to get home and alter the accuracy of the target.Īt the very least, quarterbacks have to be competitively average at a lot of skills. Instead he waits until he sees the receiver stack the defensive back. Johnson has the matchup and time to release the ball and let his receiver make a vertical play. Johnson gets hit too much as a quarterback at a premier school.
Instead, Johnson is compensating for this lack of anticipation by waiting as long as possible for comformation that the route is open and he’s paying the price in the pocket. This would be sensible if the leverage that Johnson needs to see allows him to anticipate that target coming open. These deficiencies lead to a reluctance to let the ball fly until he is comfortable with the leverage that his target has on the coverage. Johnson, who is leaving LSU and entering the transfer portal must get stronger, improve his arm strength, and deliver with anticipation. Max Johnson may develop into a competent signal caller but it’s less likely to happen if he continues to choose playing tough ahead of playing fast. These tales obscure what’s essential to quarterbacking: Efficient processing of decisions at the position.įor a position as complex and dynamic as quarterback, toughness as a leading trait is usually a foil for deficiencies in other areas. The never-ending search for determination and grit from quarterbacks creates a cottage industry of narratives. – Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris, Million-Dollar Baby Frankie’d say: Show me a fighter who was nothing but heart and I’ll show you a man waiting for a beating. Some peple say the most important thing a fighter can have is heart. RSP writer David Igono’s examination of for LSU passer Max Johnson reveals why toughness can’t be a thrower’s leading trait. To this point, the only transfers the Aggies have seen are LB Antonio Doyle, CB Dreyden Norwood and QB Zach Calzada, but expect to see more in the coming weeks and months as the 2022 roster begins to come into focus.Toughness at the quarterback position is not only a virtue but an intangible metric that prospects are graded on. With the new NCAA rules, teams can take up to 32 commits/transfers per cycle, and the addition of Johnson plus their 26 high school commits puts the Aggies at 27 (with several targets still on the market). As Jimbo mentioned in his press conference, modern tight ends can often line up in the slot as often as they do on the end of the line, so having more elite options is never a bad thing. A&M found out the hard way what a toll QB injuries can take on your season, losing King to season-ending injury in Week 2, and Zach Calzada battling through injuries that likely hampered him through much of the year.Īnd while tight end is far from a position of need for A&M (they already had two in the 2022 class alone), you don’t turn down the chance to get the top player at a position. In Max, the Aggies get a third scholarship QB, and one with more game experience than the other two on their roster (Haynes King, Conner Weigman). 7, so clearly it was always these guys’ intention to play together.
Jake had been an LSU commit himself until he decommitted on Dec. His younger brother, Jake, signed with the Aggies on Monday #GigEm /p46VDPurqa- Hayes Fawcett December 17, 2021 The 6’5 220 QB from Athens, GA started/ played 18 games for the Tigers. BREAKING: Former LSU QB Max Johnson will transfer to Texas A&M!