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Ted Johnson's Totally Jammin' Webpage |
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RETIREMENT!!
On July 28, 2005, Ted Johnson announced his retirement from professional football after 10 seasons as a middle linebacker for the New England Patriots. Reason given for the decision centered on health issues mostly resulting from a number of concussions sustained over the course of his career.
Mr, Johnson, please know that the fans of New England will forever appreciate your passion, play and service for this team. You became my favorite player and I would like to think of myself as your No. 1 fan. Your decision while a shock at this time is surely the correct one as your health and your family ultimately do take priority over football. All those that have met you and spoken with you know that you are a great person and a tribute to this team. We remain proud of you and the way you played the game. For all you have done and have meant to this team, its fans and me....
THANK YOU! You were the Last Samurai!
| TJ's Bio Sheet | TJ's Patriot's Stats | TJ's Shots |
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How I met Ted Johnson Getting Autographs in San Diego In Texas |
Ted's Parents Restaurant Rib Tickler in Tomball, Texas. |
Quotes |
June 12, 2005 - “I thought the first ring was impressive and to do what he did with the second one was quite nice,” linebacker Ted Johnson before receiving his third. “The symbolism in the ring is what I enjoy the most.”
After receiving his 3rd SB ring
"You never take these things for granted,"
Johnson says. "The rings are a symbol of our effort and what we were able to
accomplish."
For more pictures on Ted Johnson, at training camp, stop by Mrs. B's Patriot World http://www.patriotworld.com/
Born: Dec 4, 1972 in California
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 253 lbs.
Attended University of Colorado where he majored in
Communications
Acquired: 1995 draft 2nd round 57th pick overall.
2004 was his 10th season.
Best Single game performance
17 Tackles - November 15, 1998 vs.
Buffalo
Getting Ted's Autograph in San
Diego 2002
Everyone on the Patriots' Mail list knows that Ted Johnson is my all time favorite Patriot player. I have always appreciated his blue collar style and strong work ethic and his impact on the defense. So it was pretty much my main goal of the pre-game festivities in San Diego to get the man's autograph. I mean if you can't get it while you are staying in the same hotel as the team, when the world are you gonna get it.
So when the team arrived on Friday and I saw that Ted had made the trip I knew that I had a good chance. That evening a lot of the players went straight to their rooms to rest. I hung around for a while in hopes that Ted would come down to the lobby. But no luck. While waiting I did get autographs from Damien Woody, Otis Smith, Lonnie Paxton, David Patton, and Mike Vrabel.
The next day after breakfast I went across the street to buy some things at
the local mall. When I came back someone told me that Ted had just come through
the lobby about 15 minutes ago. Swell. So I sat down in the lobby with my camera
and jerseys for almost 2 hours hoping to get some autographs but he did not show up. So
sometime around 1pm I headed
down to big Balboa park and the sports museum in San Diego. I had a good time checking out all
the San Diego history.
Of course no sooner do I set foot back in the lobby, that all my friends are
telling me that Ted had been sitting in the lobby for like an hour and just
chilling and reading a book. He was totally accessible and of course I had not
been there to capitalize on it or meet the man.
All of my friends had been trying to find me but of course I had been many miles
away.
Aaaaaaaaargh!!!! Even the crazy local girl who was there with her
husband (the Saints fan) had met Ted and gotten his autograph. I was starting to
believe that I was never gonna meet him. As the weekend wore on things were not
looking good.
I swore that I was not going to leave the building again until I got his autograph.
That evening, the team had meetings by units, offensive and defensive. Almost everyone in the group had headed down town to go dancing at some clubs. I now felt like Tom Cruise in Top Gun saying "I won't leave my wing man." I was not leaving this lobby until I met Ted Johnson. At about 7:30 pm the defensive unit meeting broke up and exited their room on the 2nd floor of the hotel. We knew this because the 2nd floor meeting rooms doors opened to a balcony overlooking the lobby area where many of us were sitting. Suddenly Cecil says, "Hey! Ed! There goes Ted Johnson walking towards the elevators"... I was off in a flash with the crazy girl in tow. Now there was a bank of 4 elevators at the Marriott in San Diego. They were set back into a little entrance room. As we headed to the elevators it appeared that TJ would be using one of the far right elevators, both of which were leaving the first floor as we approached. The crazy girl said "Press the right ones!" I thought no, If I am to see him at all he will be on the left, which was not moving at all and should have been the wrong choice. We pressed the button for the far left hand lift and waited. The doors opened on the first floor and standing there, all alone in the lift, leaning up against the wall and holding a meal box was Ted Johnson. he looked up and said to me, "Hey, I like that Jersey." I was of course wearing my #52 away jersey. At first my only response was. ".....You're...You're.... You are Ted Johnson..."
Once the wonder of it all passed, I asked him if he would sign my jersey. He said "Sure, no problem." I then proceeded to tell him that I had come all the way from Japan to see him play and that I had been a fan of him and his game play since his arrival in New England. I also told him that I had put up a web page dedicated to him. As he was starting to sign the jersey I asked if he would sign it to me, Ed, promising him that this was for the wall in my Patriots room. Reaching into a plastic bag that I was holding I then asked if he would also sign my home jersey as well. By this point he was laughing so hard that he could hardly stand up, but kept going along with the whole thing. The crazy girl then asked Ted if he would sign her arm. Not sure what she was thinking with this. But he DID it!! Sure it was SUPER permanent Sharpie but, hey, its gonna wash off at some point. Right?!?
The elevator doors opened on the 5th floor Willie McGinest began to get on the elevator then saw the mad scene and wanting no part of it decided to take the next ride up. Finally as we bid Ted adieu as he exited on the 7th floor we thanked him for his patience and autographs. As he departed he told us that "This has been the most fun I have ever had in an elevator!" Excellent! Certainly I can say the same thing....
Amazingly in the awe of the moment I had forgotten to get any pictures of him or of us together. Duh!
| To Ed - All
my best!! Ted Johnson 52
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To Ed - Thanks for your loyal support! Ted Johnson 52
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Houston 2003/2004
| A trip to Rib Tickler
Despite original plans to go later in the day, we decided to get out and back BEFORE the team arrived around 6 pm. We figured that some of the defensive guys would be ready to feast on some major league ribs during the weekend, but that it did not seem that likely that they would cruise up there on Saturday night with such an early curfew. So the afternoon road trip was commenced. Unfortunately with list members strewn all over down
town and Monty strewn
across his bed, we invariably left a few people behind that later
indicated that they had REALLY wanted to come along.
We expected the drive to take from 20 to 30 minutes. After a slight error in navigation by yours truly (Hey, my navigator wasn't helping much!) we were headed up Texas SH 249.
I had chosen to wear my Ted Johnson home jersey so that the locals knew where our allegiance fell. While Zip was harnessing up the short blonde quiet guy I noticed that the kitchen staff standing outside on break were staring at us and our various Patriots gear. Now the Rib Tickler is not a huge place. it has a homey, local flavor to it. No pretence, just pride to let you know, "these Ribs are gonna Rock." There are about 12 tables inside with another 6 or so outside 2 decks. As you walk in you proceed along the right hand wall behind a rail and do the "cafeteria tray sliding thing" to the left. As you approach the trays you walk under a wall of sports related photos. There are pics of the local peewee team that has been supported/ sponsored by the Johnsons (the team name? Why, the Patriots of course). There are college and game photos of TJ. and other Pats. Also some shots of other famous local people. Miss Texas!? As we began heading through the line, I got to the place to make our orders. As we spoke with the people behind the counter I noticed a distinguished looking woman taking a big clever to the ribs. On a small gamble I asked if she was Ted Johnson's mother. She replied that in deed she was. She commented on my wearing her son's jersey. As we all got our orders in (we all got Ribs except Dan who ordered seafood). The Ribs were Amaaaaaazing! The St. Louis Ribs were drenched in sauce so perfect that you were compelled to scoop it off the plate with a spoon. I would like to thank Mrs. Johnson for her fine Southern Hospitality and service. When Mrs. Johnson emerged from the kitchen to join her family that was having lunch at a nearby table we paid here a shower of compliments for her fantastic food.
<jumping ahead> It seems they had taken the ribs and trimmings into the locker room after the game. The idea being that each player would get himself a plastic carrier of ribs and stuff and then head onto the bus. That was the plan. Needless to say that with those good eats and those hungry boys playing 75 minutes and getting the victory the plan quickly went out the window.
She
told me that many players came back for seconds with no hesitation or
shyness. She noted that Willie McGinnest was so taken with the ribs that he
came back
for 4 helpings. The players hit the ribs so hard that by the time that one
assistant coach came out all he could scrounge together was a mashed potato
sandwich. And by the time Belichick came out of his room to get food, there
was nothing at all. I asked her how many hundreds of pounds of ribs they January 31, 2004
Our group headed back to Tomball for a meaty brunch/
breakfast at the Rib Tickler.
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More autographs at the Hyatt.
Lisa is another diehard Ted Johnson fan. She was one of the people who was exceedingly miffed that she was not included in the trip to Rib Tickler. She was also wearing her 1997 blue authentic Ted Johnson Jersey. We matched quite nicely. Eventually the players began to come back downstairs and finally Ted came through the lobby. Trying to respect his space we stood back as Ted and Adam Vinatieri spoke with some family and friends. However at one point the autograph hounds began to move in and it was clear that this was the time to get Lisa her "ink."
At one point I just pushed her from behind and said "Ask him!" As she moved towards Ted, he noticed her and said, "Hey that is old school. You must have been a fan for a long time." He was of course referring to the fact that the Jersey she was wearing was from 1996, his second year.
At this point I went into 'photog' mode so I am not really sure what else was said except that at some point that Lisa finally did ask him to sign her (his) jersey.
It was quite lucky for her that we helped prep her for this chance as she had no marker with which to sign the jersey. Luckily Zip had a spare Sharpie and things progressed nicely from this point. As you can see, Lisa was pretty much in fits of delight at having Ted sign her back. I think she actually forgot that he was actually writing something.
As he finished of the signing and handed the pen back to her, I asked if I could get a photo of the two of them together. Here is a shock, he said yes.
As Mrs. B
once said, these
guys, especially the veterans, can tell who are the real fans are. So really
this was no surprise. I was aware that his family had come in from Tomball and didn't really want to take up much of his time so I thought that we would leave it at that. At this point, Al says hey Ed, give me your camera and lets get a shot of the 3 of you together. This of course was the same moment when Ted announced that he was sorry but that he had to go. I could see his father standing some 30 feet away (no question it was his father as the likeness is amazing.) and I don't think that they had had any time together yet. So as I handed the camera to Al I made a very oriental pleading gesture and asked if we could get one more photo with this 2 biggest fans. He acquiesced and Al took the shot at the foot of this column.
After Ted went off to be with his family, Lisa was shaking
with emotion. it was like watching the footage of the girls who went to
Kennedy Airport to welcome the Beetles when they arrived in America. It was kinda scary. And at the same time it very cool to see someone else so excited
about this team and this player. About 10 minutes later a voice from behind asked,
The whole family are just totally awesome people.
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Ted Johnson's Season by season Statistics
Numbers in bold blue
indicate that Ted lead the team.
* indicates was second on team in
tackles.
| Games Played | Games Started | Tackles | Sacks | Fumbles | Int. | |||||
| Total | Solo | Assist | Forced | Recov. | ||||||
| 1995 | 12 | 12 | 69 | 41 | 28 | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 16 | 16 | 115 | 87 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 16 | 16 | 127 | 95 | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 13 | 13 | 142 | 79 | 63 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 5 | 5 | 59 | 36 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 13 | 11 | 73 | 51 | 22 | 0.5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 12 | 5 | 46 | 33 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 10 | 7 |
96* |
62 | 34 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
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2003 |
10 | 3 | 25 | 18 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
0 |
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2004 |
19 | 17 | 89 | 62 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 126 | 105 | 845 | 564 | 277 |
11.5 |
6 | 7 | 0 | ||
2003 Stats
| Week | Tackles | Sacks | Fumbles | Int. | ||||||
| Total | Solo | Assist | Forced | Recov. | ||||||
| 1 | @ Buffalo | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
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missed 8 games with a foot injury. |
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| 10 | Dallas | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 11 | @ Houston | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 12 | @ Indianapolis | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 13 | Miami | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 14 | Jacksonville | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 15 | @ NY Jets | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 16 | Buffalo |
1 |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 17 | Tennessee | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
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18 |
Indianapolis | AFCC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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19 |
Carolina | SB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 25 | 18 | 7 |
0 |
0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2004 Stats
| Week | Tackles | Sacks | Fumbles | Int. | ||||||
| Total | Solo | Assist |
Forced |
Recov. |
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| 1 | Indianapolis | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2 | @ Arizona | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3 | @ Buffalo | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4 | Miami | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5 | Seattle | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 6 | NY Jets | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7 | @ Pittsburgh | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 8 | @ St. Louis | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 9 | Buffalo | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
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10 |
@ Kansas City | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
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11 |
Baltimore | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
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12 |
@ Cleveland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 13 | Cincinnati | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
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14 |
@ Miami | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
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15 |
@ NY Jets | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
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16 |
San Francisco | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
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17 |
Indianapolis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
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18 |
Pittsburgh | AFCC | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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19 |
Philadelphia | SB | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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TOTALS |
89 | 62 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
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Quotes about and by Ted Johnson
January 23, 2005 - after earning a 4th trip to the Super Bowl ``He said he had the most confidence in this team. I think that was huge for us to hear from our leader, from our coach,'' Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson said. ``I don't think I've ever heard him say that. ... He just has it, whatever it is. He just finds a way.''
He later continued "I think the most important thing was that we set the tone early. They're a tough, physical football team. If you don't stand up to them, you're going to get pushed around and bullied around. That fourth down play was huge for our own psyche and our own state of mind. I felt like we sent a message when we stopped that play."
October 5 ,2004 - "I'm just looking for four in a row," linebacker Ted Johnson said after the club's latest win. "You don't have time to worry about that stuff (winning streaks). We just have to prepare for Miami."
August 20, 2004 from the Providence Journal- "I just know what I can do," he said yesterday. "I'm still here. There's a reason I'm still here after 10 years. There's a reason they signed me to a new deal last year. I must be doing something right." When asked by Tom E. Curan, if Johnson thought he still had value to the team.
June 13, 2004 -
"This is why we play,"
inside linebacker
Ted Johnson said as he followed the carpet to Kraft's doorstep.
"We get the hardware (Super Bowl Rings) tonight."
February 01, 2004 - on coach Bill Belichick: "If he needs to kick us in the (butt), that's what he'll do. He knows the pulse of the team. He knows what guys are thinking and feeling."
January 09, 2004 -
"We are a very prideful defensive unit," Patriots
linebacker
Ted Johnson said.
"We may not be perfect, but we're pretty good."
January 05, 2004 - "The flag-bearer for that team is Steve McNair,'' linebacker Ted Johnson said. "You've got to neutralize him. And the determination of Eddie George is incredible. You can tell he won't back down from anything. Going into Baltimore and beating those guys in the playoffs is no easy task. Believe me, we know that.''
December 07, 2003 -
"There aren't too many weaknesses in this defense,"
said veteran linebacker Ted Johnson, who set the tone for the afternoon when he
split open the helmet of Miami guard Jamie Nails on a head-to-head hit. Nails
went downfield to block the linebacker. Their helmets clashed.
Nails' headgear
split into two pieces.
"I've never seen that in my life," Tedy Bruschi said. "We tell each other to knock a guy's helmet off. We don't say: 'Split it in half.' "
Holding the two halves of his helmet, Nails
looked at Johnson and smiled. "This is how it's
gonna be, huh? It's gonna be a physical game?"
Nails knew the answer. It would also be
a test of mental toughness and careful execution. (Following the
Patriots 12-0 win over Miami Dec. 07)
"I was thinking, 'It's looking pretty
bleak,''' linebacker Ted Johnson
said
of the final drive. "But are you
guys surprised? With this team?''
(Following the Patriots 38-34 win
over Indianapolis Nov. 03)
"The guy is a human eclipse, he's so wide, and he
just camps in there like a
squatter and dares people to try to move him,
Getting him in here was huge, man,
in every sense of the word."
- Ted Johnson on the acquisition of Nose Tackle Ted
Washington.
(Aug. 03, 2003)
"Ted's just playing good football all the way around,'' Belichick said. (Dec 04, 2002)
After our little trip up to Tomball and our return to
the Hyatt we settled in for the team to arrive. At about 6 pm they began
filing in the back door of the hotel and heading for their rooms. We saw Tom
Brady, Adam Vinatieri, and new addition Ted Washington. Finally we saw Ted
Johnson and we could all relax as Lisa and I cheered mightily his arrival.
With camera in hand Al and I helped maneuver Lisa to
the side where there were fewer people. I had promised her that I would make
it up to her for not taking her along to Rib Tickler and by gosh I was gonna
keep my word to another Ted Johnson fan.
