Tag: Greg Jackson

Top 101 LSU Football players of all time: No. 60-51

The countdown continues with some DBU greats and some old-time linemen.

The countdown continues as we complete the first half of the best 101 football players in LSU history.

As we get closer to the top spot, the players are getting better and better, and thus, harder to rank.

I have tried to avoid recency bias as much as possible. It can be hard to get enough information about older players, but I did my best to get them about in the ballpark of where they should be.

Anytime there’s a list this big, people will disagree. There’s so little that separates the 50th player from the 70th, and so on.

I tried to balance consistency over multiple seasons with some players that had one great year. Both have been rewarded here. With that in mind, let’s continue the countdown.

Texans’ Lonnie Johnson continuing adjustment to safety

Houston Texans safety Lonnie Johnson says he is still adjusting to the position after two years, but has confidence about his play in 2021.

The Houston Texans selected Lonnie Johnson in Round 2 of the 2019 NFL draft from Kentucky to be a cornerback.

At 6-2, 213 pounds, Johnson had considerable length to shade receivers, and he was productive with 41 combined tackles and seven pass breakups through 14 games as a rookie, seven of which he started.

In 2020, under new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, Johnson was moved to safety. It may have been a good move, but the timing was awful as he didn’t have a chance to participate any of the customary offseason program due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.

With a full offseason under his belt, Johnson believes he can build upon his 16 games as a safety wherein he produced 76 combined tackles, a tackle for loss, and three quarterback hits.

“Adjusting to safety last year was kind of tough because I pretty much didn’t know nothing about it,” Johnson said. “But this year, like mentally, I’m ready for it. Mentally, I’ve been improving and that aspect of my game, and just the physical part, that’s always going to be there.”

Who has helped Johnson with the transition to safety is new safeties coach Greg Jackson, who played 12 years in the NFL at the position.

“He’s been coaching for a long time,” said Johnson. “So, him coming with that experience and helping a young safety like myself, it’s meant a lot. He’s been helping me with my angles, telling me where I need to be and helping me break down the film, something I’ve never really had before. He’s a big help.”

Johnson will be paired with former 2018 third-round pick Justin Reid, who is entering a contract year, which provides for its own great expectations. Combined with new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith preaching about takeaways on a daily basis, the Texans could be in for something great with Johnson.

“This whole defense, our job is to fly around the ball and get the ball,” said Johnson. “That’s what we going to do, man. We going to get takeaways for our offense, get the ball to whoever is back there as much as possible.”

Texans value S Jonathan Owens’ ability to play multiple positions

The Houston Texans like the versatility that safety Jonathan Owens brings to the defense.

Jonathan Owens has always found a way.

After the 2018 NFL draft, the undrafted free agent from Missouri Western State found a way onto the Arizona Cardinals’ roster, where he stayed through the 2018 season.

At the end of the 2019 preseason, Owens was waived, and the Houston Texans stashed him on their practice squad in late September. From there, the 5-11, 210-pound safety found a way to stick around with the AFC South club, playing in seven games over the past two seasons.

Although most of Owens’ activations seen special teams playing time with 97 such snaps versus 11 on defense, the new Texans coaching staff has plans to utilize Owens more as a safety in their new Tampa 2 scheme.

“I see a very athletic safety that has come from Arizona playing the nickel, playing corner, playing safety,” safeties coach Greg Jackson said. “He’s another guy that can play multiple positions. I really like his athletic ability. He’s a smart player. He’s very studious in the classroom. He asks a bunch of questions.”

Listed as a “defensive back” on the Texans’ roster, Jackson says the coaching staff is also working on ascertaining whether Owens can be great at one position, not just good enough at an assortment of roles.

Said Jackson: “One of the things about Jonathan is that we’re trying to put him at one position and see if he can be consistent at that one position because we see all the athletic ability, it’s just a matter of giving him the opportunity to play that one position and improve each and every day.”

Owens played in six games for the Texans in 2020, and even returned a kickoff 26 yards.

Texans S coach Greg Jackson predicts Justin Reid will ‘rise up’ in new defense

Houston Texans safeties coach Greg Jackson believes that safety Justin Reid will have a good season in the new Tampa 2 scheme.

Houston Texans safety Justin Reid had just another season in his third year as a pro.

Although the former 2018 third-round pick from Stanford collected 83 combined tackles, the second-most in his career, tallied six tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits, each his highest in a single-season, he had four pass breakups, the fewest of his career. Reid also failed to force a fumble, recovery a fumble, or intercept a pass.

New Texans safeties coach Greg Jackson knows what the problem was for Reid in 2020.

“When I watch the tape, the first thing I thought about it is he’s thinking too much and not just playing football,” Jackson told reporters on a Zoom call on June 8. “When I say that, I say he’s making a lot of different checks, communicating with different guys rather than just trying to focus on playing the free safety position, which is just looking at the formations, looking at tendencies out on the field, following the quarterback.”

Reid was effective as a blitzer with 2.0 sacks, a new career high, coming through his 13 games last year. However, Jackson believes Reid will excel in the new Tampa 2 scheme because of the simplicity of the defense.

“I think in this system here, I think he’s going to rise up and I think he’s going to do some good things for us because this defense is simple, but it’s fast and it allows you to play football,” Jackson said. “That’s what we try to instill in our players is that we’re not going to make anything difficult for you. We’re going to try to make it as simple as possible and we’re going to allow you play football. I think that’s what you see in Justin when you watch the tape, is that he’s going to improve.”

While Jackson appreciates the mental side of Reid’s game, the defense will accentuate his physical tools and allow him to make more plays.

“You just need to take a whole bunch of the thinking out because even though he’s a smart player, when you get out on that football field, it’s all about playing fast,” said Jackson. “I think in this system it’s going to allow him to do that.”

Texans S Justin Reid says the roster turnover ‘has been wild’

Houston Texans safety Justin Reid says that the amount of roster turnover that has taken place on the team has gone at a dizzying pace.

The Houston Texans finished 4-12 in 2020. Along the way, coach and general manager Bill O’Brien was canned after an 0-4 start. Even during the offseason, the roster saw significant changes as three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for running back David Johnson and a second-round pick.

The crash at the end of the 2020 campaign, which saw Houston lose its final five games, prompted a change from chairman and CEO Cal McNair, who hired new general manager Nick Caserio and through that hire new coach David Culley.

Through Caserio’s nearly four full months in the general manager’s seat, the Texans have made over 70 roster transactions.

“We’ve had a hell of a turnover this past year,” safety Justin Reid told reporters on a Zoom call April 23. “There’s only, I think, two or three guys left from when I first got here in 2018 on the starting 22. The turnover has been wild, but we’ve brought in a lot of talent.”

On defense, the Texans traded for defensive end Shaq Lawason. The linebacking corps added new enforcers in Jordan Jenkins and Christian Kirksey. The secondary includes two starters in cornerbacks Desmond King and Terrance Mitchell.

The secondary also includes a new figure in coach Greg Jackson, who has familiarity with the Reid family in the NFL. From 2011-14, he was a defensive assistant on the San Francisco 49ers staff under coach Jim Harbaugh. Jackson coached Justin’s older brother, Eric, in his rookie season in 2014.

“I have a little bit of a prior relationship with him and I like him a lot,” Reid said. “I’m just excited. It’s an opportunity for us to turn the chapter and move forward.”

The Texans are also moving forward with a new scheme. Under new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith, Houston will be deploying a Tampa-2 scheme with a 3-4 front.