Part of the “new normal” is video conferencing. Everything from presidential campaigns to NFL offseasons have been run through Zoom and other video conferencing platforms.
Ever zoned out during a Zoom meeting? Don’t feel bad, because it puts you in the same league as Houston Texans running back David Johnson.
“For me, watching it, I hate to say it but I kind of space off watching Zoom,” Johnson said, ironically, during a video conference with reporters Thursday. “It’s tough for me to learn that way but on the field, I can stay focused a lot more.”
Who can blame Johnson? Humans are meant engage in activities, not let a computer do it for them. The passivity of video conferencing, especially in an applied profession such as pro football, has its limitations.
For these reasons, the former 2016 All-Pro is looking forward to padded practices and scrimmages, especially as it relates to his position.
“I’ve been more of a guy who needs to be out on the field, doing walk-throughs and being able to learn the offense that way,” Johnson said. “It’s been a little tough and a little challenging. Since I’ve been in the league and honestly, being forced to learn three different offenses in the last three years before this has helped me out in being able to know how to learn offenses.”
Johnson, who was traded to the Texans at the start of free agency in March, says the padded practices and scrimmages will be able to let him get a feel for what it is like to pass-block for quarterback Deshaun Watson.
“Just the timing of the blocking, being able to correlate with Deshaun and his tendencies throwing the ball to me,” Johnson said. “Being able to run the ball between the tackles outside and just being out on the field is going to help me a lot compared to Zoom.”
The good news for Johnson is all of the preparations are moving to the third dimension and off Zoom. If the team continues to avoid COVID-19 amid the pandemic, they may get more time to practice together.
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