Bucs’ DE compared to All-Pro Jared Allen by Gil Arcia June 4, 2014
When All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen hit the open market this offseason many thought that the Buccaneers would make every attempt to sign him. But after Allen made some demands, Tampa Bay was not on his list of teams he’d play for. The Bucs instead wasted no time and signed an edge rusher right when the free agency period opened up. One that defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier feels compares to Allen, who he coached in Minnesota.“Jared’s been a great player in our league and a tremendous pass rusher now for a long time, but that’s one of the reasons we signed Michael [Johnson], to be that guy off the edge for us and to make things happen,” Fraizer said. “It’s so important for this defense and every defense in our league to find guys that can rush the passer, we think Michael is one of those, that’s one of the reasons we signed him and we’re looking forward to him coming on and having a great season for us.”Johnson, 6-foot-7 270 pounds, posted 11.5 sacks in 2012 before teams started gameplanning for him last season. Seeing an eight-sack drop between the two seasons, Johnson was still a force off the edge for the Cincinnati Bengals — disrupting the rhythm of quarterbacks and redirecting plays in the backfield. His 17 quarterback hits ranked him in the Top 10 last season.Tampa Bay expects Johnson to bring that same style of play to their defense this season and beyond. Being on the same line as defensive tackle Gerald McCoy may even help elevate his game.Follow Gil on Twitter: @GilArciaTBClink