Michael Johnson studying Simeon Rice's gameHopes to be dominant pass-rusher for Bucs. Jason Butt The National Football PostApril 20, 2014, 03:24 PM EST..
Simeon Rice, Mike Vick, Warren Sapp With Michael Johnson making the move to Tampa Bay this season, he's looking to get accustomed to his new team and make plays on defense. In addition, he's studying up on some Bucs history to better prepare himself for his first season. Speaking to The Tampa Bay Tribune, Johnson said he's been studying old film of former Bucs defensive lineman Simeon Rice to help get a feel for how successful he was able to be during his career. “I’ve been watching a lot of him, and I definitely (see some similarities) between us,’’ Johnson told the newspaper. “He’s a long guy like me, and he didn’t do a whole bunch of different things, but what he did do he was good at. You’ll definitely see some of that in me this year.” Like Rice, Johnson is a tall, lanky pass rusher in the 260-pound range. Though Johnson has impressed with 26.5 sacks in his first five seasons with the Bengals, Rice had 51.5 sacks in his first five years with the Cardinals. And when Rice came to Tampa Bay, he continued his success with 69.5 sacks over the next six seasons. Johnson picked a great player in Rice to try and emulate. “Anytime you have a pass rusher with similar body types to you, you try to look and see what he did and what he was successful with and you try to incorporate that into your game,” Johnson said.
