Lane Johnson provides a boost in his 1st practice back
Lane Johnson provides a boost in his 1st practice back originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
There was a welcome sight on the NovaCare Complex fields on Wednesday afternoon as the Eagles kicked off their week of practice heading into the playoffs.
Lane Johnson was back.
It was awesome, mate. I'm not going to lie to you," left tackle Jordan Mailata said. Missed him. It was great to see him out there."
Johnson, 35, has missed the last seven games with a Lisfranc sprain he suffered on Nov. 16 against the Lions. Ever since the injury, Johnson and the Eagles have been eyeing a return by the playoffs and it finally happened on Wednesday. It was Johnson's first practice since the injury.
And while the 13-year veteran was a limited participant in the first practice of the week, his presence alone was a boost for the Eagles' offense.
It was really nice to see him out there today," right guard Tyler Steen said. It's pretty cool. I think everybody got a little more juiced up seeing him out there, seeing him move around. He's been hurt for a while, been battling with that injury, but to see him come back and work through that and be out there today was really encouraging for everybody."
During the last seven games, backup Fred Johnson played well. His teammates on the offensive line are quick to point that out. But it's not a slight on Fred to recognize the greatness of Lane and to realize how much getting him back will mean to the Eagles' offense.
Heck, it meant something to the offense just getting him back on the practice field to kick off this week of prep for the 49ers.
The way he goes about his business on and off the field, the way he prepares, it just rubs off on everybody," center Cam Jurgens said. His personality and his work ethic, his demeanor, it's hard for it to not rub off on you. And when you're going into the playoffs and it's just 0-0 and everything that matters is ahead of us, and this week and today and what you can do and how much you can capitalize and just go throughout the week without any regrets, that's Lane. He's not going to have any wasted time. He's making the most of everything during the day."
Johnson wasn't named to the Pro Bowl this year and he likely won't be named to the All-Pro team either after playing in just 10 regular season games. But during those 10 games, he was still playing at an elite level. Johnson didn't give up a single sack and surrendered just seven pressures this year, according to ProFootballFocus.
That's even more impressive when you remember that the Eagles basically just let Johnson live on an island against some of the best pass rushers in the NFL.
Lane is just a difference maker and it can affect everything," head coach Nick Sirianni said. There's a reason he's going to be in the Eagles Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He's one of the best ever to do at that position, and he shows that year in out.
I've been with him for five years and it feels like he just keeps getting better and better, which is a testament to Lane and how he takes care of his body and how he trains and how he mentally approaches this game of football that he loves. Man, I could go on all day about him."
The Eagles have an 8-2 record with Johnson this season and a 3-4 record without him, which only widens the gap in a stat you've probably heard before. Because dating back to the beginning of the 2016 season, the Eagles' record with Johnson is wayyy better than their record without him.
With Johnson: 94-41-1
Without Johnson: 15-27
While there's obviously some context missing in those numbers, the general takeaway isn't wrong. The Eagles are much better with Johnson than without him - duh.
So it's no surprise that his teammates were feeling a little extra juice having him back on the field Wednesday.
I think everybody on the offense is really excited to have him back," Steen said. Fred did a great job when he was out there. But everybody knows what type of caliber player Lane is. To be able to be out there with him is definitely going to make not only the O-line better but the whole team better."