Tank Johnson facts for kids
Johnson at Bengals training camp in 2010
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| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | December 7, 1981 Gary, Indiana, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 315 lb (143 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Tempe (AZ) McClintock | ||||||||||||
| College: | Washington | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2004 / Round: 2 / Pick: 47 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Terry "Tank" Johnson (born December 7, 1981) is an American former professional football defensive tackle in the NFL for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington.
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Early years
Johnson was born in Gary, Indiana. His father moved him to Arizona when he was six years old. He attended McClintock High School in Tempe, Arizona, where he had a B-plus grade average. As a senior, he had 21 receptions, 211 yards, 4 touchdowns, 47 tackles, 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. He was two-time All-city and All-region honoree.
In basketball, he received Pepperdine Prep All-American honors as a senior. In volleyball, he received All-state, All-region and All-city honors.
College career
Johnson accepted a football scholarship from the University of Washington. He originally was recruited to play tight end. As a freshman he was suspended as a partial qualifier.
As a sophomore, he was converted into a defensive tackle. He appeared in 10 games as a backup, making 4 tackles (one for loss). He missed the fifth game against UCLA with a sore knee.
As a junior, he started 11 out of 13 games at defensive tackle. He registered 25 tackles (9.5 for loss), 5 sacks, one interception (returned for a touchdown) and one forced fumble. He contributed to a defense that ranked 11th in the nation with 97.7 rushing yards allowed per game.
As a senior, he started 12 games at both defensive tackle and defensive end. He posted 35 tackles, 10 sacks (led the team), 18.5 tackles for loss (led the team), one forced fumble and one fumble recovery (scored a touchdown).
He finished his college career with 23 starts out of 35 games, collecting 64 tackles (29 for loss), 15 sacks, one interception, 2 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Professional career
2004 NFL Combine
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
304 lb (138 kg) |
4.69 s | 1.70 s | 2.71 s | 4.60 s | 7.56 s | 34 in (0.86 m) |
9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) |
31 reps | |||
| All values from Central Florida Pro Day. | ||||||||||||
Chicago Bears
Johnson was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round (47th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he appeared in 16 games with one start, making 26 tackles and a half sack.
In 2005, he played in 16 games with 4 starts, making 37 tackles (4 for loss), 5 sacks (fourth on the team) and 4 passes defensed. He had 8 tackles and 2 sacks against the Baltimore Ravens. Along with teammates Tommie Harris, Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Charles Tillman, Johnson helped the Bears' establish the league's most productive defense during the season.
In 2006, Johnson saw more action due to the loss of injured Tommie Harris, allowing him to start 10 games, as the team reached Super Bowl XLI. He posted 38 tackles (2 for loss), 3.5 sacks and one forced fumble.
On January 23, 2007, two days after the Bears won the NFC Championship Game, Johnson was forced to appear in Circuit court to request permission to leave the State of Illinois to travel to Miami, Florida to play in Super Bowl XLI stemming from an arrest on gun charges late in 2006. The request was granted, and he played in the game, recording four tackles, assisting on another, and getting a half-sack. On May 16, 2007, Johnson met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to determine punishment for his off-the-field transgressions, with Goodell eventually imposing an eight-game suspension, with the possibility of a reduction to six games if Johnson followed certain requirements for violating the NFL player conduct policy.
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Dallas Cowboys
On September 18, 2007, Jerry Jones the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, took a chance and signed Johnson as a free agent, to provide depth after losing Jason Ferguson for the year with a torn right biceps. He was forced to miss the first eight games, suspended by the league for violating probation on a gun charge. On November 11, he returned to the field against the New York Giants, making three solo tackles and one sack.
He didn't perform as well as expected while playing nose tackle in a 3-4 defense, instead of defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme, additionally Jay Ratliff had a break-out year, earning the starting position. He finished the season with 10 tackles, two sacks, one quarterback pressure, one pass defensed and one forced fumble.
In 2008, he played through a sprained ankle in a reserve role behind Ratliff. He posted 45 tackles (three for loss), one sack, nine quarterback pressures, three passes defensed and one forced fumble. Even though Johnson had no off-field issues in Dallas, he wasn't re-signed at the end of the year.
Cincinnati Bengals
On April 7, 2009, Johnson signed with Cincinnati Bengals, who at the time had a reputation of taking chances on talented players. He played at his natural defensive tackle position in a 4-3 defense. He started 13 games, making 29 tackles and two sacks.
On March 8, 2010, Johnson was signed by the Bengals to a 4-year deal as an unrestricted free agent. He started the first seven games until suffering a season ending right knee injury against the Miami Dolphins on October 31. He was placed on the injured reserve list on November 23. He started in seven games, registering 10 tackles (one for loss).
On August 16, 2011, his contract was terminated by the Bengals and he was replaced in the starting unit with second-year player Geno Atkins.
Personal life
After retiring from professional football, Johnson attended Mesa Community College in Arizona to complete the requirements for a degree in sociology from the University of Washington. He created a counseling program called 'Moving the Chains', which helps ex-offenders learn from their mistakes and avoid negative influences in their life. Johnson commented on his legal problems, stating, "I got in a ton of trouble and I wasn't a bad guy. I had myself in too many uncontrolled environments."
See also
- National Football League player conduct controversy
- Washington Huskies football statistical leaders
