Jaymar Johnson Catches Cris Carter's Eye

by Anthony21 on Jul 17, 2009 11:20 AM CDT in Vikings Comment 26 comments

Cris Carter's been training Larry Fitzgerald, Sidney Rice and Jaymar Johnson over the past week. Guess which one was the recipient of glowing praise from the former Viking receiver:

"You could tell that he went to a school that didn't have a sophisticated passing attack," Carter said of Johnson, a sixth-round draft pick out of Jackson (Miss.) State last year. "But he has phenomenal quickness and speed. Phenomenal. And his hands are better than you would think, from a guy that fast."

"He could start for the Vikings," said Carter, now an ESPN analyst.

That's an eyebrow-raising statement, to say the least. No one doubts that Johnson has excellent speed, but this is a guy whose only NFL stats have come in the preseason. At first glance, it seems like simply making the team would be a worthy enough goal for Johnson -- a player who spent 2009 on the practice squad.

But it's worth remembering that this isn't the first piece of high praise Johnson has received this offseason. Back in early June, Chilly called him perhaps the hardest working guy on the team, and it's abundantly clear that Johnson has been absolutely working his tail off. Training camp's right around the corner, and if Johnson wasn't already on your list of guys to keep an eye on, I'd highly recommend paying attention to what he can do in Mankato.

Did I mention he's on Twitter?

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I like his name

Jaymar

by CardsDefense on Jul 17, 2009 11:56 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Percy Harvin Lite??

I’m really excited about the explosive potential of the 2009 Vikings offense!! This team is scary if we have th QB…

by ctowner35 on Jul 17, 2009 12:03 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Favre Favre Favre Favre Favre!

by clones21 on Jul 17, 2009 1:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hold on...

NO NO NO NO NO
Bad mistake

SKOL! Dawgs

by WarriorViking on Jul 17, 2009 4:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Allison or Johnson??

Lets see, great work ethic, good hands, “PHENOMENAL SPEED” and a HOF receiver telling you he should start. Berrian, Rice, Harvin, Johnson,,,NICE!!

by prymetyme1 on Jul 17, 2009 12:18 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't even care how far up the depth chart he lands...

it is just SO good to hear all the praise this young guy has been receiving from coaches, teammates, and future HOF’ers. How good he can be is still to be determined, but I am very proud to have him as a member of my favorite team. So many times you read stories about young guys who have a terrible work ethic and bust in this league. It’s very refreshing to see Jaymar on the opposite end of that spectrum.

Hard workers = my favorite players

V-I-K-I-N-G-S! Skol Vikings, Let's Go!!

by TheViking83 on Jul 17, 2009 1:52 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

Keep your mouth shut and work hard and you’re alright by me

by Loki The Viking God on Jul 31, 2009 12:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

hush

(The best part of all this is that with all the news attention that is going to Favre, the other NFL teams really have little idea what great peril they are actually in from other Vikings.)

by Elgar on Jul 17, 2009 2:09 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

i respect cris carter but i doubt johnson will start this year. season 3 is usually the year that receivers ‘get it’ and hit their stride and this guys from jackson st. so i’m good giving him time. hopefully he keeps working hard and forces his way on the field.

don’t look now vikings fans but it looks like we might have a problem with too much talent at wide receiver! i love problems like that!

by iseepurplepeople on Jul 17, 2009 2:34 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Jaymar didn’t make the team last year but he was a 6th round pick from a run oriented school who was drafted on potential. The practice squad was the right place for him. Now that he’s had a year of work, and with the kind of praise he’s getting, I would be shocked if he doesn’t make the team. If Rice fails to step up this year or is injured again, I could see Johnson making an immediate impact this year.

With Favre, Berrian, Peterson and Harvin drawing everyone’s attention I imagine this would be a very easy offense to play in for our other skill positions.

by Cobra312004 on Jul 17, 2009 2:48 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Where was Harvin?

It would be nice if Harvin showed some interest too. Working-out with guys like Carter and Fitz could help clear some of the bad media attention he’s going to receive early in the year.

Good Luck to Jaymar. I hope all that hard works pays off for him this year.

by chaosg on Jul 17, 2009 6:02 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

from what I understand

this was set up by Fitzgerald and he personally invited people he chose.

Guess Harvin wasn’t one of them.

V-I-K-I-N-G-S! Skol Vikings, Let's Go!!

by TheViking83 on Jul 17, 2009 11:36 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

they wouldn’t invite a rook to something like that!

by iseepurplepeople on Jul 17, 2009 11:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

We will get their best

Alot of competition going on this training camp for recievers. Alot of it will come down to whether Brett plays or not, as to what kind of formations we will be running. You’ve got Harvin, Wade, Rice, Jaymar, Allison all vying for position on the depth chart. Jaymar and Harvin are unknowns, Wade has been our most consistent reciever the past 2 or 3 years. Rice has been injured, but has shown promise when he isn’t. But again, the fate of these recievers are in Favres hands. I think if Favre was the quarterback it would be Berrian, Rice, Wade/Harvin in the slot. Rice and Wade have great hands, and with Favres arm, it becomes even more crucial. However, I like what i’m hearing about Jaymar, but i’ve yet to see it with my own eyes.

SKOL

by PurpleJesuZ on Jul 17, 2009 6:17 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I heard somewhere that jaymar was gonna be one of our return guys this year. Anyone else hear that?

by Bjorno on Jul 17, 2009 7:11 PM CDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs

Yes punt returner

I read it on the article where Johnson says, “that after spending a year on the practice squad, He is a possed man (on making the team).” I can’t remember the name of the article but it states that it looks like he is going to win the punt returning job.

by nmvikesfan on Jul 18, 2009 12:36 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

WR's this year

Bernard Berrian
Sidney Rice
Percy Harvin
Bobby Wade

These 4 are pretty much guaranteed a spot. My question is how many WRs are we going to carry? 5 or 6?

A Allison
J Johnson
Glen Holt

3 up and coming WRs vying for possibly 1 spot. Should be interesting. The way it’s going, it seems like Jaymar Johnson might be the guy. Seems like the coaches and HOF WRs are singing his praises.
Personally, I never really understood the Holt signing anyways.

by PurplePeopleEaters09 on Jul 17, 2009 8:58 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I would say 6

Berrian, Rice, Wade, Harvin, Allison, Johnson. Just because I think there is a good chance Harvin won’t workout as a true wr this year. Keep in mind I said THIS year.

by packallday555 on Jul 17, 2009 9:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Most likely 5 WR's

I think we’ll be keeping 4 QB’s instead.

by chaosg on Jul 17, 2009 9:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree to a point.

Harvin is not a true WR. So I don’t expect him to get WR #‘s. He should be effective in the slot and sometimes in the backfield. But, the Vikes don’t always have 3 WRs on the field and I can think of a couple other players that I want to see in the backfield. So plays where he’s out there will be limited. But, he should be dangerous in the open field from both WR and RB.

Where his value is is in making big plays. When you’re up 3 in a close game and someone rips a 50+ yard play for a TD, it can be a real back breaker for the other team. So, where it’s only one play, it’s also one of the biggest of the game. Harvin may not have great stats at the end of the year, but he can still be very effective.

I agree his value will increase after the first couple seasons as well. The player that’s ready to make that step this year is Sidney Rice. I expect him to have an outstanding year this year. He’s got such great size for his speed and he seems real dedicated to becoming a big time WR.

by newmexvike on Jul 17, 2009 10:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

i agree with this entire post

by iseepurplepeople on Jul 17, 2009 11:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Make Harvin #3 RB...

What do you think?? List Percy as the #3 RB and keep 5 WR’s??? Who knows what camp will show us, but I know nothing about Glen Holt other than it was really fun to tell one of my co-workers that we signed Holt at WR… too bad it wasn’t the other Holt… The weapons on this team this year… Scary… If Jaymar can be a water bug of a punt returner, that would be awesome… He sounds like he has the speed for Kickoffs too…

by ctowner35 on Jul 18, 2009 10:36 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You forgot Darius Raynaud

He is also being looked at in the Loki and he did a great job as kick returner until he got hurt.

by nmvikesfan on Jul 19, 2009 12:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let's just hope......

that chilly & co. can utilize all this “talent” properly.

by PurpleCrush on Jul 18, 2009 11:24 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

most important ingredient

What I think the Vikes need along with this potential QB addition is an effective, creative and smart Offensive Coordinator. Creative, non predictable play calling too is what wins games. Please OC have some imagination. Go Peterson…….Tavaris.

Good luck Bret. anything less than a victory in the Super Bowl is unacceptable.

by riptoa09 on Jul 20, 2009 4:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I’ve rooted against Favre nearly my entire life (Vikes fan since ‘88) but the one thing that has me excited about him joining the Vikes is his ability to throw the quick slant. Down-the field he makes some boneheaded decisions, but he hits the short crossing routes well, and nothing has caused me more heartburn than watching Jackson miss those throws time and again the past couple of years. I think that it is a required throw in order to both give your receivers a chance to play catch & run and to simply move the chains. Now that we have Harvin in the fold I think this throw becomes even more critical than it was before. Jaymar showing potential gives us an amazingly deep receiving corp and I’m excited to see what they can do this year, perhaps A.P. won’t have to carry as much of the offensive load (keeping him fresher for the playoffs).

by zebano on Jul 22, 2009 8:18 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs