Eagles recall revered coordinator Jim Johnson on anniversary of his death

Ike Reese could sense something was wrong when he saw Jim Johnson wasn't the energetic coach for whom he remembered playing.

Johnson, the former Eagles defensive coordinator who died 1 year ago yesterday at age 68, was more relaxed. Behind the scenes at the NovaCare practice facility, he was still very much the teacher but without his usual in-your-face demeanor.

The battle with melanoma skin cancer on his spine seemingly changed Johnson's approach to his job during the Eagles' offseason preparations prior to last season. But even so, there was no stopping the self-drawn blitz packages from coming.

"You could tell in practice he was still getting coaching points across," Reese said. "He just didn't have to crack the whip."

Johnson, who became the team's defensive coordinator when Andy Reid was hired in 1999, will not be forgotten. Not by Reese, the fans or the Eagles, who move forward today when all remaining veterans report to training camp.

"I guess there are a couple lessons you can learn," Reid said. "Time moves on, and it's a crazy thing. Life's a crazy thing. We all need to live each day to the fullest, and I think we all learned that from him. If we didn't know it before, we learned it from him. But we all would love to have him here and coaching."

Sean McDermott inherited control of the defense last training camp, 4 days before Johnson's death.

"Last year was a unique situation," McDermott said Tuesday. "It was a different set of circumstances. Now we've introduced some normalcy, if you will, into the equation, and it gave us an opportunity as a staff to get together since February and plan just like a normal staff would plan and handle the offseason since February."

The challenge is different this year, with McDermott having to nurture a young defense - one that's counting on second-round draft pick Nate Allen to start at free safety.

Reese, now a radio talk-show host, was asked how Johnson would have handled such a green defensive unit. Johnson's first defense in 1999 featured veterans Brian Dawkins, Jeremiah Trotter, Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor, and he really didn't have to worry much about fundamentals.

McDermott opened camp preaching them because of poor tackling last season.

"Jim Johnson's a Hall of Fame coach, and you don't get to that level without adjusting to what you have," said Reese, who played on Johnson's first six defenses in Philadelphia. "They all have to spend more time in the classroom or overemphasizing finer points of the offense and defense. Jim could've done that just as well because that's the organization's choice of direction. They're all going to be on board with that."

Fourteen of the 38 players on defense played for Johnson, 10 more than 1 year.

After finishing his career in Atlanta, Reese cherished the chance to stop by the Eagles' practice facility and see Johnson, who turned the conversation to family, not football.

For Reese, yesterday was a reminder of how time has flown since he first went to war for Johnson.

"He's what made us go," Reese said. "You think about it now as you think of this team in the past decade. Jim Johnson was big. I don't think you can think about the Eagles without thinking about Jim Johnson."

Added Reese: "He will always be remembered. As long as this regime is here, as long as [Jeffrey] Lurie will be owner here, Jim Johnson will always have a presence."