Bethel Johnson

[Halifax_Pats_Fan]

What is the deal with him, is he around? I would love to see him out there returning on Saturday, he has crazy speed.....

 

[marty]

What is the deal with him, is he around? I would love to see him out there returning on Saturday, he has crazy speed.....

Agree, he's got great speed. Just didn't seem able to grasp the program? To borrow BB's saying...The coaches probably couldnt' keep repaving that road for him!

 

[mtbykr]

well

He is still around. However ever since they picked up Andre Davis, bethel has been around less and less. Davis has great speed (not sure if it's bethel speed or not, but he's still fast), and he can grasp the game plan a lot better. We'll see what happens with Bethel!

 

[Ochmed Jones]

I think he is still not 100% yet and he may have landed in the BB doghouse by not taking his rehab as serious as BB wanted. (ala PK Sams)

 

[Ring 6]

I think its very specualitive to say he is in the dog house because he is injured.
He hasnt been playing due to injury, thats all.

Next year is going to be critical for him. If he cannot become a productive WR he wont stay beyond that.

 

[Brownfan80]

I think its very specualitive to say he is in the dog house because he is injured.
He hasnt been playing due to injury, thats all.

Next year is going to be critical for him. If he cannot become a productive WR he wont stay beyond that.

I'm with you on this one AJ. BJ was playing until he got his knee banged up. Hasn't played since. I think it's safe to say that he hasn't played due to injury rather than because he's in anyone's doghouse.

 

[mcsully]

I'm with you on this one AJ. BJ was playing until he got his knee banged up. Hasn't played since. I think it's safe to say that he hasn't played due to injury rather than because he's in anyone's doghouse.

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. He has done little or nothing as a WR since he was drafted.. Special teams he was solid for the past couple of years. But as the patriots bank their philosphy on value, Bethel Johnson has not been value to the patriots..

I'd be surprised if he is around next year. By the 3rd year a player most show something or improvement.. I fear he has regressed (gotten worse to all you denver fans )

Just my thought.. But definitely a good conversation piece.

 

[Brownfan80]

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. He has done little or nothing as a WR since he was drafted.. Special teams he was solid for the past couple of years. But as the patriots bank their philosphy on value, Bethel Johnson has not been value to the patriots..

I'd be surprised if he is around next year. By the 3rd year a player most show something or improvement.. I fear he has regressed (gotten worse to all you denver fans )

Just my thought.. But definitely a good conversation piece.

No I agree at his over all worth and overall production. I've even taken to calling him Busto Bethel.. but as far as this season during this injury.. he's no more value to the Patriots not playing than playing. He's costing them the same money. For next season I agree he'll either have to step up or be out, but for this year i think he's not playing purely for physical reasons. He's not saving them money by riding the bench.

 

[ilduce06410]

a pelvis injury?

He is still around. However ever since they picked up Andre Davis, bethel has been around less and less. Davis has great speed (not sure if it's bethel speed or not, but he's still fast), and he can grasp the game plan a lot better. We'll see what happens with Bethel!

then a knee injury?
i don't like it. there's something going on besides that. if the injuries were so severe he'd miss an entire season, BB/SB wouldn't have left him on the 53-man roster.
he was in the doghouse last year, got held out a couple games to get his attention. probably in the doghouse this year too.
his speed IS crazy--renaldo nehemiah/bob hayes speed. on davis' long return, he couldn't get around the corner when he angled to the right sideline. they had the angle on him and they ran him down. few players can run away from the angle like that. BJ would have outrun them to the corner by, IMO, three steps.
what makes me mad is that he'll probably "get it" playing for herm edwards or lovie smith or romeo, absolutely tear the league up. he's got all the tools.

 

[All_Around_Brown]

Bethel Johnson is made of glass. BJ has been in the doghouse before for loafing. I have a feeling he's used his last pass and BJ is a goner.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

What is the deal with him, is he around? I would love to see him out there returning on Saturday, he has crazy speed.....

As many have noted, he's on the roster and the injury report, beyond that, he's still relatively cheap for a game changing speed burner and hasn't taken that next step to be more then a special teams performer. BB is willing to keep role players on the team, very few members of the team are expected to be everydown guys, so Bethel being here next year or not isn't cut and dried.

 

[dhamz]

He's never shown anything as a WR except the ability to run straight down the field which is useless when the D is ready for it.

As a KR this year he has been bad - 25th average in the NFL, 3rd best on the Pats behind Dwight and Hobbs - 4th if you count Davis 3 returns.

I doubt healthy or not the guy is getting on the field again this year. Next year he is in a dogfight to make the team.

 

[groundgame]

Look for Bethel to be dressed tomorrow night. This game is " The Show-Down at the OK Corral ", and not a game to have one of your young gunslingers (speed merchants) out of the mix.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I would quietly sneak him into the huddle on the first play from scrimmage, split him wide, with Branch in the slot and Givens wide on the other side.....play action to Dillon and go to Bethel on a deep post..... out of the no huddle......

Alright, your busted now, your really Bsamson posting between hangovers! Not even a caricature of NEM could be that crazed...well, actually that may be too strong a statement.

 

[TruthSeeker]

I would be shocked if Bethel is a Patriot next year. He serves NO purpose. A stiff wind can knock him down on kick returns, and he has no clue how to play the WR position. Belichick struck out looking by taking BJ over Anquan Boldin, or any other receiver in that draft. BB & Pioli have built a great team, but they missed on this one, big time. WR's taken AFTER BJ rounds 2-4:

2-Anquan Boldin: Career 259 3402 13.1 71 16
2-Tyrone Calico: Career 42 501 11.9 45 4
2-Teyo Johnson- Now a TE Career 26 288 11.1 25 3
3-Kelley Washington: Career 63 778 12.3 51 8
3-Nate Burleson: Career 127 1789 14.1 68 12
3-Billy McMullen: Career 22 294 13.4 38 1
4-Shaun McDonald: Career 93 1079 11.6 52 3
4-Brandon LLoyd: Career 105 1510 14.4 89 13
4-Sam Aiken: Career 18 240 13.3 54 0

BJ: Career 30 450 15.0 55 4

The only guys from that group I would take BJ over is Sam Aiken & Teyo Johnson, the rest are better NFL Receivers. I didn't see any signs this year that Bethel has gotten better than he was in his rookie season, in which he was explosive on kick returns, and had over half his career receptions. He has only become worse, and is steadily going down hill towards oblivion.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Give me one good reason why NOT to run that play?

You designed it? Okay, okay, that was good enough for me, but as an alternative reason, Denver is likely counting on the load being put on Tommy's shoulders and they'll be trying to get to him early and knock him down, a long developing play doesn't suit me under those circumstances.

 

[sieglo]

You guy have got it all wrong with Bethel Johnson. After his rookie year, he bulked up in the offseason, lost his shiftiness in the return game and maybe half a step as a result, and then got himself injured. Coupled to his attitude problem, it's been all downhill from there.

 

[TruthSeeker]

You guy have got it all wrong with Bethel Johnson. After his rookie year, he bulked up in the offseason, lost his shiftiness in the return game and maybe half a step as a result, and then got himself injured. Coupled to his attitude problem, it's been all downhill from there.

That's no excuse. Bethel will be 27 next season, and has the WR skills and knowhow of a college sophomore. It's time to let the mistake go, and move forward. I don't see PK Sam on the Pats next year either. You can't give a guy TWO years on the practice squad (Hell even Childress has more time on the field than Sam), I don't care how young he is, another mistake that has to be cut loose, at least he was a 5th rounder instead of a wasted 2nd rounder (BJ). I remember draft day 2003, I kept saying to myself, Bethel "f#cking" Johnson ?? I have never gotten over that.

Don't get me wrong, I can see the talent, but the brain is located way south of the skull. I wonder how the interview went with Bethel & BB, how did he get this one so wrong ? He hasn't gotten many wrong, but this was a doozy.

 

[dhamz]

Give me one good reason why NOT to run that play?

You can't sneak a player into an NFL game. The minute Bethel steps on the field the Denver coaches in the booth will be telling the guys on the sideline that he is in the game and they will know that he will be running some sort of deep route because that is all he can do. The chances of him getting open are virtually non existant.

 

[Captain Cliche]

I'm guessing Bethel is one of those "take a chance on greatness" gambles that didn't pan out.