(Photo: Click2Houston)
The U! Or formally known as the Miami Hurricanes. This might be the top college football institution in the history of the sport. Some of the players we’ve come to know as legends in the sport have attended this university. Warren Sapp, Michael Irvin, Ray Lewis and Jim Kelly to name a few. I can even mention the coach that led them back to relevancy and that’s Jimmy Johnson. Everyone I listed just now all have one thing in common. They are all Hall of Famers. Andre Johnson also played college ball for the Miami Hurricanes. This Summer, he will join his Hurricane brothers in Canton, Ohio. He’s been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his third year of eligibility!
I feel people tend to forget just how good this man was on the football field. Andre was by far the best Wide Receiver of his generation. You know you’re considered elite when people discuss a particular position and you’re one of the first names that comes up in the conversation. That was Andre for years. He was such an imposing figure on the football field. At 6’3 and 229 pounds, he was a big guy with that burst of electric quickness. Andre was cut from the same cloth that Terrell Owens was cut from and I say that because T.O. was a bigger guy playing Wide Receiver with the quickness to wow you which is why I stated what I did for Andre. Just as T.O. did, Andre was also able to play in the slot and create problems for defensive backfields. Anytime I watched number 80 on the field, I saw a pure athlete that made it look smooth and effortless. He was a physical mismatch that made Defensive Backs work to limit him. Andre was strong enough to take a jam at the line of scrimmage and was often difficult to tackle once he had the ball in his hands. There wasn’t a pass he couldn’t catch. Anything thrown in his direction, he caught it and what made him more of a threat was how he was able to run with the ball in his hands. Andre moved up the field fluidly as if he were a slot receiver. He was excellent running short route and he could go and get the deep ball down the field. When it came to those 50/50 passes, he knew how to position himself and pinpoint his way to go up and get the ball. When he first came into the league, Andre was just a powerful guy with solid hands. Over the years in his career, his hands improved even more along with his route running as he became more consistent in that department. He was the one guy that a defense had to know where he was at all times and you didn’t want him to get the ball in his hands because he was capable of taking it the distance each time. Andre had the ability to leap up, elusive moves and the power made him a challenge to defend.
He was the quietest superstar that let his play do the talking. Andre was never one to showboat or let the guy he was defending know that he made a play. Andre played the game with class and consistency. He spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Texans where he built his name and reputation. In 2015, he became a free agent and signed with the Indianapolis Colts and in 2016, he signed with the Tennessee Titans before calling it a career. Andre finished his career with 1,062 catches, 14,185 yards receiving and 70 touchdowns. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro selection. What a career that will be commemorated in Canton.
