Jacksonville Sports News*

THIS WEEK WITH ANDY HALL: Johnson confident, cautious at camp

By ANDY HALL
www.jaxsportsnews.com

Darcy Johnson strikes just the right mix of confidence and caution entering his fourth training camp with the New York Giants.

He's confident and he ought to be.

The 2001 Palatka High School graduate, whose No. 84 is due to be retired at the Panthers' Oct. 23 game with Menendez, was the Giants' No. 2 tight end throughout the 2008 season and saw increased playing time as the season progressed.

He scored his first two NFL touchdowns with his first two NFL receptions, 1-yard plays against the Baltimore Ravens Nov. 16 and the Philadelphia Eagles Dec. 7.

He's cautious and he ought to be. The Giants have five tight ends in camp, including starter Kevin Boss and third-round draftee Travis Beckum out of Wisconsin.

"Same as last year, I'm still trying to get a job, impress the coaches," Johnson said Tuesday. "I won't know (where I stand) until they pick the tight ends they want to be on the team. But I'm having a pretty good camp."

Johnson finished 2008 with four catches, including two for 44 yards in the regular-season finale at Minnesota. He also caught a pass in the Giants' 23-11 first-round playoff loss to the Eagles.

His last two seasons illustrate the contrast in individual and team achievement. Johnson spent the 2007 season on the disabled list with a training camp knee injury, but the Giants thought enough of Johnson to bring him along for the Super Bowl, where he was able to drink in the experience and receive a ring after the Giants shocked the unbeaten New England Patriots.

Johnson got on the field last year - more and more as time went on - and the Giants were 11-1 at one point, but they lost three of their last four and were eliminated at home by NFC East Division rival Philly in the playoff opener.

So which is better, to play for a 12-4 team that stumbles late or to be idled by injury while a 10-6 club makes a stunning Super Bowl run?

"The ultimate goal of a football team is to win a Super Bowl," Johnson said. "If the goal is not accomplished, it's a failed season. I would have carried the same sense of disappointment (for 2007) if I had played and we hadn't won."

The Giants' 2008 swoon corresponded with the handgun incident involving wide receiver Plaxico Burress, the Super Bowl hero who was suspended Dec. 3 and later released.

"That's pretty much behind us," Johnson said. "We've got some good young receivers who are going to get the job done."

He believes he showed his worth late last season while Boss was hurt, coming up big in the Minnesota game and catching a pass during a scoring drive in a playoff game. And of course, there were the touchdown catches, the first coming against the Ravens.

"You reflect on all the hard work it took to get there," said Johnson, who spent practically all of his 2006 rookie season on the practice squad and missed '07 with an injury. "To get that first touchdown at a crucial time when we needed it against the Baltimore Ravens and Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.

"When you have people like Ray Lewis come up and congratulate you at the end of the game - and have my wife in the stands - that was real special."

But that was then. While Johnson aspires for more playing time in 2009, just over his shoulder are No. 3 tight end Michael Matthews, Beckum and free agent Lee Vickers. The 6-foot-5, 267-pound Johnson likens himself to the starter, Boss (6-6, 253), as an every-down type of tight end. He considers Matthews (6-4, 270) a blocking specialist who is improving as a pass catcher. Then there's Beckum, who lacks the size of the others (6-3, 239), but was picked in the third round (100th overall) for a reason.

Johnson doesn't shy from the challenge.

"I feel like I'm ready to explode, ready to show off my talent," he said. "You have to work on every aspect of your game - grit it out there and make plays. I understand the game more now, what it takes to be successful. When you know what you're doing, you can play full speed."

The knee is fine, according to Johnson, who has made a long, steady climb from free-agent rookie out of Central Florida to practice squad player, through injury rehab and onto the roster. He is convinced the sky is the limit for the Giants. He wants to be along for the ride but knows he'll have to work at it.

Just the right mix of confidence and humility.

Andy Hall is sports editor of the Palatka Daily News.

ANDY HALL: Former Palatka lifter eyes spot on U.S. team in Korea

By Andy Hall
www.sportsnewsjax.com

Weightlifting's great appeal to Sean Hutchinson is the individual responsibility.

"I used to do team sports and was tired of depending on other people to be successful," he said. "Everything comes down to you and how hard you work. If I'm not successful, I know I have room to grow."

He knows he has room to grow, but he's been pretty successful since graduating from Palatka High School in 2005 - in fact, more successful than he was at PHS.

A student at Louisiana State University-Shreveport, Hutchinson recently placed second in his weight class at the USA Weightlifting Nationals in Chicago, moving to seventh in the overall national rankings and thus in position to make the U.S. team for worldwide competition in Korea Nov. 17-22.

Hutchinson, 21, broke a personal record and tied another in Chicago. He snatched a personal-best 113 kilograms (248.6 pounds) and lifted 137 (301.4) on the clean and jerk to tie an individual record for total lift at 250 kilos (550 pounds). Hutchinson finished nine kilos behind Aaron Adams, who lifts with Hutchinson at LSU-Shreveport.

The ironic thing is that Hutchinson wasn't focused on the nationals, looking ahead to another meet that would secure his place at the world meet.

"I was training for the secondary (qualifying) meet for the worlds and it was rescheduled (from Aug. 1) to Aug. 30," he said. "I was definitely not at my peak for this lift. And I still hit a PR in the snatch."

The snatch - lifting the weight from the platform over one's head in a single, sweeping motion - is unique to amateur weightlifting, replacing the bench press that serves as one of the lifts in high school competition. High school veterans often struggle with the transition from the bench to the snatch, but not Hutchinson.

"Now that I'm into the sport, the snatch is my best lift. The coaching is really good at this level," said Hutchinson, who works under the supervision of Kyle Pierce. Pierce has spent 12 years training LSU-Shreveport weightlifters and began working with U.S. Olympic lifter Kendrick Farris at age 11.

Hutchinson moved to amateur weightlifting after a high school career that was both successful and frustrating. He finished second in the 2004 state meet as a junior, only to sprain his wrists two weeks before the 2005 state meet, where Hutchinson scratched.

"I never had any luck with the high school stuff," he said.

Perhaps not, but the experience whetted his appetite for the next level.

"It immediately became a passion for him," said his mother, Jane Hutchinson. "From my perspective as a parent, the day he walked through the doors of the gym at PHS and found this sport was a defining moment for him. Not all of us are lucky enough to find something we not only have the passion for but the ability to execute. It has provided him with many wonderful opportunities and experiences."

Those experiences include the 2008 World University Games in Greece with the U.S. team. He finished second in his weight class in the Criollo Cup competition in Puerto Rico. Hutchinson has worked with other great PHS weightlifting alumni such as Jonathan Garcia and Shelton Gilyard. Hutchinson hasn't met Bryan Jacob, the Palatka grad who competed in the 1992 and '96 Olympics, but knows him by reputation.

Hutchinson is majoring in kinesiology - exercise science - at LSU-Shreveport.

His biggest challenge in qualifying for the worlds might be to channel his enthusiasm.

"The only problem right now is my jerks. I get over-excited after I make my cleans," Hutchinson said. "I think I can get that corrected by August."

(Andy Hall is sports editor of the Palatka Daily News)