Jaylon Johnson Toughed One Out
It might seem rather harsh but it's always been the way of the NFL, if not all levels of football.
Jaylon Johnson played through pain Sunday against the Detroit Lions with an oblique injury. He said as much on WSCR-AM 670 in a weekly spot he has Mondays on the Parkins and Spiegel Show, with guest host Anthony Herron.
"Oh yeah 100 pct. I gave everything I had at the end of the day, I mean I was able to perform but I didn't think was it was anything for me to sit out," Johnson said. "I still thought there were ways I could help the team win the game.
"I went out there and played through the discomfort, played through the pain."
Johnson gave up one of the key catches in the game, a 44-yarder to Tom Kennedy that triggered the Lions' winning drive.
Coach Matt Eberflus at Monday's press conference wasn't giving any leeway to Johnson for the big play simply because he was hurt. He offered a way Johnson could have prevented the play.
"Just stay connected, just stay connected, keep his feet moving," Eberflus said. "You know, stay with the guy. Keep his feet moving in that moment."
Eberflus said the injuries matter but if they're able to play then they are not regarded as handicapped in any way.
"Yeah, we don't make excuses," Eberflus said. "He was out there playing. We got to play."
This is where the athlete has the final say on whether he is healthy enough.
"Well I mean, these guys are pro athletes," Eberflus said. "These guys have been playing this game a long time and ultimately it's going to be up to them.
"They say they can go, that means they can go, and we have to trust them and we really leave it up to them. We know that there was some sort of type of injury, but we leave it up to them and those guys when they say they're going, they're going."
While it might sound a bit unfair for Johnson to be held responsible, and he agrees it was his decision, he thinks the team does take into account his condition.
"But at the end of the day I know and they know as well that I wasn't my normal self out there," Johnson told Parkins, Spiegel and Herron.
Johnson hasn't been having a season to remember.
If Pro Football Focus grades mean anything, he actually has a lower score (58.6) than teammate Kindle Vildor (67.6). PFF puts Johnson's passer rating against at 111.1 while Sportradar says it's 102.1 with one TD allowed.
Then again, very few players on defense are excelling as they've given up 29 points or more in three straight games.
TICKETS TO SEE JUSTIN FIELDS AND THE BEARS THROUGH SI TICKETS
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
