By Harry Allison
For a relatively young NFLer, Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson has become a go-to guy for quotes.
He’s bright and unafraid of the consequences of speaking his mind.
Such as when he called ex-Eagles coach Chip Kelly a “dictator” though only after Kelly was fired.
“People were shocked and sad to see it happen,” Johnson said of Kelly’s firing during an appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic Saturday.
“The last week, Coach [Pat] Shurmur said to maintain your professionalism and finish on a good note. I think guys were loose and relaxed since there wasn’t much pressure or anything at stake for the playoffs.
“We played the way we wanted to. We didn’t push the pace the way we normally did and I think that really helped us.”
The Eagles beat the Giants 35-30 in Week 17, despite being eliminated from playoff contention eight days earlier.
Beyond just tempo, Johnson says that the Eagles would be wise to add quarterback Sam Bradford to the list of players re-signed for 2016 and beyond along with himself and tight ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek.
“I definitely want him to say,” Johnson said of Bradford. “If you look at the last part of the year, Sam was doing really well. Completing a lot of passes and getting comfortable. Him staying here, him being familiar with the players, I think that would really help us out.”
Bradford finished the season with 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while passing for 3,725 yards and completing 65 percent of his passes in 13 games this season. In the second half, Bradford flourished with 10 touchdown passes and just four interceptions while completing 68 percent of his passes.
“They drafted me to eventually replace Jason [Peters],” Johnson noted. “I think Jason still has a few years left in in him, personally. I think I got some good experience [at left tackle] last year.
“I think I’m a left tackle playing right tackle right now. If you can have two left tackles out there playing right now, that’s a good thing for the team.”
