Texans legend Andre Johnson’s QBs are proof he should be in Pro Football Hall of Fame
Andre Johnson's quarterbacks from 2003-2014. I can't even, man. pic.twitter.com/P8Ydy0qzI9
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) January 5, 2023
Wide receivers going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are as commonplace as drivers going at least 5 mph above the speed limit on any major Houston thoroughfare.
What makes Andre Johnson, who was announced this week as a finalist for the Hall of Fame, any different?
According to statistics compiled by Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, Johnson didn’t have much to work with throughout his 12-season career with Houston from 2003-14.
While some of Johnson’s best years came with Matt Schaub under center, the two-time Pro Bowler and 2009 NFL passing champion had an average net yard per pass attempt of 6.62, ranking third-best among quarterbacks Johnson played with. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was around for 12 starts in Johnson’s last season with Houston, topped the list at 7.15.
David Carr, who was the Texans’ starter from 2002-06, had a 4.72 while the two were paired together.
Johnson’s first season as a first-team All-Pro was in 2008, a season when he led the league with 115 catches and 1,569 receiving yards. The former 2003 third overall pick didn’t benefit from having Schaub the entire season as the QB missed five games because of injury. Sage Rosenfels was throwing Johnson passes during that span, too.
Not to take anything away from former Indianapolis Colts WR Reggie Wayne, another modern-era finalist along with Johnson, but the former 2001 first-rounder from Miami had Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck throwing to him for 13 of his 14 seasons. In 2011, when Curtis Painter, Dan Orlovsky and Kerry Collins threw him the ball while an injured Manning sat out the season, he caught 75 passes for 960 yards and four touchdowns.
In a similarly quarterback-dysfunctional season for Johnson, 2013, he caught 109 passes for 1,407 yards and five touchdowns through 16 games.
The list of unspectacular and mediocre quarterbacks who Johnson thrived with makes his career stand out even more and should ensure him a spot in Canton among the game’s greats.
