Pepper Johnson's decision to leave the New England Patriots' coaching staff and become the defensive line coach of the Buffalo Bills came as a bit of a surprise. Johnson had been on the Patriots staff since 2000, but appeared on "The John Murphy Show" on WGR 550 in Buffalo to explain his reasoning.
"My legs are still shaking a little bit," Johnson said, via the Bills' official website. "But I'm excited, I'm so excited. I have always been a fan of Doug (Marrone) and the Buffalo Bills, and just getting the opportunity to spread my wings, and get up from under the shadow of Coach (Bill) Belichick. So it's a good thing, a good opportunity."
Johnson's eventual departure from New England may have started prior to the 2012 season. The Patriots were looking for a new defensive coordinator and Johnson was considered for the job, but New England ended up promoting safeties coach Matt Patricia. Being a defensive coordinator in the league is clearly something that is on Johnson's agenda.
"I would love to," Johnson said of being a defensive coordinator. "In a sense, those 13 years that I played in the NFL, I graduated to calling a lot of the defenses and having the responsibility of running our defense, and being an extension of the head coach on the sideline. It's a dream of mine and a goal of mine, but right now, I have to deal with this defensive line."
