At his second official press conference as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, Sean McDermott surely would have preferred to talk about something else.
Perhaps his philosophy on stopping the run. Maybe his early impressions of Macho Harris. Heck, even his excitement for the upcoming season.
But this was no ordinary day at Lehigh University. Far from it. This was a day to honor Jim Johnson. The massive “J.J.” painted on the grass was part of it, as were the signs that some fans brought to practice and the overall somber mood in the crowd.
But perhaps no better tribute was paid than by McDermott, who looked dozens of media members in the eyes and answered question after question about Jim Johnson, the man most responsible for helping him get where he is today.
“(He was) a dear friend of mine and a huge mentor in my life,” McDermott said. “It’s a big loss.”
McDermott, just introduced as the Eagles’ new defensive chief on Saturday, became the latest Johnson pupil to earn a promotion to coordinator or head coach in the NFL. But with Johnson’s condition worsening in recent days, capped by his passing on Tuesday, it’s obviously been a tough week for every leaf on the Jim Johnson coaching tree.
“It was interesting,” McDermott said. “Last night, we got the news right before we had meetings and by the time I got out of meetings, I had messages from all those brothers that we had — John Harbaugh, Steve Spagnuolo. Everyone was checking on everyone else to make sure everyone was doing OK, and that's the way Jim would have wanted it.”
In addition to Harbaugh (now the Ravens’ head coach) and Spagnuolo (now the Rams’ head coach), Johnson also served as a mentor for Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. All four of those men (including Spagnuolo, then with the Giants) had defenses that ranked in the top half of the NFL last season.
“There is a reason why we have been successful,” McDermott said, “and it doesn't all come back to us in what we've done. … Jim has imparted a tremendous amount of knowledge on his assistants and there is a reason why we've all been successful up to this point in our careers."
In fact, after hearing of Johnson’s passing on Tuesday, McDermott and Spagnuolo took some time to reflect on their mentor.
“I just know that Jim is looking down on all of us and he has the best video camera in the sky,” McDermott said. “I was talking to Steve Spagnuolo last night and we were talking about how he's got the best view right now to watch all of his sons out there, if you will, operate his defense."
McDermott also shared a text message he received — this one, from a friend. It read: “It’s apparent that the good lord above needed the best defensive coordinator up in heaven with him.” And McDermott echoed those sentiments, calling Johnson “the best defensive coordinator I’ve ever known.”
But while McDermott is thankful for his opportunity — one that he says he takes “very seriously” — it’s certainly a bittersweet time in his life, to say the least.
“There is nothing that I would want more,” he said, “than for Jim to call one more game right now.”
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