Falcons sign speedy cornerback Terrence Johnson
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) is tackled by Indianapolis Colts defensive back Terrence Johnson (23) during the third quarter of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
FLOWERY BRANCH – In order to fill Brent Grimes’ spot on the 53-man roster, the Falcons signed cornerback Terrence Johnson on Tuesday.
Johnson, 26, played in 10 games and made two starts with the Indianapolis Colts last year. He was used primarily as a nickel back before he suffered a forearm injury and was placed on injured reserve.
Johnson, 5-foot-9, 195-pounds, played collegiately at California, Pa.
Johnson was originally signed by the New England Patriots as a college free agent on April 29, 2010. He was waived by the Patriots and signed to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad on December 23, 2010.
Falcons coach Mike Smith said the Falcons planned to look at the entire spectrum of players available as free agents, but they elected to go with a young developing player over a veteran like they have in the past when they signed Brian Williams and Kelvin Hayden.
However, they could not sign cornerback Darrin Walls, who reached an injury settlement with the team. Under the terms of the agreement, Walls can’t be re-signed within six weeks of his release.
Walls played with the Falcons last season and saw action in five games.
Some of the available veterans were Bryant McFadden, Lito Sheppard and Andre Goodman.
McFadden, 30, has played in 96 games and made 52 starts, mostly with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent one season in Arizona.
Sheppard, 31, started seven games last season in Oakland after playing seven seasons in Philadelphia and one each with the Jets and Vikings. He’s played in 126 games and made 79 career starters.
Goodman, 34, started 16 games last season with Denver. He’s played in 127 games and made 95 starts.
Chris Carr, 29, started 16 games for the Baltimore Ravens in 2010. He’s more known for his punt and kickoff return skills, but has played in 103 games and started 27.
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124 comments Add your comment
Go Jackets
September 11th, 2012
6:34 pm
We Bees in da big truble at CB…..pass rush better step the F Up gainst Peyton!
LOL at the Aints
September 11th, 2012
6:35 pm
STB4, not so much,, I remember when the Aints got taken out of the playoffs by that bad Seattle team, dude didnt show up for like 4 months,,, LOL
Michael M.
September 11th, 2012
6:37 pm
hey tampon………i was talking smack last week when I posted the 35-13 win by the Falcons……………………………………………………………….
LOL at the Aints
September 11th, 2012
6:38 pm
Nice first Stb4,, what say you,,,
LOL at the Aints
September 11th, 2012
6:40 pm
Tell us again how your mighty aints are going to win the superbowl LOL!! That never gets old,,,
Michael M.
September 11th, 2012
6:43 pm
ha ! ha !…………..Yeah……………I love to hear that Superbowl story he tells too……………………sure is a doozey huh ? …………………………………………
Kramer
September 11th, 2012
6:50 pm
Tampa-1, you must not work at a place where they drug test. Or your employer hires the mentally unstabled.
Esquire
September 11th, 2012
6:51 pm
NFL TOTAL QBR From Week 1
1 Matt Ryan, 97.5
2 Mark Sanchez, 97.1
3 Joe Flacco, 95.1
4 Peyton Manning, 94.4
5 Robert Griffin III, 92.3
6 Tom Brady, 90.4
7 Matt Cassel, 87.1
8 Alex Smith, 83.5
9 Tony Romo, 82.8
10 Matt Schaub, 73.5
Michael M.
September 11th, 2012
6:56 pm
Esquire, Ryan must not have taken that crap from a couple of months back when he wasn’t a top rated Quarterback……………..nobody could persuade me that it wasn’t bothering him, I think he has a chip on his shoulder and gonna go out there and prove a point this year…………………………………………..
RUDEDAWG
September 11th, 2012
7:00 pm
This is the problem here for our Atlanta sports team,obviously some of you dont know FOOTBALL,no other NFL team would allow Grimes to be starter on its team! I’m sure he’a nice guy,but just to freaking small,he’s a liability in both aspects on the defense,i’m sorry I just never seen all the hype behind this guy,of course he was getting INT’s,he was be!ing thrown at every play,am I the only one that was seeing this,big time shut-down corners are NOT targeted every 3rd and long! Smartin up people,smartin up! Out
marcus
September 11th, 2012
7:01 pm
Dayton Florence ain’t out there still or the Hanson from Philly a long time nickle
marcus
September 11th, 2012
7:15 pm
I mean we got to get these right the first time Sunday was a good look we don’t want a huge drop off from this I mean Frank was getting beat by second and third stringer in the preseason and I just don’t trust Owens wall should of even been dropped to begin with he looked better than both if u ask me u got to be prepared for things like this to happen
Big Ray
September 11th, 2012
7:16 pm
It’s called “scorched earth blogging.” Instead going back to the blog where a subject may have been touched on, you try to bring it forward to another blog even if it was a matter addressed towards you…
It’s called forward thinking in some places. New blog comes up, you post on that one. For a while there, the AJC was shutting older blogs down when newer ones came up, as it is. Rather than hang around on the old blog, I post on the new one. Isn’t that what you just did? Come on, give me something better than that….
At any rate, I don’t know who you think I was addressing seeing as how I’ve seen Cam Newton comments all over the place, on different sports blogs, even heard it on the radio. I assume you must have weighed in on the subject at some point, or you just want to take your shots at my posts (nothing unusual about that, LOL), otherwise you wouldn’t be on here acting like the shoe fits….
Seems to me that when I’m talking to you I call you by your name…I can’t speak for other folks on that issue. I’ve seen some guys have major issues with you so I don’t know. Some of them are so taken with your…”opinion” that they can’t even come on here and talk about football. Meh…that’s fun for like 5 minutes, but gets boring after that. But hey, you gotta get your jollies somehow…so they can have their fun.
You have an opinion on what I posted, or you just want to take cheapsh!t shots at my opinion? Just curious. Nah…not really…. ha….
Loyalfalconfrmthemississippi
September 11th, 2012
7:21 pm
Wow sad that a tampa bay fan actually thinks they have the number one team in the nfc south. Hmmmmm u do realize tampa is only ranked number one because they have a division win. U do realize tampa only scored 16 points against a crappy panthers defence. Vinscent jackson proved he has butter fingers and u have the nerve to even think ur team is half as good as the falcons and yes even the saints u will be absent from our blogs when u lose against the true good teams tampa will fall apart this year just like they did last year expect another crappy season tampa fan even if atlanta losses in the play offs again this year (which they wont) id be happier than any tampa fan. Carolina will get rolling and tampa will be last in the nfc south this year count on it
Big Ray
September 11th, 2012
7:22 pm
Marcus,
Valid points. I mean, is there any saving grace in a couple of guys like Franks and Owens? Here’s the thing…I thought Franks was “getting there” last season. Yeah, he didn’t play exceptionally well in the playoffs, but he wasn’t awful either. I thought he was getting some good seasoning in. I did not expect to see from him what we saw in the preseason. Don’t know what happened.
But my darkhorse was Darrin Walls. I wish he hadn’t gotten injured. Guy had size for a CB and did have some ball skills.
What’s the worst thing about Grimes? It’s not that he got injured. It’s that we’re still on the hook for that thrice d@amned franchise tag of $10+ million….and we’re not going to get a dime’s worth of our money for it. I didn’t think franchising him was a good idea in the first place. Especially not after last season. Thought that was a real boner of a move. Now here we are with a ton of cash tied up in three CBs and one of them won’t even be here. I guess Grimey got the last laugh on that one.
Sits out of a playoff game so he won’t risk injury, gets a big fat tag, and now he’s back on the sideline gettin’ paid. Great. The only thing we can hang our hats on is that we didn’t sign him to some big fat multiyear contract. And that’s only so much consolation, because I don’t think we can do an injury settlement with a franchise tag contract. I could be wrong, somebody correct me if they know better.
Big Ray
September 11th, 2012
7:28 pm
LoyalFalcon,
That Panthers/Bucs game was far more about the failure of the Panthers at ALL LEVELS than it was about the Bucs being better. The Panthers look like they aren’t ready to play, that’s all I can say. I know it’s week 1, but I mean dang….how many ways can you mess up on offense?
The OL let Cam get sacked a couple/few times. That happens to the best, but the running backs didn’t get jack for yardage either. Part of that is on them, but looks to me like they didn’t get many holes to run through, either.
Cam goes out and throws some picks on top of that. Sorry, but turning the ball over is a recipe for disaster, especially when you’re having trouble scoring.
The Panthers beat themselves more than the Bucs beat them. I’m sure some rabid Bucs fan has a crazy explanation how 138 yards and a single touchdown from Freeman is proof that he’s an elite QB or something. It was enough to help win the game, is what it was. And that shows just how bad Carolina was in that game.
Quite a few folks were talking up some noise about Carolina…mostly due to Cam Newton. News flash – he’s part of the problem. Turns the ball over too much, especially when he has to “do it all.” Heard that all over the radio on one show, after hearing another show where they were saying Cam was great but the rest of the team let him down, including the RBs. Radio can be as fun to listen to as reading a blog…sometimes the opinions are just as nutty.
Big Ray
September 11th, 2012
7:31 pm
Terrence Johnson is even smaller than Grimes. That just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy all over. Ha.
just me
September 11th, 2012
7:32 pm
DOL – Any chance that we give RB – Bobby Rainey who was cut by Bal a look. He can catch the ball out of the backfield as well as return kicks and punts.
Loyalfalconfrmthemississippi
September 11th, 2012
7:39 pm
Yeah some of the people on these blogs trip me out i sit back read and laugh just thought i should lay it on that tampa fan who obviously knos squat about football to actually believe that after playing one game ,and playing lousy at that against a bad team, can think that tampa is number one in the nfc south come back in 17 weeks and tell me that mess lol its gonna be a fun year
Loyalfalconfrmthemississippi
September 11th, 2012
7:42 pm
I doubt terrence johnson will even see much playing time so im not real worried about the sign even a small guy with the right skillset can play cornerback ill let the guy show wat he can do before judging him
Big Ray
September 11th, 2012
7:50 pm
LoyalFalcon,
It never ends, bro’. I guess we should take it easy on the Tampa fans. They’re happy they won their season opener, who can blame them? Reality sets in pretty quickly though. They’ll get stomped by the next opponent, most likely. And they don’t really have what it takes to beat us or the Saints unless we play badly.
Meanwhile, I’m worried about Denver. Peyton is no joke. Glad he’s not in the NFC South.
steven a smith
September 11th, 2012
7:50 pm
September 11th, 2012
5:14 pm
Big Ray-please do not post after ” HAPPY HOUR.” You can not make “Sense” out of “Nonsense.” I do believe there is a 12 step program available for you.
Loyalfalconfrmthemississippi
September 11th, 2012
7:53 pm
Yeah i foresee a shootout between us and denver unless our d steps up but i trust that nolan knos wat hes doin he sure made some nice adjustments against kc
Greg
September 11th, 2012
7:56 pm
This move proves one (good) thing: the Falcons staff are well aware that the $57 million they spent on No. 23 was money wasted. That was perhaps TD’s biggest (by no means only) mistake as GM.
jaz
September 11th, 2012
8:06 pm
So the Patriots and Colts were interested in Terrence, and he played ten games for the Colts. From the stats it looks like he was in 10 games and had a bunch of tackles (28T + 9 assists), but I didn’t see any interceptions or defenses of passes listed. His youth is good at 25, and he carries a wallop at 195 lbs. He matches the standard Falcon’s height of 5′9″, and on video he really is quick to his target. Looks like he matches up with Dunta.
Loyalfalconfrmthemississippi
September 11th, 2012
8:11 pm
Well the past is the past gotta work with wat we got till we can afford to change it i think nolan will find a way to use our guys to our advantage
JSS
September 11th, 2012
8:11 pm
I went out to have dinner with some friends who to town for a funeral we all attended during the midday, so I see _ _ _ Ray did what does best in my absence…
“I assume you must have weighed in on the subject at some point, or you just want to take your shots at my posts (nothing unusual about that, LOL), otherwise you wouldn’t be on here acting like the shoe fits….”
Nope, of course you’d see it that way… One tipped pass that hit a receiver dead in the worst spot, the hands… The other INT, he tried to drop a pass in narrow slot on a tear drop for 35 years… The Panthers got shut down in the run game like the Falcons did in Houston did last year… McCoy who was hurt last year took away the middle… What running back tandem? Their running backs only had 7 carries! Note to Ray, Jonathan Stewart did not play!
JSS
September 11th, 2012
8:13 pm
And this ain’t the Hawks blog, it’s not going to shutdown and kill your canniblogging tendencies…
JSS
September 11th, 2012
8:14 pm
“35 years” = “35 yards”
Loyalfalconfrmthemississippi
September 11th, 2012
8:25 pm
Wow got alot of english majors in here tonight
Mike Franklin
September 11th, 2012
8:25 pm
Somebody pluck the fairy wings from Deion and put him back on the roster!
[Falcons News] Falcons Sign Ex-Colts CB Terrence Johnson - GridironFans.com
September 11th, 2012
8:28 pm
[...] by the Patriots and signed to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad on December 23, 2010. Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution [...]
Left Coast Dawg aka Dirty Bird in Cali
September 11th, 2012
8:46 pm
Great, we lose a SMURF and then sign another one!! We are gonna need to rename our team the Atlanta Smurfs. Can we please get some size to go along with skill at the CB position please??
dirtybirdJ
September 11th, 2012
8:46 pm
man we should have got mcfadden idk wat dis johnson kid is bout
Samuel
September 11th, 2012
9:26 pm
Well, maybe they brought Johnson in to play special teams until he’s up to speed. Also Franks or Owens whoever starts wouldn’t have that extra responsibility. Go birds!!
Samuel
September 11th, 2012
9:33 pm
IT’S HARD TO FIND A TALL CORNER WHO CAN TURN HIS HIPS WITH SPEED AND A GOOD SKILLSET. TRADITIONALLY I THINK MOST OF THE LOT WERE 5′9 0R 10′…….
Greg Mendel
September 11th, 2012
9:38 pm
Shultz made an important point in his blog: If the team and season fall apart because Grimes is gone,it ain’t much of a team (paraphrased). Any team in the NFL that can’t succeed after losing a single starter is doomed. Matt Ryan excepted.
Atlanta Falcons: Replacing Brent Grimes Will Be Tougher Than Expected | :: Sparxxrx LLC ::
September 11th, 2012
10:37 pm
[...] The Falcons placed Grimes on the injured reserve list Tuesday and signed cornerback Terrence Johnson, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. [...]
RESIGN OR RE-SIGN?
September 11th, 2012
10:58 pm
The other DLed article on Chris Owens has a photo with a caption which says he is injured and his playing is a game-time decision,,,is this true?.
LOL at the Aints
September 11th, 2012
11:11 pm
JSS,, sorry for your loss,,, but why bring it up here, kinda chezzy if you axe me,,,
Atlanta Falcons: Replacing Brent Grimes Will Be Tougher Than Expected | Scripting4You Blog
September 11th, 2012
11:30 pm
[...] The Falcons placed Grimes on the injured reserve list Tuesday and signed cornerback Terrence Johnson, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. [...]
JSS
September 12th, 2012
12:00 am
I”but why bring it up here, kinda chezzy if you axe me,,,”
Take “context” for what it is really means…
and know I didn’t ask you…
Atlanta John
September 12th, 2012
2:14 am
If free agency is possible, at first glance Lito Sheppard and Andre Goodman look swell. But they are a bit long in the tooth as they both have 10 years in the league (a good and potentially bad thing) and I wonder if they can hang with the wide receivers from a speed perspective on opposing teams this year. ATL could be a great place for them to retire. Lito hasn’t had more than 2 interceptions in a year since 2007. Andre has had 2 in 2011, 0 in 2010, but 5 in 2009 – so he may be a better option of the 2.
Mcfadden has 7 years so he’s a bit younger, and has good history against Peyton Manning (for our game upcoming!). Oh yeah – a acumen for Steelers defense, as well as a superbowl ring to match so it would be nice to have that type of experience on the Falcons. He hasn’t had more than 3 in terceptions in a year through out his career, had 0 in 2011 and 2 in 2011…
It’s tough. I’m hoping that whoever they choose, we can trust Nolan to improve them and Dimit to pick wisely,,,
TAR
September 12th, 2012
2:48 am
Played with TJ at CAL U. Kid has talent and can play. Those of u that love grimes….TJ comes from same conference PSAC. HE is a Pittsburgh kid who played in WPIAL. I hope he can earn a spot on ATl roster and can help you guys out. Surprised colts parted ways with him cuz he made alot tabklesfor them considering he ended up getting hurt. Good luck to ATL this year.
need4speed
September 12th, 2012
6:25 am
Mcfadden is a good sign on any rainny day. The odds have The birds by 3 butt I think they made that before we lost our CB. Payton is going to pick the secondary apart and show Monday night he is back. And off the subject but how long are the braves going to hold the hot hitting 50+steals Durango at Gwinnett?
GTT
September 12th, 2012
7:34 am
Is he kin to former Falcons cornerback Kenny Johnson?
Mike is Back
September 12th, 2012
8:49 am
Dled, TD must have some type of info to make this move…would have been nice to have Walls back. However, it’s time for Owen and Franks to Step Up…if they can’t…how much longer do you give them…kind like the situation with the QBs.
RISE UP BIRDS…LET’S GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PMC
September 12th, 2012
9:00 am
Interesting, another 5′9 cornerback from a tiny college in Pennsylvania.
I guess we’ll be trolling IUPUI next.
PMC
September 12th, 2012
9:01 am
I should say IUP.
Augustabred
September 12th, 2012
9:02 am
It probably came down to money with McFadden. We only had 1.6 mil in cap room. Still don’t understand why some football experts on here keep saying Grimes is a midget when he is the same exact height and size as Asante’ and Dunta’ and bigger than Owens. Wow! I admit the corner size is going bigger now with 6′ corners.