Andre Johnson’s greatness seems doomed to be forgotten

On Monday, one of the best receivers of all time hung up his cleats and the world’s collective reaction was as muted as Andre Johnson’s demeanour itself.

There are a few reasons Johnson’s mid-season retirement failed to make waves. The 35-year-old called it quits in the midst of a season where he had produced virtually nothing on a middling Tennessee Titans team. He hadn’t been an effective player since 2014 or an elite one since the year before. Perhaps more than anything, he’s never been one to draw attention to himself, and so he slipped quietly out the door in characteristic fashion.

But even if Johnson isn’t desirous of the praise and the accolades on the way out, he certainly deserves them. In his 14 years in the league, he made the Pro Bowl seven times, was named to two All-Pro teams and lead the NFL in receiving yards per game three times in four years. As it stands he ranks ninth all-time in receptions with 1,062 and 10th in receiving yards with 14,185.

Very few pass catchers can claim to have had a better career than Johnson, but unfortunately, if the reaction to his retirement is anything to go on, he seems unlikely to be remembered as one of the greats. There are a number of factors, all beyond Johnson’s control, that have conspired to sap the significance from his many accomplishments.

The most obvious is his lack of playoff success. In a dozen years with the Houston Texans, he saw the post-season twice, for a total of four games. He performed well in those contests, putting up 358 yards, but never sniffed the promised land.

Drafted as the second first-round pick of an expansion team, Johnson had to tolerate years of losing. The sad reality is that a wide receiver simply can’t carry a football team by himself, and for most of his career Johnson was the only difference maker the Texans had. But instead of being penalized for putting up numbers on a bad team, the Miami product should be given more credit for extraordinary production in the face of defences that had only him to worry about—at least until Arian Foster’s breakout in 2010.

Moreover, in his time with the Texans Johnson worked with a grim group of quarterbacks. Here’s the list of every signal caller that he caught a pass from in his first 12 seasons:

· David Carr

· Tony Banks

· David Ragone

· Sage Rosenfels

· Matt Schaub

· T.J. Yates

· Jake Delhomme

· Case Keenum

· Ryan Fitzpatrick

· Ryan Mallett

With the exception of Schaub’s best years, there really isn’t anything there. In his final two years he got to work with talented youngsters Andrew Luck and Marcus Mariota, but by then his skills had eroded to the point he couldn’t capitalize.

Beyond his terrible teammates, Johnson was also kept from the spotlight he deserved by where he played. Houston is a big city, but the rest of the AFC South is composed of small-market teams.

Football is a sport that generates national interest, but there’s no doubt Johnson would have been a bigger deal if he’d played in a division like the NFC East.

If Johnson had produced the same numbers in the Big Apple, or with a star on his helmet, he would probably be considered a legend. Instead, he plied his trade on bad teams in a bad division composed of small markets.

For all the external factors, it’s Johnson’s style that allowed him to float as under-the-radar as a dominant athlete possibly can.

In his prime, Johnson was unbelievably well-rounded. He could run past or through defenders, win jump balls and hold onto improbable catches with hands that were equal parts soft and strong.

He was never the best at any individual thing—he was just the best at doing his job. Bill Belichick would have loved to coach him.

Unfortunately, a balanced skill set and a workmanlike approach rarely captures the imagination of the casual fan. Combine that with a complete neglect for sideline drama or celebratory flair and Johnson didn’t give those more interested in the reality TV aspects of football any reason to pay attention.

He wasn’t a compelling character—he was simply great at catching the damn ball.