Kerryon Johnson Has Excellent Balance And Body Control
The balance and body control that Kerryon Johnson displays on a regular basis is by far his strongest trait. Johnson consistently shows the ability to avoid solid contact and maintain his balance through arm tackles. He runs through poor tackling attempts while maintaining his momentum and path, continuing to gain yardage. He very rarely goes down easy and is a load to tackle, often requiring gangs of defenders.
On the play below, watch Kerryon Johnson adjust his path just slightly to avoid a solid hit from the incoming defender. The defender is coming in hot and that little side step minimizes the contact. Kerryon Johnson is able to slip the tackler and keep moving forward with very little lost momentum. A second defender is able to get a hold of his leg and make the tackle, but the initial sidestep and balance to maintain his footing carry him for an extra five yards, bringing him close to the first down.
The play below is a perfect example of what Kerryon Johnson brings to the table. Three separate defenders get a shot at him in this play. A little sidestep helps him avoid full contact from the initial defender. His stiff arm and balance allow him to break free of the next two defenders. None of these defenders get the opportunity to wrap him up, and if you don’t wrap up Kerryon Johnson, he is not going to be easy to tackle.
Another play against a good Alabama defense, in the play below, Kerryon Johnson slips two tackles before getting gang tackled by a group of defenders. Those little moves that he makes don’t avoid defenders completely, but they are enough to ensure that he has a chance to run through arm tackles, and that is exactly what he does. Even when he gets spun around, Kerryon Johnson continues fighting for extra yards.
Kerryon Johnson consistently displays his ability to bounce off tacklers. When he lowers his shoulder and gets his pad level low, he is a tough target to square up, despite his size. His balance, and awareness of when to get low and anticipate contact helps give him a lot of opportunities to bounce off defenders. His balance helps him make the most of these opportunities.
