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Saints wide receiver coach Curtis Johnson returns with familiar intensity, passion

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis broke free down the field Tuesday afternoon during 7-on-7 drills on the first day of mandatory minicamp.

Quarterback Drew Brees quickly spotted Lewis and delivered a perfect pass, leaving it up to Lewis to secure the ball for a big gain.

The ball, however, slipped through Lewis' hands and the second-year pro knew he would hear about it sooner than later from wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson, who immediately voiced displeasure at the drop.

The young wide receiver quickly jogged to Johnson and absorbed the on-the-spot correction before moving on to the next play.

"We know that's how he is," Lewis said with a grin. "He's just jacked up. It's all in good will, though. He just wants the best for you. You go take the correction and move on."

Lewis wasn't alone during Tuesday's practice to incur Johnson's wrath, as wide receivers Rashad Lawrence and rookie Travin Dural also drew the coach's attention on dropped passes.

Johnson's animation, however, is a form of passion that Saints fans were accustomed to seeing and definitely hearing when he prowled the sidelines in New Orleans from 2006-2011.

His intense display of tough love comes at the cost of losing his voice, but also signals the fiery position coach is back to familiar territory of a no-nonsense approach in developing the Saints wide receiver corps.


"It doesn't change," said a laughing Johnson, his voice hoarse following the practice session. "That doesn't change."

The 55-year-old Johnson, a native of New Orleans, returned to the Saints to replace John Morton, who accepted the offensive coordinator position with the New York Jets in January.

Johnson, who added senior offensive assistant to his current title, had an extended break from the Saints after spending four seasons as the head coach at Tulane (2012-15), followed by a stint as the wide receivers coach for the Chicago Bears in 2016.

And the landscape on the team has evolved from the last time Johnson was on the Saints coaching staff. Gone are Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson, among others.

Johnson now has a young group with Ted Ginn Jr. as the only player with more than four years of NFL experience, and none of the wide receivers on the roster have worked with Johnson.



"Younger guys, but they haven't had me around," he said. "The difference is they know I'm a pretty hard pill to swallow. I think they're getting used to me."

While Johnson is quick to express displeasure with a balance of encouragement, it is safe to say second-year wide receiver Michael Thomas, who comes off a 1,000-yard receiving season, has grown fond of his new position coach's style.

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K Major

I read yesterday (I think Katzenstein reported it) that "Fleener dropped an easy pass. CJ walks over and has a chat. Next series Fleener makes an insane circus catch - TD". Coach em up CJ !!

The intensity is back.

dizzle88

So glad we've got CJ back, he turned Devery Henderson from someone who led the league in drops, to someone that was arguably our most consistent possession receiver once his speed had diminished. Take a look back at the super bowl, Henderson made some terrific catches that consistently moved the chains.

foreverfan

Henderson never made as many drop passes as fans remember.
Check out this link of All Time Greatest Saints WRs.