Different paths to the same destination

Published on September 6, 2011 by Seahawks.Com News (Feed)     

After a Saturday of uncertainty as NFL teams cut their rosters to 53 players, Jeron Johnson and Steven Hauschka found themselves teammates with the Seahawks on Monday.

Saturday played out quite differently for Jeron Johnson and Steven Hauschka.

Johnson did not get the call he was dreading, meaning that the rookie free agent safety from Boise State had made the Seahawks’ 53-man roster. Hauschka, meanwhile, got the call he had a feeling would come, the one telling him the Denver Broncos had released him on their cut to 53 players.

But Monday, these two players who came at it from opposite directions were teammates as the Seahawks began practicing for Sunday’s regular-season opener against the 49ers in San Francisco. That’s because the Seahawks claimed Hauschka off waivers on Sunday, making him the fourth kicker who will try to replace Olindo Mare after the veteran signed with the Carolina Panthers in free agency.

“Saturday was somewhat stressful,” Johnson said. “Because you go from the draft, where you’re waiting on the phone call; to this, where you’re hoping you don’t get a phone call.”

Not that his phone didn’t ring on Saturday.

“I was getting phone calls all day asking me what was up,” he said of the inquiries from friends and family members. “Every time my phone rang, I got a little nervous.”

Johnson also had a diversion working for him as the Seahawks were trimming their roster from 80 players to 53 – the Boise State game against Georgia, which the No. 5-ranked Broncos won 35-21.

“That came at the right time,” he said. “My boys came through and did what they had to do for me – give me some bragging rights around here.

“So Saturday was a pretty good day for me.”

Because Johnson had been pretty good in training camp and the preseason for the Seahawks. He made 11 tackles in the four games to tie for third on the team, including one for a loss against the Raiders on Friday night. He broke up three passes, including one in the end zone on fourth down in the closing seconds of the opener to ice the win over the Chargers in San Diego.

It was enough to earn him a spot as the fourth safety, behind starters Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor and veteran backup Atari Bigby. Josh Pinkard, who also had a strong preseason, was released and signed to the practice squad.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Johnson said. “I felt good about my chances. I felt like I did pretty well during the preseason.”

He also knows that while he’s still here, he hasn’t made it yet.

“I’ve got to come out now and work even harder and get better,” he said. “They’ve made a lot of transactions in the past year. I definitely don’t want to be another one, so I’ve got to come out here and work hard.”

That’s why his focus remains on what’s ahead, not what just happened.

“This is what I’ve wanted to do since I was about 7-years old,” he said. “It’s a dream finally come true so it’s time to go, and I’m ready for it.”

via Different paths to the same destination.

Tags: 49ers, Boise State, Bragging Rights, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Different Paths, Four Games, Free Agent, Hauschka, Kicker, Man Roster, nfl teams, Olindo Mare, Phone Didn, Pretty Good Day, Right Time, Seahawks, Season Opener, State Game, Waivers