Giants Give It a Spy - Big Blue Sign Rookie to Get Dirt on Denver

By PAUL SCHWARTZ

DENVER - When the Giants put linebacker Gerris Wilkinson on season-ending injured reserve on Nov. 11 after surgery to repair a dislocated wrist it figured they would fill the roster spot with someone from their practice squad. After all, practice squad players are familiar with the offensive and defensive schemes, familiar with the terminology and with the personnel. The Giants didn't exactly go in that direction. They sought out D.J. Johnson, a cornerback out of Jackson State, and signed him off of Denver's practice squad. At the time, the move made some sense because cornerback Aaron Ross was still sidelined with lingering hamstring problems. The Giants, though, had another reason for adding Johnson to the mix. They knew they'd be playing the Broncos, a team they haven't faced since 2005, and to make matters more complicated the game would be on Thanksgiving night, giving the Giants only three days to prepare for an unfamiliar opponent. Would the Giants use Johnson as a spy? Of course they would. "I'd been with Denver since May," Johnson said. "It's pretty much to be expected I would understand at least the defensive concepts and what they're going to do. It's expected they would do it, but they didn't really have to corner me into it." Johnson was not activated for the 34-31 overtime victory over the Falcons, but that doesn't mean his presence has been negligible. He met with the Giants coaching staff, clueing them in to every nuance he could think of, hoping to provide any edge he could to the Giants. That's the way it works in the NFL, on one team today, an enemy tomorrow. "How much do I think I can help?" he asked. "All I've really been doing is watching film and giving them my best analysis of what the corners and secondary is doing. Pretty much if you can figure out what they're doing from looking at film you'll know how to run your routes and design your concepts for it." That means Johnson spent his time giving the Giants offensive coaches tidbits to help the receivers win their individual battles. Johnson also practiced every day against receiver Brandon Marshall and quarterback Kyle Orton and certainly picked up some traits that can be useful to a team preparing to stop them. "I'm going to be picking anybody's brain," cornerback Corey Webster said. "We'll be doing that with D.J. and any friends of mine that ever played against Denver's wide receivers. I'll be trying to get any tip, any hints that can help me." It's a strange existence for Johnson. He works on the scout team in practice for the Giants and has been given no assurances that he'll be around after this week. Once he's provided the information the Giants seek, he could be sent packing. "To tell you the truth I don't know about my future here and I'm fully aware of the possibility that it's possible that's what I was brought in for," Johnson said. "I'm just being open-minded, doing what I'm told to do, if it's not here hopefully somewhere. "I look at it, every little piece of tape I can get, no matter if it's on the practice field or not, I'm trying out for 32 teams." Johnson was with the Broncos for the unexpected rise to 6-0 and for part of the fall, which stood at four straight losses heading into last night's game. Johnson saw how first-year head coach Josh McDaniels handled the fast start and then the quick descent. "It was a real fun atmosphere at the beginning of the season," Johnson said. "After one loss, the atmosphere kind of changed and you could have sworn you were on a 1-15 team.'

Originally published by PAUL SCHWARTZ.

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