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Johnson's ailing leg has Steelers searching for place-kicker Wednesday, November 11, 1998 By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer
How did Norm Johnson feel after passing Hall of Famer George Blanda?
"Sore," the Steelers' kicker said yesterday, and that was not good news for him or the team.
Johnson has a strained calf muscle in his right leg, and the Steelers are concerned enough about it that today they will try out Brett Conway, a former kicker for Penn State who was a third-round draft choice of the Green Bay Packers in 1997.
Johnson kicked two field goals Monday night during the Steelers' 27-20 victory over Green Bay. That lifted him past Blanda into sixth place on the NFL's all-time field goal list with 336. He needs one more to tie Eddie Murray, fifth at 337.
But when he kicked off for the final time after his second field goal, in the third quarter, he felt something pop in the calf of his kicking leg. The calf bothered him a little in warmups.
"I couldn't push and drive off the leg," Johnson said. "I took it easy on kickoffs but on the last one I pushed too hard and it popped. I said, 'That's it; I'm done. Stick a fork in me.' "
Johnson said he wasn't too concerned about the immediacy of it because the Steelers led, 27-3. But as the Packers came back with a flourish in the fourth quarter, he wondered what might happen if they needed him to win the game or if they went into overtime. Punter Josh Miller is the emergency kicker.
"Josh was ready to kick extra points," Johnson said. "I didn't know what would happen. I knew I couldn't kick a long one, but maybe a short one."
Johnson, 38, said he does not know how his leg will respond as the week goes on. He will rest it, ice it and stimulate it electronically.
"I can't remember ever doing something like this," he said. "I wish I had that extra day and a half to get healthy."
The Steelers next game is at 1 p.m. Sunday at Tennessee and losing Johnson would be a kick in the teeth for them. Five of their six victories have been decided by a touchdown or less, and they won the other by 10 points.
That makes Johnson all the more important. He is their leading scorer with 56 points. He has made 14 of 17 field goals and all 14 extra-point kicks. He holds the NFL record with 269 consecutive extra points, which is ongoing.
They are satisfied that Miller can handle the kickoff duties if necessary, but if Johnson can't kick field goals and extra points, they must sign someone like Conway.
"We'll see how he is tomorrow," Tom Donahoe said yesterday. "There's not much out there."
NFL teams rarely draft kickers and almost never do so on the third round. But Conway kicked 45 field goals at Penn State, second most in Nittany Lions history, and made 141 of 142 extra point tries, convincing the Packers he was the real thing.
He did not kick well during their exhibition games as a rookie in 1997, missing four of six attempts, then sustained a thigh strain in warmups Aug. 8. They eventually placed him on injured reserve and went with Ryan Longwell, a free agent.
Longwell had a successful season for them, and they cut Conway this year. The New York Jets picked up Conway, then released him.
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