ALIVE ‘N’ KICKING : Johnson Is Keeping His Head Well Above Water in Seattle

They say the state of Washington would be a slice of Great Northwestern paradise if it weren’t for that lousy average annual rainfall figure. To many, the state’s image is all wet . . . a nice place to live, if you happen to be amphibious.

But Seattle averages only 36.99 inches of rainfall annually. By comparison, Washington, D.C., averages 37.73 inches of rain, Kansas City, Mo., 38.77, and New York 57.03.

Norm Johnson, who calls Redmond, Wash., his home, knows all about outsiders’ misperceptions of his home state’s precipitation. “That’s fine,” he says. “That’s what we tell people so they don’t come up here and stay.”

There was a time, say about five years ago, when Johnson wondered how long he would stay. Now the former Pacifica High School and UCLA placekicker, who is about to enter his sixth season as a Seattle Seahawk, has no intention of leaving.

But when he arrived at the Seahawks’ training camp in the summer of ‘82, he didn’t have much cause to believe he had found a home, or a spot on a National Football League roster. Rookie free-agent kickers don’t sign long leases.

Johnson left Pacifica for UCLA without visiting any of the other colleges recruiting him. He was a four-year letterman for the Bruins and made 14 of 20 field-goal attempts and all 34 extra-point tries in his senior season. Then came NFL draft day, when Johnson’s name went uncalled. He entered the Seahawks’ training camp knowing there was no space reserved for him.

“From what I remember, I didn’t feel all that secure about it,” Johnson said. “But once I got into camp, I started getting lots of chances to kick. The more work I got, the more comfortable I got. And once I saw they had confidence in me, I had more confidence in myself. I was in the right place at the right time, and that’s half the battle.”

Johnson can thank the co-star of a beer commercial for his big break. Efren Herrera, the Seahawks’ kicker from 1978 to 1981, missed most of training camp in 1982 while holding out in a contract dispute. By the time he saw fit to return, Johnson had made quite an impression on the Seattle coaching staff, and Herrera was waived goodby.

Johnson missed his first three field-goal attempts that season but has since become one of the strongest and most consistent kickers in the NFL. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1984. In 1986, he led Seattle in scoring for the fifth straight season and kicked five field goals of 50 yards or more.

One would think that Johnson had proven himself as a kicker and could kick back a little during training camp. But when the Seahawks visit Anaheim Stadium tonight (7:30 kickoff) to open their exhibition schedule against the Rams in the 42nd annual Times/Rams Charity Game, Johnson, a former Garden Grove resident, may be feeling a little uneasy.

Johnson pulled a groin muscle two weeks ago and has not been able to get as many kicks in as he would have liked. He said he could kick in Thursday’s game if he had to. But if he doesn’t, rookie Scott Hagler will step in.

Johnson he has a little first-hand experience as to what can happen when a rookie kicker gets a break.

“During training camp, you never feel secure,” Johnson said. “No, I don’t feel as secure as some people think I should, but I don’t know if that’s good or bad.

“I feel I can play in the NFL, sure. I think I’ve proved that point. But you almost never want to feel real secure, because that’s when you start getting lackadaisical. There have been a lot of kickers out there who have had phenomenal years and come back the next year and not kicked so well. Then, all of a sudden, they’re not on the team. Your career can end so fast.”

Johnson is 27, and his career appears far from over, especially after the numbers he compiled in 1986. His 108 points trailed only Tony Franklin of New England (140) among American Football Conference kickers. Johnson attempted a team-record 35 field goals and made a team-record 22 of them. He made 5 of 7 field-goal tries of 50 yards or more, including kicks of 53 and 51 yards in one game. He made 9 of 11 field-goal attempts in the Seahawks’ last five games. His kickoffs were consistently high and deep, helping Seattle’s coverage team finish second in the NFL in return yardage allowed (17.0 yards per return), close behind the Raiders’ 16.9.

But when Johnson examines his ’86 statistics, he sees beyond the big numbers and finds room for improvement. The .630 mark on field-goal attempts has left him dissatisfied. The fact that, in the last two seasons, he has made only 4 of 19 field-goal tries between 40 and 49 yards has left him genuinely concerned.

“I wasn’t very good between 40 and 50 yards,” he said. “That’s got to be my main thrust of improvement.”

And his primary source of motivation for further establishing himself as one of the NFL’s best kickers? So that he never has to face the nomadic existence of so many of his counterparts.

“There’s a small percentage of kickers who are different . . . they’re like rocks around the NFL,” he said. “Then there are others who bounce around. You’re getting paid to kick the ball through the uprights. If that doesn’t happen, (the team) may have to make a business decision.”