SILENT DJ : Rams’ Johnson Coming Into His Own at Tight End

Ram coaches just now are re-attaching their jaws to the appropriate hinges after watching on film what they couldn’t believe in person.

There, in front of a packed house at Candlestick Park last Sunday evening, tight end Damone Johnson did something he hasn’t done in years.

He scored 3 touchdowns and then, for the real kicker, he celebrated.

It wasn’t much, mind you--the celebration, that is. A gesture. A smile that stretched the width of the end zone. A tiny yell. But for the Rams, it marked a breakthrough. Their little pet project had grown up.

“In the last year, it’s been fun for us as coaches to see him emotionally come out of a shell on the football field,” said Norval Turner, who coaches the Ram receivers. “It’s fun to see him get excited.”

Johnson doesn’t make a habit of it. He considers himself shy, almost to a fault. But Sunday, against the 49ers, with a Ram playoff spot in the balance, Johnson broke ranks with his ego and let loose--sort of.

Three touchdown catches can do that to someone. So can a night on which an incentive clause is met. Forty catches this season meant $5,000 for Johnson.

“I thought about it,” Johnson said. “I can’t sit here and say I didn’t think about $5,000. But during the course of the game, I didn’t put that ahead of anything. I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’ve got to catch the ball, I’ve got to catch the ball.’ I was thinking, ‘What do we got to do to win this game?’ ”

As things worked out, Johnson was able to help both the Rams and his savings account.

For starters, those 3 scores figured nicely in a 38-16 victory over the 49ers and helped guarantee an appointment with the Minnesota Vikings in Monday’s NFC wild-card game at Minneapolis.

And they certainly didn’t hurt Johnson’s financial state, which, by National Football League standards, is modest. But with the victory, Johnson collected that $5,000 incentive clause and another $6,000 in playoff bonus money.

So what does he plan to do with the dough?

With quiet, soft-spoken Johnson, you never know. Perhaps he’ll spend it on cello lessons? Or a reading lamp? Or an encyclopedia set?

“No, I’m going to take Jim (Everett) out to dinner and save the rest,” Johnson said.

As you can see, Johnson wouldn’t know the wild side if you handed him directions. But he does know how to catch footballs.

He finished with 42 receptions, third on the team behind Henry Ellard and fellow tight end Pete Holohan. And only Ellard had more touchdown catches, 10, than Johnson’s 6. Ellard also had 44 more catches, which meant 44 more scoring chances.

Johnson made the most of his moments, though, especially against the 49ers. His third touchdown catch was nice, a 5-yarder, as was his second score, an 11-yarder. But it was his first touchdown, a 16-yard reception, that caused the unexpected burst of emotion.

Turner still smiles when recalling the play. What was supposed to be a safe first-and-10 play at the 49er 16 became an exhibition of wills. Johnson took a short pass from Everett, turned upfield and then broke two tackles, including one by 49er safety Ronnie Lott, considered by many to be the league’s hardest-hitting defensive back.

That was followed by the score, the celebration and a lot of double takes on the Ram sideline.

“It’s fun,” Turner said. “It’s just the confidence he’s gaining. He’s made big plays this year. He made big plays a year ago, but they went unnoticed.

“I think the people we’ve played this year have seen (Johnson) and are starting to realize he’s a good football player. But before this season, there were probably a lot of people who didn’t pay much attention to him.”

No matter. Johnson is familiar with anonymity. After all, he played at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He wasn’t drafted until the sixth round of the 1985 draft.

“It’s not like I’m a well-known player in this league,” he said.

When Johnson showed up for his first training camp, he found a surplus of tight ends, none of them exactly shaking in their cleats at the thought of competing against a no-name from Cal Pollyanna.

“In my mind, I saw it as being a real touchy situation,” he said. “When I got here, they had seven tight ends and I was No. 8. They only keep three, so I felt that I was on my way out the door.”

There is a pecking order in football. It isn’t as simple as a depth chart. Instead, Ram coaches drop little hints.

“The way you find out is when they call out for the first team, or who’s going after this guy or this guy,” Johnson said. “When you’re the last guy called up, you pretty much get an indication that you are No. 8.”

Johnson was No. 8. Then No. 7. Then 6, 5, 4, 3. He still isn’t quite sure how it happened.

“After the cuts started coming in, (my) name came up,” he said.

Most of his rookie season was spent on injured reserve. Last year, he had 21 receptions and learned how to block. This season, with a position all but guaranteed with the release of veteran David Hill, Johnson blossomed.

“We put a lot of faith in the fact that Damone could become--at least we hoped--an every-down player and play well for us,” Turner said. “You didn’t know how he was going to play. We felt that DJ was going to be a fine football player, but he had not played every down for an entire season. To me, that’s the best thing about what he’s done.”

Along the way, Johnson has become one of Everett’s favorite receivers, a tough task considering the choices. There are Ellard and Holohan and rookies Aaron Cox, Flipper Anderson and Robert Delpino. Passes are in great demand.

But Johnson considers himself fortunate, what with the veteran Holohan on the premises. Out of necessity, Johnson said he finds himself watching Holohan’s every receiving and blocking move, picking up techniques and nuances. Any more free tips and Johnson might want to invite Holohan, whom the Rams acquired from San Diego for a fourth-round draft choice, to dinner, too.

“I don’t see how we got him, myself,” Johnson said.

But here he is, happy to help, willing to compliment.

“As an all-around player, he’s been tremendous,” Holohan said. “And he’s only going to improve.”

And earn another incentive or two.

Ram Notes

Fullback Robert Delpino and his turf toe practiced Thursday, but Coach John Robinson isn’t convinced he will be ready to play by Monday. “It doesn’t hurt so much when he walks,” Robinson said. “But we don’t have a lot of plays in there where he walks.” . . . Receiver Ron Brown is questionable with an ankle sprain.

Minnesota Coach Jerry Burns said there’s only a 50-50 chance that either linebacker Jesse Solomon (knee) or tailback Darrin Nelson (hamstring) will play. Both are listed as questionable. Burns said that nose tackle Henry Thomas (bruised ribs) probably will be ready.

Burns also downplayed any controversy between quarterback Wade Wilson and offensive coordinator Bob Schnelker. Burns said he replaced Wilson, a recent Pro Bowl selection, with Tommy Kramer in the second half of Monday night’s game against Chicago simply because Wilson wasn’t moving the team. But removing a Pro Bowl quarterback?

“Kramer was, 2 years ago, named to the Pro Bowl,” Burns countered. “If we got a guy that’s going hot, we’re going to stay with him. But I’m not going to sit on the sidelines and let a game go down the drain without trying to do something to win the ballgame.”

Wilson, by the way, will start Monday’s game against the Rams.