Offer Too Good For Johnson To Refuse

Bobby Johnson got lucky, unless he just is good.

Actually, it’s a little bit of both.

Johnson (photo is courtesy of IU athletics) is heading to Buffalo. He was hired as an assistant line coach for the NFL’s Bills and it’s a big move up.

Dream jobs are sometimes like that.

Johnson has been Indiana’s offensive line coach for the last five years. The line has been decent, but not great, mostly because its offensive linemen have been decent, but not great. It did have Rodger Saffold, if you consider 6-5 and 306 pounds to be massive, who is set to be taken in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Who knows? Maybe by the Bills.

Johnson has coached at the college level for 15 years and like many guys, wondered what it would be like to work at the next level.

Now he’ll find out courtesy of new Buffalo coach Chan Gailey and new Bills offensive line coach Joe D’Allesandris.

Johnson had met D’Allesandris about three years ago at an Atlanta high school while on the recruiting trail. D’Allesandris was then the Georgia Tech offensive line coach. They talked briefly and that was it. They ran into each other again earlier this month in Cleveland while Johnson was out recruiting. Then Gailey wanted to interview Johnson and, bam -– he’s now on the same team as former IU receiving star James Hardy.

All this is fine with IU coach Bill Lynch, who now must find a new coach. That search already has begun.

“There are some good candidates and I don’t want to get too far into it right now,” he said. “Sometimes you feel like you’ve got to do something as fast as possible, but with this one I’m taking my time. I want to make sure we get the right guy.”

That right guy will be hired by the time spring practice begins next month.

“We’re looking for the guy who can come in and be a great teacher and fit with the staff.”