Andre Johnson was one of the quietest receivers in the NFL from 2003-14 with the Houston Texans.
No matter the circumstances, the All-Pro wideout went out and did his job. Amid all of the losing seasons and mediocre finishes, with some playoff success near the end of his run in Houston, Johnson focused on the game and not the theatrics.
Which is why his smackdown of Tennessee Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan on Nov. 28, 2010, at then-Reliant Stadium was out of character, albeit sympathetic given who the subject of punishment was.
Johnson joined former All-Pro receiver Brandon Marshall on his podcast “I Am Athlete” to discuss why he exploded on the 5-10, 190-pound cornerback.
Former All-Pro receiver Chad Johnson, who was also a guest on the podcast, asked Johnson what Finnegan could have said to have made him that angry.
“No, it was just — that was like three years worth of stuff, man,” Johnson said. “It built up to that point, and it just happened.”
Finnegan earned his own All-Pro selection in 2008 as the Titans stormed through the AFC, earning the No. 1 overall seed that year with a 13-3 record. The former 2006 seventh-round pick from Samford had established himself as one of the more talkative cornerbacks in the league and embodied the personality of coach Jeff Fisher’s defense.
Johnson later said on the podcast that he warned Finnegan during the game that he was wearing a microphone for NFL Films and that, “you’re going to get yourself into something you don’t want to get into.”
The Texans humiliated the Titans 20-0. Johnson and Finnegan were both disqualified from the game with Johnson finishing with nine catches for 56 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets.
Not only did Texans fans get to see one of the pests of the AFC South get his comeuppance, but they got to see it during a victory at home.
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