Johnson: A special teams monster

ATHENS - Kelin Johnson spoke with Dean Legge for a short time after Georgia's fourth practice

Dean Legge: We all know that Antonio Sims is gone for the next six to eight weeks back there at safety. Can you talk about how things are going for y’all back there?

Kelin Johnson: Things are going pretty smoothly. Antonio got hurt and everything, but right now I am just backing up (Greg) Blue and doing whatever Coach (Willie Martinez) is asking me to.

There has been talk of the other safety spot being a three-man rotation – so you could be looking at both spots, and you’ve known that for a while. How do you approach playing both at the same time?

I have no problem playing rover or free safety. Understanding what the rover is doing is one of the primary things a free safety needs to know; and the rover needs to know what the free safety is doing. You have to know everything – both safeties need to know what everyone is doing on the field. I have no doubt in my mind that rover might by open for me.

How about special teams?

I am always working hard on special teams; kickoff; punt return; scoop-and-score – all of that. Everything is going pretty well. Special teams is one of those things you have to work the hardest at because there is a lot of technique involved; there is a lot of knowledge involved. Especially with Coach Fabris, he’s going to make you watch film and make you learn about the techniques involved. It’s going to take us a little while for its to run the way it's supposed to.