Raiders Veteran Suffers Season-Ending Injury

The Raiders brought in veteran safety Lonnie Johnson to help bolster their defensive backfield, which underwent several changes this offseason. The veteran safety had worked himself into a rotational role with the Silver and Black and was having a solid training camp.

Johnson's presence gave the Raiders flexibility at safety and other positions on the field. Johnson was expected to be a prominent part of the Raiders' plans on defense this season, but suffered a broken fibula in the Raiders' mock game.

At training camp, the day before the mock game, Johnson prophetically stated that the main thing he wanted from the mock game was to stay healthy, but that did not happen. He will be out for the season.

"Honestly, staying healthy for one, because that's the only way our team is going to get to where it's got to get. But just putting on a show for y'all man, like showing what the Raiders are going to be about and showing what Pete [Carroll] is actually putting out there," Johnson said.

"Like we don't want to embarrass Pete. We don't want to embarrass this organization, so we've got to put some good film out there, and that starts with this mock game, and it translates into that first preseason game."

Johnson also explained what went into his decision to join the Raiders, crediting Pete Carroll with convincing him to join. Johnson was beginning to make his presence felt on the field before his unfortunate injury.

"Man, honestly, it was Pete [Carroll] and my coach, M-Rob [Marcus Robertson]. Like I  said before, he was my coach in New Orleans, and you realize that this is a relationship-based business. So, with the relationship that I had with M-Rob, knowing the way he coaches, knowing the way that he knows the way I play, he knows the way that I receive information, stuff like that helps me translate my game to the field. I know what I could do," Johnson said.

"And then Pete, I think Pete has been trying to chase me for so long, and he finally got an opportunity to, like, put his hands on my game. So, everything is just complementing, and like I said, I get a chance to just earn it and prove that I'm their guy. I never really had the opportunity to show a team. I've always been, 'Hey, he's a role player.' I've got an opportunity to show like I'm Pete's guy, I'm M-Rob's guy, I'm Spytek's guy, so that's what I'm here to do."

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