It was a bit surprising to see Patriots defensive line coach Pepper Johnson leave the team this offseason after spending the entirety of his coaching career in New England dating back to 2000. Even more so when you consider Johnson has spent 26 seasons working with Bill Belichick as a player and a coach.
It was equally interesting to see Johnson land on his feet with Doug Marrone's staff with the Bills, essentially making a lateral move to become Buffalo's defensive line coach.
Thursday at the Combine in Indy, Johnson's new boss described what he liked about his new assistant coach.
"I always admired Pepper," Marrone said. "When we used to play New England and Pepper was the defensive line coach I thought those guys did a great job up front. Obviously we know a lot about him as a player. I think he brings a lot to our organization. He's someone that obviously been a part of five Super Bowls (coaching with the Patriots) with a great intensity about himself. He was a great pro. I think he'll bring a lot to our football team not only in the class room but some of the stuff on the field and off the field to help our players grow as this league continues to grow."
