Rob Johnson ( American football ) Rob Garland Johnson ( born March 18 , 1973 ) is a former professional American football quarterback and current assistant football coach at Mission Viejo High School . Johnson , a native of Orange County , California , played college football at the University of Southern California ( USC ) and was a fourth - round pick in the 1995 NFL Draft by the expansion team Jacksonville Jaguars . With USC , Johnson won the 1995 Cotton Bowl Classic . In the Jaguars ' opening game of 1997 , Johnson started for an injured Mark Brunell and had a breakout performance that set a record for the best completion percentage by a debuting starting quarterback . Johnson signed a $ 25 million contract with the Buffalo Bills the following season and was named starting quarterback by coach Wade Phillips but had a tumultuous , injury - ridden run with the Bills and a reputation for frequently being sacked that inspired the nickname " Robo - sack " . Johnson ' s injuries and poor performance led Phillips to replace Johnson with the more experienced Doug Flutie as starter . Controversially , Phillips decided to start Johnson instead of Flutie for the that the Bills lost to eventual AFC champion Tennessee Titans , after Flutie helped the Bills to an 11 - 5 record in the 1999 season . After two losing seasons with the Bills , Johnson joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 2002 and won a Super Bowl title with the team . Johnson played his final games with the Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders in 2003 . He also tried out in 2006 for the New York Giants and in 2008 for the Tennessee Titans . In 2004 , Johnson became an assistant football coach at Mission Viejo High School with his brother , both under their father as head coach . Early life . Johnson was born in Newport Beach , California and graduated from El Toro High School in 1991 . In his senior season of 1990 , Johnson completed 207 of 303 attempted passes for 2 , 788 yards and 28 touchdowns . The " Los Angeles Times " selected Johnson as first - team All - Orange County . College career . Johnson played college football at the University of Southern California where he was teammates with Keyshawn Johnson , Curtis Conway , Johnnie Morton , Willie McGinest , and All America tackle and fellow Jacksonville Jaguars draftee Tony Boselli . Johnson left USC holding virtually ever major passing record and spent much of his senior year as a Heisman Trophy candidate . In his final game for the school , Johnson led his team to victory in the 1995 Cotton Bowl Classic , dominating Texas Tech by a final score of 55 - 14 . Professional career . Jacksonville Jaguars . 1995 . In the 1995 NFL Draft , the expansion team Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Johnson as the first draft pick of the fourth round ( 99th overall ) . As a rookie , Johnson was the second - and third - string quarterback behind Steve Beuerlein . Johnson played in one game in 1995 , a 44 - 0 loss to the Detroit Lions . With 3 : 57 remaining in the third quarter , Johnson entered the game for Beuerlein . In three drives , Johnson threw one interception and failed at two fourth down conversion s . Johnson was 3 for 7 in passing for 24 yards , one interception , and one sack , and he rushed for 17 yards . The Jaguars finished their inaugural season 4 - 12 . 1996 . Starting in 1996 , Mark Brunell became starting quarterback for the Jaguars . Rob Johnson played in all the preseason games and completed 30 of 43 passes ( 69 . 8 % ) for 336 yards , three touchdowns , and no interceptions . He rushed for 23 yards , including a 7 - yard touchdown run against the San Francisco 49ers . Johnson did not play in any regular season or postseason games in 1996 . The Jaguars finished the 1996 season 9 - 7 and lost the to the New England Patriots . 1997 . For the final two games of the 1997 preseason , Johnson was the starter in place of an injured Brunell and won both games . Johnson started his first game on Week 1 of 1997 as Brunell was still recovering . In that game on August 31 , 1997 , Johnson completed 20 of 24 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns . For the Jaguars ' first two possessions , Johnson led 84 - and 93 - yard touchdown drives . Johnson also ran four times for 31 yards , including a 25 - yard touchdown on a scramble . Jaguars receiver Jimmy Smith caught the winning 28 - yard touchdown pass from Johnson in the Jaguars ' 28 - 27 victory over the Baltimore Ravens . This performance set the record for the highest completion percentage of any first - time starting quarterback . Twice in the game , Johnson left due to high ankle sprain s . Due to his ankle injury , Johnson would miss the next three games . In Week 7 ( October 12 ) , Johnson played his next game of the season , a backup role to Brunell in a 38 - 21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles . Johnson completed one 10 - yard pass and was sacked once for 6 yards . For three more games , Johnson would play in minor roles : a week 9 ( October 26 ) loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers , a week 11 ( November 9 ) win over the Kansas City Chiefs , and a week 17 ( December 21 ) win over the Oakland Raiders for a cumulative five games played in 1997 ( including one start ) . Johnson did not play in the Jaguars ' only postseason game , a 17 - 42 loss to the eventual Super Bowl XXXII champion Denver Broncos in the . Buffalo Bills . 1998 . On February 14 , 1998 , the Jaguars traded Johnson to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for the Bills ' first and fourth round picks in the 1998 NFL Draft . Johnson was immediately named the starting quarterback after signing a five - year , $ 25 million contract with the team . First - year Bills ' head coach Wade Phillips proclaimed Johnson ' s arrival as the start of a " new era " for the franchise . Yet , Johnson ' s hold on the starting job was tenuous from his first game . Facing the San Diego Chargers in week 1 of the 1998 season , Johnson left with a concussion . With the Bills trailing 10 - 0 , backup quarterback Doug Flutie led two scoring drives , but the Bills lost 16 - 14 . Over the first four games of the year , Johnson completed 63 . 2 % of his passes with five touchdowns and three interceptions . He was sacked 24 times , as the Bills stumbled to a 1 - 3 start . With the Bills facing the Indianapolis Colts in week 5 , Johnson suffered a separated rib cartilage during the first quarter and left the game . Appearing in relief , Flutie led the Bills to a 31 - 24 victory over the Colts with 24 unanswered points in the second half . While Johnson was still recovering from his injury , Flutie led the Bills to four consecutive wins before Phillips officially named him the new starting quarterback on November 5 , 1998 . Speaking to the media following the announcement , Johnson publicly expressed his displeasure , erroneously saying , " I ' m not a backup . " Flutie led the Bills to a 10 - 6 record before losing to the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the playoffs . 1999 . Entering training camp for the 1999 season , Phillips named Johnson and Flutie " co - number ones " before ultimately awarding Flutie the starting job . Flutie led the Bills to a 10 - 5 record before Phillips decided to rest him for the final week of the season . Facing the Indianapolis Colts and the Colts ' second - year quarterback and number - one draft pick Peyton Manning , Johnson completed 24 of 32 passes for 287 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Bills won 31 - 6 , ending the Colts ' 11 - game winning streak . This performance led Phillips on the day after the game to name Johnson the starter for the Bills ' opening round playoff game against the Tennessee Titans . Facing the Titans on the road , Johnson led the Bills to a go - ahead field goal with 16 seconds remaining . On the ensuing kickoff , however , Titans tight end Frank Wycheck completed a pass that was ultimately ruled to be a lateral to returner Kevin Dyson , who returned the ball for a touchdown and the Titans victory . This play would be known later as " Home Run Throwback " or the " Music City Miracle " . As of 2013 , the Bills have not made the playoffs since the 1999 season . 2000 . Rob Johnson started the first six games of 2000 and finished those games 3 - 3 after a 2 - 0 start as Doug Flutie recovered from a groin injury that forced him to miss much of training camp . The Bills ' opening game of the season was against the Tennessee Titans , a rematch of last season ' s Wild Card playoff game . With nine minutes left in the fourth quarter , Johnson left the game with a leg injury , and Alex Van Pelt took over and set up the winning field goal for a 16 - 13 Bills victory . Johnson completed 9 of 18 pass attempts for 107 yards and one touchdown and rushed six times for 60 yards . However , Johnson was sacked five times . The following game against the Brett Favre - led Green Bay Packers , Johnson again was sacked five times but led the Bills to a 27 - 18 victory , on 18 - for - 26 passing for 259 yards . The Bills lost their next three games . In the week 6 game against the Miami Dolphins , a 13 - 22 loss , Johnson was sacked five times and finished 11 - for - 26 for 178 yards before leaving due to tendinitis . Johnson ' s injury provided the opportunity for Doug Flutie to play for the first time this season , and Johnson had been sacked 25 times by the time of his injury . The Bills snapped the three - game losing streak with a 27 - 24 overtime win against the San Diego Chargers , but Johnson separated his right shoulder during the first play of the Bills ' opening drive in overtime and was expected to miss two to four weeks . Flutie led the winning offensive drive that game and was formally named starter afterwards . The Bills finished the 2000 season 8 - 8 , with a 4 - 1 record with games started by Flutie and 4 - 7 under Johnson . After the 2000 season , it was clear that the Bills could not keep both Johnson and Flutie on the same team . Tim Layden reported for the August 6 , 2001 issue of " Sports Illustrated " that Johnson had the highest sack - to - dropback ratio among quarterbacks who threw at least 190 passes in the 2000 season . 2001 . After an 0 - 4 start , Johnson ' s only win of 2001 came in a Thursday night 13 - 10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars , against the team where his career began . Johnson led a late - game drive , setting up a tie - breaking field goal that gave Buffalo its first win of the season . The Bills would lose the next three games , which Johnson started . Johnson broke his collarbone and left the Week 9 ( November 11 ) game against the New England Patriots late in the fourth quarter , and Alex Van Pelt assumed the starting job for the rest of the 2001 season . Johnson finished 2001 134 for 216 in completed passes for 1 , 465 yards with 5 touchdowns , 7 interceptions , and 31 sacks . Tampa Bay Buccaneers ( 2002 ) . After a dismal 2001 campaign that saw Johnson miss half the season with a broken clavicle , Johnson signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2002 season . Under new head coach Jon Gruden , the team was looking for a mobile signal caller in the mold of Rich Gannon . For opening week , Gruden named Rob Johnson the backup to starter Brad Johnson ( no relation ) . Rob Johnson played his first regular season game with Tampa in Week 7 ( October 20 ) against the Philadelphia Eagles after Brad Johnson left due to rib injury . However , the Buccaneers lost 10 - 20 . However , Rob Johnson led the Buccaneers to a defense - filled 12 - 9 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Week 8 ( October 27 ) . 22 - for - 33 in passing , Johnson passed for 179 yards but had one interception and 6 sacks . While Brad Johnson was recovering from being poked in the eye , Rob Johnson played for part of the first quarter in the Week 12 ( November 24 ) game against the Green Bay Packers , a game that Tampa won 21 - 7 . Johnson completed 3 out of 5 passes for 60 yards , threw one interception , and had two sacks . By late November 2002 , Rob Johnson had nine sacks in 54 passing plays and a 59 . 8 quarterback rating , in contrast with Brad Johnson having 16 sacks in 335 attempts . Gruden promoted Shaun King to be Brad Johnson ' s backup on November 29 , making Rob Johnson the third - stringer . In Week 16 ( December 23 ) , King played so poorly against the Pittsburgh Steelers , throwing three interceptions ( one of which was returned for a touchdown ) versus only five completions , that Rob Johnson started the second half . Rob Johnson led the Buccaneers to a late touchdown drive in a 17 - 7 loss . Johnson had 12 - for - 18 passing for 159 yards , one touchdown , and 5 sacks . On Week 17 ( December 29 ) , with a first - round playoff bye on the line , Johnson led the Buccaneers to five field goals against the Chicago Bears at the University of Illinois ' Memorial Stadium for the franchise ' s first - ever victory when the kickoff temperature was below freezing . Johnson completed 16 of 25 passes for 134 yards and rushed three times for 29 yards . Like the previous game , Johnson was sacked five times . In the Buccaneers ' against the San Francisco 49ers , Rob Johnson completed one 21 - yard pass and rushed one time for 7 yards in the 31 - 7 Buccaneers win . With the Buccaneers , Johnson would eventually win the Super Bowl XXXVII title . Washington Redskins ( 2003 ) . On March 2 , 2003 , Johnson signed with the Washington Redskins . As a backup to starting quarterback Patrick Ramsey , Johnson played only two games with the Redskins , in Week 6 ( October 12 ) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Week 7 ( October 19 ) against the Buffalo Bills , both against teams for which Johnson used to play . In the Redskins ' 13 - 35 loss to the Buccaneers , Johnson completed 4 of 4 passes for 35 yards and was sacked twice . The following game against the Bills , Johnson took over in the fourth quarter after Ramsey suffered a hand bruise , to a chorus of boos from the crowd at Ralph Wilson Stadium . On his second play of the game , Johnson was sacked by Aaron Schobel , a play that the crowd cheered . Johnson completed only one 4 - yard pass out of three passes . On October 22 , owner Daniel Snyder terminated Johnson ' s contract and replaced Johnson with free agent Tim Hasselbeck . Oakland Raiders ( 2003 ) . On November 6 , 2003 , Johnson signed with the Oakland Raiders , who were seeking replacements for injured quarterbacks Rich Gannon and Marques Tuiasosopo . Succeeding Rick Mirer , Johnson played in the second half of a Week 16 " Monday Night Football " game on December 22 hosting the Green Bay Packers . His last pass attempt was directed at the legendary Jerry Rice and was intercepted . Johnson finished the game passing 6 - for - 13 for 54 yards , one sack , one interception , and 15 rushing yards . Comeback attempts ( 2006 – 2008 ) . Following his release from Oakland in 2004 , Johnson underwent Tommy John surgery , a procedure more commonly performed on baseball pitcher s . A tendon was taken from Johnson ' s wrist and transplanted into his elbow to replace the injured tendon that resembled " a frayed rope " from overuse . After a year of recovery , Johnson worked out for the Tennessee Titans , but was not signed . Reports suggested his arm strength was still under 50 % . In 2006 , Johnson was signed by the New York Giants to compete for a roster spot behind starter Eli Manning . Johnson was released before the preseason came to an end . In an NFL . com interview , Johnson vowed to continue his career for as long as he could play at " an NFL level . " In September 2008 , Johnson was invited to a Tennessee Titans workout , along with Joey Harrington and Chris Simms . The Titans signed Simms as a backup for veteran Kerry Collins . This was Johnson ' s last reported NFL workout . Post - NFL career . Johnson and his family live in Ladera Ranch , California . Since 2004 , Rob Johnson has been an assistant football at Mission Viejo High School under head coach , father Bob Johnson , and with assistant coach and brother Bret Johnson . The Johnsons also run a camp for high school quarterbacks . In 2012 , Rob Johnson joined a series of class - action lawsuits against the NFL contending that the league knew or should have known concussions and repeated head impacts put players at risk of brain disorders later in life . Legacy . In 2008 , the NFL Network ranked Johnson number eight in the network special " Top Ten One - Shot Wonders " , citing Johnson ' s one wonder as his game from Week 1 of 1997 . NFL Network also ranked the Doug Flutie / Rob Johnson quarterback controversy with the Buffalo Bills # 6 in the special " Top Ten QB Controversies " the following year . For holding the NFL record for most sacks per passing attempt , Johnson earned the nickname " Robo - sack " . References .