Los Angeles: If he could, Trumaine Johnson would take it back.
Not the dynamic play the Los Angeles Rams cornerback made to break up a pass intended for Philadelphia Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffery, but the verbal exchange that followed and resulted in a costly penalty in Sunday’s Rams loss at the Coliseum.
The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Johnson enabled the Eagles to continue a drive that led to a touchdown in a defeat that prevented the Rams from securing a two-game division lead going into Sunday’s NFC West showdown at Seattle.
Johnson said on Thursday that he and Jeffery are friends, and that trash talking was part of the game. He said he and Jeffery were laughing, and that the game official erred in thinking he was taunting.
But Johnson regretted his actions.
“It was selfish act, especially on that crucial drive,” he said. “What I take from it: Celebrate my teammates. It’s not just all about me. If I could take it back, I’d take it back.”
The defeat dropped the Rams to 9-4, a game ahead of the Seahawks, whose loss at Jacksonville left them at 8-5.
Sunday’s game at CenturyLink Field will go a long way toward deciding the division title and playoff seeding.
Johnson left in the fourth quarter against the Eagles because of what was initially announced as concussion protocol, but coach Sean McVay said this week that it was because of a “stinger,” a neck and shoulder issue.
Johnson is practicing and will be in the line-up against the Seahawks, a 16-10 winner over the Rams in October.
“I’m good, I’m 100 per cent,” Johnson said. “This is Seattle. Second time playing them. It’s for the division.”
The pressure on the Rams might not be as great if Johnson had avoided the penalty against the Eagles.
The Rams made several costly mistakes _ quarterback Jared Goff, for example, lost a fourth-quarter fumble _ but Johnson’s miscue after a third-down stop occurred after the whistle had blown.
“We can’t have penalties after the play,” defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said, adding that the point swing “might’ve been the difference in the ball game.”
Johnson said that he and Jeffery were “friends on the field, enemies between the white lines,” and that they were “just competing” and talking the whole game.
“If you can see the play, me and him was laughing at each other,” Johnson said. “I knocked down the ball, and the ref took it the wrong way. Said I was in his face and I was taunting him.
“I’m like, ‘I’m just playing ball.’”
Johnson was not doing anything other than “talking to the guy,” Phillips said, but players should not leave anything open to interpretation by officials.
“You just can’t do that during the game,” Phillips said. “You just got to celebrate on your own and don’t worry about talking to the other guy.
“We learnt a tough lesson there, because, like I said, it could’ve cost us the ball game and our players know that now.”
Johnson is part of a Rams secondary that again must adapt to the absence of cornerback Kayvon Webster, who suffered a ruptured Achilles against the Eagles.
Cornerbacks Nickell Robey-Coleman, Troy Hill and Kevin Peterson are expected to fill the void.
Safeties Lamarcus Joyner, John Johnson and Blake Countess also will figure in the coverage equation against mobile and multitalented Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his receivers.
Hill played against the Eagles after Webster suffered his season-ending injury.
“We have a lot of confidence in Troy,” McVay said, “and I thought he did a great job last week, especially against such a good offence like Philadelphia.”
