National Football League

'Stevie' Johnson bolsters Bills' passing attack

Published Oct. 28, 2010 9:31 a.m. ET

foxsports

Now that he's begun to make a name for himself, Buffalo Bills receiver Steve Johnson would like to clear up something about, well, his name.

He prefers, ''Stevie.''

Though listed as ''Steve'' in the team's media guide, on the roster and above his locker, Johnson can have his choice of names after showing an ability to pose a threat opposite Lee Evans in the Bills' passing game.

Johnson has become only the eighth Bills player to score a touchdown receiving in four straight games. And he's coming off a career outing in which he had 158 yards and a touchdown in a 37-34 overtime loss at Baltimore last weekend.

His emergence on what was regarded as a no-name group of receivers is considered one of the few bright spots on a rebuilding and winless Bills team (0-6) preparing to play at Kansas City (4-2) on Sunday.

''Steve has made a ton of progress this year,'' coach Chan Gailey said. ''He's a lot better than I had been told that he was, and that has been a pleasant surprise and a benefit for our football team.''

Gailey, in his first year in Buffalo, wouldn't say what he had been told about Johnson. But whatever faults they might have been are proving immaterial.

''There are a lot of guys where you can see (the potential) there, but it doesn't come to fruition,'' Gailey said. ''For him it has.''

Picked 224th overall in the 2008 draft out of Kentucky, Johnson was a relative afterthought during a draft in which the Bills took receiver James Hardy in the second round. Hardy had an injury-filled stint in Buffalo, and was eventually released in September after Johnson secured the No. 2 job out of training camp.

''Yeah, it was pretty crazy as far as where I came from and everybody saying, 'We need some guy to step up,''' Johnson said of the preseason competition for the job. ''I still don't feel like I'm the No. 2 now. It's only one game. I have to continue to do the same things that I've been showing to solidify that spot.''

At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Johnson doesn't have great speed, but has proven capable of getting open for the Bills after Terrell Owens flopped in his one season in Buffalo last year.

Johnson leads the team with 25 catches for 372 yards and five touchdowns in already doubling the numbers he had - 12 catches, 112 yards and two scores - in his first two seasons.

Having established himself as a threat, Johnson's forcing coverage away from Evans and slot receiver Roscoe Parrish.

Evans' numbers are climbing: 11 catches for 193 yards and four touchdowns in his past two games. That includes a six-catch, 105-yard, three-touchdown outing against Baltimore - Evans' first 100-yard game since he had 110 yards in a 54-31 win at Kansas City on Nov. 23, 2008.

''Coming into this year, he knew he was going to have an opportunity to make a lot of plays and show who he is,'' Evans said of Johnson. ''And I think he's taken that by the horns.''

Parrish has also found new life. After being benched for most of last season, he has 22 catches for 266 yards and a touchdown this season.

The receivers credit Gailey for providing an aggressive passing attack to counter opposing defenses that have been keen on stopping the run. And then there's quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has quickly developed a chemistry with his receivers since becoming the starter in Week 3.

In four games, Fitzpatrick has thrown 11 touchdown passes and is averaging 244 yards passing. He had a career-best performance against Baltimore with 382 yards passing and four touchdowns to become the first Bills player in 60 games to throw for 300 yards.

Fitzpatrick is even getting receiver David Nelson involved. Nelson, an undrafted rookie, made two catches against Baltimore, including a 16-yard reception to convert fourth-and-12 on a drive that ended with Rian Lindell's overtime-forcing 50-yard field goal with 8 seconds left.

''Certainly after last week's performance, I think we have a little bit of momentum,'' Fitzpatrick said. ''I'm feeling good about the guys that I'm playing with. And I think the chemistry will only get better and better.''