Rivera was the Eagles' linebackers coach from 1999 to 2003. He was the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears' Super Bowl team in 2006.
"He was definitely a mentor," Rivera said of Johnson. "He gave me my start and my opportunity. He took the time to teach me. I'm extremely grateful for everything he did for me."
Johnson's impact was clear beyond the X's-and-O's that made him one of the game's defensive innovators.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh spent one season as the defensive-backs coach with the Eagles after a long tenure as special-teams coordinator.
"I loved Jim Johnson," Harbaugh said. "Jim was a tremendous teacher of football and life. He had a special ability to bring out the best in people while getting you to see the best in yourself. He saw potential and developed it. He made me believe I could coach at this level. In football, he was a pioneering and brilliant strategist, changing the way defense is played in the NFL. For me, he was a father-type mentor, and above all, a cherished friend. He belongs in the Hall of Fame. I will miss him so much."
Steve Spagnuolo enters his first season as the Rams' head coach after two seasons as the Giants' defensive coordinator. Before that, he was a defensive assistant coach, defensive-backs coach and linebackers coach with the Eagles.
"He was a dear friend and a special person," Spagnuolo said yesterday. "Jim meant the world to me, both personally and professionally. I am very blessed to have had the privilege to work for him and with him. The NFL has lost a good man."
The Vikings have two former Reid assistants, head coach Brad Childress and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. Childress was the Eagles' offensive coordinator (1999-2005) and Frazier the defensive-backs coach (1999-2003).
