C.J. Gardner-Johnson's emotional return to the Philadelphia Eagles after a season away was fueled by a phone call from head coach Nick Sirianni who instilled confidence in him. Gardner-Johnson's leadership, passion, and ball-hawking ability became key factors in the Eagles' NFC Championship victory and their return trip to the Super Bowl.
‘Believe in you’: The misunderstood boldness of C.J. Gardner-Johnson has the Eagles back in the Super Bowl
“I wasn’t going to sign back in Philly until I talked to Nick,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I mean, everybody talks to Howie and Dom and, ‘cause they cut the check, but I wasn’t going to come back here until I talked to Nick about my role and who I am and the things I can do for this team. “I think how he’s matured as a leader and a voice that’s gone beyond the trolling of the opponent has actually become a rallying point for this team,” said Malcolm Jenkins, his friend and former teammate with the New Orleans Saints.There’s an identical version of Gardner-Johnson’s unyielding motor within his mother, Del Johnson. She instilled it in all three of her sons because it was the only way she knew how to live.
Like Gardner-Johnson, her oldest son, Johnson has an “I-don’t-care” attitude. It’s not in a disrespectful sense, she explained. She simply doesn’t care what others think because she knows her potential. Her son has harnessed that same mentality on the football field since he picked up the sport at 4 years old, when he first declared he would one day play in the NFL.
The safety tried to run through Wilson’s face. Gardner-Johnson punctuated the play with a line etched into the receiver’s memory. “It pushes me to be better,” Wilson said. “If he’s just trying to get the best out of me, I can’t get mad or down or angry. It’s like, hey, I’m about to give my best, too. Make him better. I feel like that just trickles throughout the whole team. People just feed off of the effort and the energy that people bring.”
The next week against the Dallas Cowboys, Gardner-Johnson helped break up a skirmish after the whistle. Tristin McCollum wasn’t surprised, given the accountability the veteran safety took following the Commanders loss in the regular season. His growth since that ejection has continued into the postseason, according to Isaiah Rodgers.
With the help of Jenkins and his own dogged work ethic, Gardner-Johnson gradually became proficient in the scheme. By the following season, Gardner-Johnson wasn’t simply lining up and covering a receiver any more. He demonstrated a deeper understanding of leverage, gap fits, and how to play off of his teammates, too.
Zack Baun called Gardner-Johnson’s handwriting “impeccable.” The content of his notes isn’t too shabby, either. It began the morning he was drafted. After all 32 teams passed on Gardner-Johnson on the first two days of the draft, Johnson prayed in front of a baby photo on the wall of her home she shares with her husband, Brian Johnson, who is Gardner-Johnson’s stepfather. Hung to the left of the baby photo is a three-paneled piece of artwork that reads, “Family, Faith, Friends.”
“I guess I talk a lot of crap,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I guess where it started. But, I mean, the older you get, you understand what’s going on and the moment’s not bigger than any other moment. So you’ve got to continue to keep it the same.”
NFL Super Bowl Philadelphia Eagles C.J. Gardner-Johnson Leadership Confidence Defense
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