Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hello Texans, and welcome to the podcast. Andrey Johnson. I've
known him for a long time. The first time I
ever saw him do anything football wise was nineteen ninety nine,
my very first weekend as voice of the Miami Hurricanes,
a scrimmage with the Canes prior to the season. It
was in August of ninety nine, and he wore number five,
and he was red shirting that year, which was bizarre,
(00:26):
but it made sense because Santana Moss and Reggie Wayne
and Darryl Jones, who also played in the NFL, they
were all on that team. Andrey King another NFL receiver.
Obviously the names Wayne and Moss are more familiar to
the listeners, but the Canes were so freakishly loaded back
then that they red shirted Andrey Johnson. And I've told
that story many times in different ways, but it's just
(00:47):
been a joy over the years to know Andrey and
his family and visiting with him is always a pleasure.
So let's dig in here. Basically, the eve week of
training camp with Andre Johnson, his thoughts on what's going
to go down with the Miko Ryans and some of
the players the twenty twenty three campaign. JJ Watt and
the Ring of Honor. It's all here, Drey, welcome this
(01:11):
time of year. How does it feel to you with
teams starting up again? Do you feel that itch again.
I know it's been a few years, but it's got
to still be in your system.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, it's definitely something you look forward to because you know,
for me, I'm a big sports guy, so it's not
really much to watch on TV. Yeah, So you know,
I see a few guys in the gym, Darius Slade,
Kiki Qt, a couple other guys that train at the
(01:42):
same gym I train at. So you know, I tell
them when I'm in there, I'm like, y'all need to
hurry up and go back to work. Yeah, you know,
to give me something to watch. So it's always a
good time, you know, once the summer kicks in, July
kicks and you know it's you know, about that time
for football, so it's an exciting time.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Your thoughts on of Miko's first camp. I know you're
out here for OTAs a bit, but now we get
the real deal training camp starting up with your former
teammate as head coach.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
I think everybody's excited, you know, I hear just from
just being around in the city of Houston just hearing
people talk about it. The excitement. I think everybody's you know,
the football has become a you know, a popular thing
(02:29):
here again, I mean just the Texans in general, so
everybody's excited about it. I think, actually think, you know,
we have a great chance at accomplishing some great things
in his first year, you know, as an organization. And
I would just tell people, don't be surprised.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Andre, what about the offense because you were here with
kpers and then you transition into the Kubiak offense. What
are some of the challenges in learning that system? I
know it's not exactly the same thing here, but there
are some similarities of course with Bobby Slower. Your thoughts
on that.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Well, I think the biggest thing is like, even when
you know, you come out to the OTA practices, everything
was very detailed, and that's something that you know in
both offenses, even when in Kubiak's offense, it was very detailed,
and you know, you have to as a player, you
(03:23):
have to understand, you know, the whole system and not
just you know, as a receiver, you can't just worry
about the past plays. You know, things have to look
the same, you know, and run plays and pass plays,
you know, because you may have releases on certain play
action plays that may look like a run, and you
know you're running play action it's a pass play, so
you can fool defenses and things like that. But I
(03:46):
think the details is the big part. And I think
as long as the guys pay attention to the details
and what they have to do, you know, everything work out.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
What do you think of this crew so far? With
Nico Collins, you have Rock Woods joining Tank Dell's a rookie,
other guys as well.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Definitely a great group. I'm excited to see, you know,
for the season and see how they perform, even just
training camp, you know, just to come out and watch
them working, watch them prepare, you know, to get ready
for this upcoming season. So I think it's a great
group of guys, a great group of receivers, you know,
(04:25):
just excited about it.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Man.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
It's it's a fun time and I can't wait for
it to get started.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
We'll see how they do things at quarterback. But CJ.
Stroud is here a rookie. You're around David Carr in
year two, you're around TJ. Yats, in twenty eleven, rookie
getting his first starts late in the season, started the
playoff game against the Bengals. What about a rookie quarterback
getting used to this system or getting used to the
NFL in general, what do we expect here If it's
going to be CJ.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
I think, you know, you have to get them out
dre and let them play. I mean that's the way
you learn, you know, by playing. Just trying to get
them as many reps as possible, you know. At the
same time, you know, you do want to keep them
healthy getting into the season. But I think you know,
when you you look at rookies and you know when
they come in, I think that's the biggest thing is
(05:13):
just trying to get them acclimated, you know, getting them
as many reps as as you can so that when
they do get on the field. I mean, just by
the way the rookie comes in and the way it works,
the veteran guys are going to rally around him anyway.
So and and you know with c J, I I
feel like, you know, he's a guy who you know,
(05:36):
he comes in, does his does his work, and you
know he uh, you know, not a big head guy.
You know, seems to be very calm. From the time
I've spent around him a leader, and uh, you know,
the guys would rally around him and you know, just
make sure that they're stepping up their game to make
sure that he goes out and you know, plays plays well.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
When you have a back like Damian Pierce, does that
fire up the whole team seeing the way he handles
his business, breaking tackles, playing so tough that way.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Yeah, he's a Damien is very exciting to watch man.
The way he runs the ball, like you know, it's
almost like a battling round, like he's just you'll see
him and it looks like he's going down and all
of a sudden, you know he's coming out, you know,
breaking three or four tackles. So I think, you know,
(06:28):
that's that's a great weapon to have when you can
run the ball and then having a guy like that
that can you know, break tackles and things of that nature.
So you know, he's an exciting guy to watch. I'm
very excited this year he does again this year.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
All right back to the rookies, because your debut game
was in Miami two thousand and three. You played high
school ball there, college ball there, and there you are
playing your pro debut against the Dolphins when they're extremely
tough to beat in September there. What do you remember
about that game? About that debut, Andre.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
I remember reading not a big newspaper reader, but I
remember reading the newspaper and something they wrote something in
a column about, you know, it being a scrimmage game
for the Dolphins, and you know, so I just kind
(07:28):
of laughed at it or whatever. But I knew, you know,
I was a huge Dolphins fan growing up, so I
know how tough the defense was, you know, with Jason Taylor,
Jack Thomas, you know that Patrick Curtain, Sam Sam Madison,
they had just got Junior Seau, you know, Bunny Holiday.
They had a lot of great players on that defense.
(07:51):
So I know it would be tough. But you know,
we went in there and just you know, we played
and fought and you know it can down. We hunger.
They let us hang around, and we hung around and
we'll eventually beat them. So that was that was one
of like the the best feelings, especially to kick off
your NFL career, to go home and beat your hometown team.
(08:13):
So it was a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
What would your message to this rookie class be as
they embark on their first camp and everyone wants to
put it all out there in these preseason games, probably
because that's really their first NFL action, but the games
that count are coming up in September and handling the
whole situation. What would you say to that, just.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Uh, you know, don't don't don't put too much pressure
on yourself. Uh, just go out and play. Uh it's uh,
you know, at the end of the day, it's still football.
You just moved up another level, you know, so every
everything counts, you know, but just keep your head down,
(08:52):
come in every day, work, work your butt off, and
you know, just pay attention to details and just try
to learn as much as you can they in and
day out. I think if they do that, they'll be fine.
I think sometimes people put so much pressure on theirself,
you know, just playing a game. You know, at the
end of the day, you know, it's still a game,
(09:15):
but you know, it's a lot of other things. That's
things that are going on as world that are way
much more serious than what you know, we go through
on that football field. So I would just say just
approach it that way, you know, everybody wants to win,
There's no doubt in my mind. All of them are
very competitive and want to win. But I think if
(09:36):
you just have the approach of just busting your butt
every day, because what you put in is what you're
going to get out of it. So that was the
way I approached it. I just came in work my
butt off every day so that I can go out
and putform well on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Didn't you and Jabbar Jaffney share a room where you
guys roommates on the road or something like that, my rookie, Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Before that initial game, the Kings play the Gators Saturday night.
You couldn't really go to the game, right, so you're
watching TV with Bar?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Yeah, so were Our plan was to try to figure
out a way to get to the game, and we
couldn't because of we couldn't go because we had meetings
that evening and it was a night game. So so
we sat in the room. We watched the game, and
I mean they jumped out on us pretty big in
(10:25):
the beginning, and I remember sitting in the room and
I told Jabar was like, if we score this drive,
you know this game is over, right, And He just
kind of looked at me like I was crazy, and
we ended up scoring and then all of a sudden,
it was just like the whole momentum of the game
swam and we ended up coming back.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
When that is nice. Well, what do you think of
getting company on the Ring of Honor? So JJ Watt
goes in, it's so far you and mister McNair. Now
you get Wat into the flow.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
It's awesome, man, very deserving. What this What what JJ
did here for this organization and the time he was
here was amazing. A great player, great friend. You know,
he actually just text me last week. We talked a
little bit for my birthday. You know. Just just a
(11:18):
great all around person, great teammate and uh, you know,
I'm excited, man, see him come back. I know it'll
be the stadium and be rocking. Everybody'll be excited to
see him back here. So it's awesome, man. I'm very
happy for him, and uh, you know, I can't wait
for that day, you know, just to experience it and
(11:42):
you know, see him get his get his jacket to
go in the Ring of Honor.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
It's gonna be fun against Pittsburgh this year. All I
want more for you. You mentioned going to the gym.
NFL guys work out there. What kind of shape are
you in right now versus playing days? Because I know
you work out a lot, so what's the difference there?
Speaker 2 (12:00):
I mean, I mean, I'm actually probably the best shape
I've ever been in as far as outside of football.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
But I don't like football shape.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Nah, football shape is a little different. I still do
some of the football workouts, but you know it's a
little modified. It's not you know, but some days I
may come in and I just may just do exactly
what they're doing, right, But it's not an everyday thing
for me. It just depends on what it is that
(12:35):
they're doing. But right now, I'm in the base best
shape I've been in since I've retired. So been running
some four hundreds, two hundreds, you know, I haven't done
that in a while. But just bodies feeling good. No,
I'm not trying to come back and play. I mean,
(12:57):
I get that question every day, like just walking around.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Because you look like you could. How many snaps? Could
you give us a few?
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Right now? About ten? All right?
Speaker 1 (13:06):
That's good? Well, and the next week might be tough, right,
taking some bits?
Speaker 2 (13:11):
All right?
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Update us on how your daughter is doing other than
trying to take my job at about eight years.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Yeah, she's doing great. She's cheering in middle school. Out
in middle school, she's but other than that, she's just
pretty much on relaxing. She gets up and get her
little workouts in. She's she's big on doing the Stepmaster
and getting on a peloton bike.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
So is she running now? Because you were telling me
if she decided to commit to that, it would be
all over if she.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
If she decided to commit to running track, she'll be
sheould be very she'll be a stud out there on
the track. But she still hasn't given in to it yet.
But I'm, you know, she's going to eighth grade, so
hop hoping I can get her into it by high school.
So but I'm I think she's kind of heading that
(14:08):
way a little bit because now she's you know, she's
wanting to work out and do stuff like that. So
I'm I'm hoping it happens.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
I think she can have her own talk show someday too.
So there's that. Andre, thanks a lot for joining us.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
I appreciate you that.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Okay, there's my visit with Andrey Johnson. I had to
work in the question about his daughter because she is
personality plus she'll do whatever she wants in this world.
Phenomenal individual and he should be a very proud papa, indeed,
proud wide receiver, future Hall of Famer, former teammate of
the head coach Dimiko Ryans, and I can't wait to
(14:45):
watch the action with him and the other legends a
training camp and then get ready for the twenty twenty
three campaign. Thanks so much to Andre Johnson for being
on the podcast, and thank you for listening. Check out
all the other podcasts related to the Texans. Wherever you
got this one, have a great day, Go text since
Speaker 2 (15:03):
You