 We're all about the defense today. We have got CJ Gardner Johnson on the program. Let's talk about the NFC North Champion Lions. All right, week three, New Orleans at Green Bay. So we made for these beautiful Saints fans that will go visit because they travel so well. You could take the Champions Tour at Lambeau Field. You could have dinner at Crop's Supper Club, okay. Head to a Piggly Wiggly, that's what I would do. You can tour the National Railroad Museum for $12. I wonder how many times 12 has done that, Aaron Rodgers, I would love that. But I wanna bring this guy to any social schedule. It is released. This is the life of the locker room, a professional instigator, a true talent in the league. He was a safety for the Saints. We just mentioned the Eagles. And now a team that might win the NFC North for the first time since like the 1800s. CJ Gardner Johnson, how are you? I'm good, how are you doing? It's so good to talk to you. We just had Patrick Sertana. Now I got you, we're talking all defense here. And you have had quite the off season. I think it's very cool that you were at the top of the list for free agents. You test the market, you do your thing and you sign with the Lions, a very exciting team. Tell me about your feelings about Detroit. I'm feeling good. To be honest with you, I'm back with AG, back with Dan. I think the most exciting thing about being here is understanding how they got a bigger role. Like I'm gonna see if I'm being positioned coaches to head coach, to a coordinator. So I think hearing that voice more and seeing what they can do, you know what I'm saying? Being a part of their wing and just gathering these young guys so we can try to win some games together and just continue to get better. Yeah, what are your conversations with Dan like? He seems fun. It's the same since I was in the war when he first saw me, he actually hugged me. We talked about like 20 minutes. It was like how I feel mentally, checking on me and just acting like I'm ready to go, coming off of Super Bowl loss. Eventually you know it's a lot, but I'm ready to get back to it and lead these young guys and get us to what we need to be. I love that. You've been hanging out with some of these guys. You're there, you're settled. Who have you bonded with so far? Aiden Hutchinson, Amon Ross, St. Brown. I think St. Brown, Amon. Aiden, I think Amon really, because we was on family feud together so I kind of got to see how he really reacted. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Tell me about this. What? So I really can't tell the results. All I know is, me and Amon, we were definitely like, if we had to go again, I think we'd be the best duo ever on this show. I think we had Steve blow it away. Best dress, everything. Wait, but you're saying if you win again, so the first time did it, did you leave something on the table? You have like a chip on your shoulder? Did you win? I don't know. They said we will find out the results when the show airs, but we already know who won. Were you nervous? I grew up watching with my grandma, so I actually kind of had some answers in my head just in case they hit me with some old school questions. What's the trick to winning that show? Like is it just letting it rip? Like what is your key, your cheat code? Don't overthink it. Oh, okay. Don't overthink. So if they ask you, hmm, what's round and white, hey, think something simple, a baseball. Don't overthink. My head went, I don't even, my head went to like a loaf of bread. Yeah, that was, that's like one of those things where you ask the question, just don't overthink it. Dude, give me another one. Okay, cool, okay. What's furry and bites? A cat. Is that pretty good? And then you might get a five, you might get a 10 because the answer, it's based on all a million people who will answer this question, so you may never know. So cool, Steve Harvey was cool. Very cool, fly too. Really? I would be, I think I'd be crying laughing with him. But okay, let's talk from cats to the lions. Let's do it. Say in the cat fan, we'll get to your schedule that was released. You get to come out the gate hot and go against the chiefs. Week one, this is, you know, a lot of people are saying a lot of love, a lot of respect for you. Is this a personal CJ, GJ revenge game? Truthfully, honestly, no, I can't like, I can't, it's gonna hurt to see come out Super Bowl champs and I just faced him. So I think I have to channel my emotions so I can go out and play a good game. I think the guy that's on the team to understand the magnitude of how I feel because he wasn't there with me, but I'm still gonna bring the same intensity. But I think it's, I got two for my shoulder. I wanna be there. I kinda wanna be there, I wanna spoil the home comer. Take me through like, you're so honest and that's why I love talking to you. And I just love watching you. I like, I think you should be mic'd up every game. If I had to pick a player that's mic'd up every game, it is easily you. Take me through the range of emotions. Like you lose a Super Bowl, is it sadness, anger, then it's thought like, take me through the emotions and where you're feeling right now. It bothers, because it's like the team I was on, if you look at the structure of that team, you would never get that many vets in the same room. You never get that much talent in the same room in one year. You never find a system that works for everybody, like no injuries, no flaws, no team issues. It's like, when you have a Super Bowl run year, we're not going back, I was with Malcolm Jiggins in New Orleans talking to him. Everything has to come together. Everybody has to see the same goal, understand what we're there for. So I think losing that game hurt more because if you're the one it, it's like you gotta do it again. And they expect you to do it again. So I think losing it, it makes you humble up and respect the game more because you're playing against the best of the best. So seeing Pat playing against him, seeing Chas, I mean, you can't be upset because you're playing against the best of the best. You just understand that that's the game that you want to be at and you want to be remembered. So I think my knowledge of that game is tell everybody just be yourself. Don't change. The moment doesn't change. Just play football for 15 minutes, each quarter and let the results take care of itself. And I think that stuck with me. I really respect how much you've thought about it. Like you've really put, I mean, it takes work to, and then managing your emotions. Like you're already thinking about that, not even knowing when that game is. It's amazing and thanks for sharing that. And then I'm looking at the schedule and the only thing that's missing is the eagles. I'm on your schedule. I mean, I love it, I mean it's whatever. What do you mean? Pete, listen, I will say this. My producer is 10 feet this way. Her name is Marissa. She's the biggest eagles fan. She is like, why is he not on the team? And it's a huge conversation. Fans are having fans that not want you to go. What happened? I don't think no front office from where I've been at understand the player. They see hair, lash out, going against players on the field, but it's like you rather got us passionate about you or not passionate about you. I think when you get to a spot, you give it your all and then they just turn the back on you. I mean, you just treat it like a business. I mean, I'm just here to do what I gotta do but my teammates have to understand that you can't put your feelings too much into it. So I mean, I don't, like I said, they want to take the game away from the player, but you can't really do it because when you put me out there, you can't find nothing bad about me. I'm always there for my teammates on the first one on the spot. But those type of conversations with the agents, teams, I just let it go in one or the other because the way they see me and the way other people see me, it's two different things. So it's like, you can't fight it. I'm here, I'm blessed to be here. I got an opportunity to play football. I mean, everybody didn't expect me to sit to least in the free agency, but I mean, it's what it is. I mean, it's life. You can't control certain things. You gotta understand that God puts you in a spot to succeed. And I think I'm here to help these young guys get into a better spot. And then something happens, man, season in the season happens. But if not, just I'm ready to play football for another year and see where I can go. I mean, the thing is you can only control it. You can control your right, but you can control what happens here in this new building with these Lions who everybody's talking about. You've got a lot of young cats that are gonna be looking at you and saying, what do we do? How do we play more like you when we're on the field? And so you do have control. And I love guys who take that to their next place and they ball out. And that's what, you know, we're fans of you. We're expecting that from you. So we're really excited about that. But you are like, I don't want you to like lose what my favorite, you know, like you're trash talking. Like, what are we talking about here? We can't lose my favorite thing about you, which is the fact that you have that in you. Quickly, I'm gonna hit you with one or two topics here. And I want you to give me, you're one of the best Mac talkers in the game. And we've got your new song Sky Dweller playing here. You just dropped it on Spotify. Check it out. I want you to give me the best trash talk about the University of Georgia's football program. The best trash talk about University of Georgia's football program. Well, I think I only beat them once since I was in school. So I already called them the pups. Until I actually got the pups from Georgia. I think that's the best trash talk I got because I think when you lose and you can't say nothing. Like, I lost two years out of three against Georgia. So I call them the pups. Okay, quickly cheesesteaks. You like cheesesteaks? Mm-hmm. Talk to me. Hurry. I hate them. Cheesesteaks are terrible. I can't think of nothing about cheesesteaks right now. I just don't like them. Everybody hyped them up in Philly. Then when I got it, it was like, this is it? So yeah. Okay, week 13, Michael Thomas. He know what time it is. And I'm not gonna say nothing about that. He know what time it is. I don't know. What time is it? Call Sean. What time is it? Tell me. He better not come out with that crazy stuff. Keep it on the field. Keep it at that. Keep it at that. CJ Gardner Johnson, we appreciate you. Thank you. I got nothing on cheesesteaks. Download his new music. Please, over on Spotify. We appreciate you. Listen, I need you back on the show more. I need you back more. Bring it back. All right, let's run it back. Sounds good. Week one, chiefs, you take care of that and then we'll talk after the game, after you get that W. Up next, Charlotte, Carrie breaks down the NFL schedule.