It's only a matter of time whenever CJ Gardner-Johnson speaks to the media, the conversation will inevitably turn to the firebrand safety's ability to get under opponents' skin.
But at some point it comes time to talk about CJ Gardner-Johnson the player, not the talker. It's sometimes easier said than done, when the flashbulb moment of a 9-0 shutout is his classic mean-mug of Tom Brady that may live forever in Saints big-game lore alongside a Shy Tuttle stiff arm of Matt Ryan.
“It’s the profession we in. Look at Draymond [Green]. They criticize him for not being a shooter, he passes the ball 95% of the time. Y’all criticize me about being a talker, I play football," Gardner-Johnson said. "So let’s talk about me covering people. I’m the best nickel in the league, so let’s focus on … what we can focus on. I don’t think a lot of people focus on what I can do.”
In fairness to the local media and the fans who like to talk about the safety and his ability to mentally obliterate opponents, it's most often done in a positive fashion. He's a player that managed to work up two Bears receivers so feverishly that they took swings at him and got ejected at pivotal moments in key games. Gardner-Johnson wasn't even penalized in one of those moments. During a season in which the NFL cracked down on "taunting" with flags flying each week for the weakest of weak taunts, Gardner-Johnson emerged without drawing a single one. The Saints were only flagged once for taunting all season and it was awarded to Kwon Alexander. Gardner-Johnson has been far more likely to land a fine the week following a game than a penalty while it was being played, and his ability to tread that line so narrowly has benefitted the Saints on many occasions.
Former Saints head coach Sean Payton said it best when speaking prior to the 2021 season, saying that Gardner-Johnson had "been at the scene of a few crimes."
Co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Kris Richard went so far as to call it a "superpower," likening the ability to that of Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman.
Joe Buck once called the man "the ejection whisperer."
The difficult part: The only way everyone stops talking about CJ's trash-talk superpower is for it to stop existing. The only people who want that to be the case will be on the opposing roster.
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But if there's a chip on CJ's shoulder, it's best that it stays there. Athletes can draw motivation from all types of sources. He even went so far as to call out Good Morning Football for their recent slot corner rankings, in which they put CJ behind both Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Ravens' Marlon Humphrey. Both play on the outside, he said. CJ appeared at No. 4 on that list, but it was still a slight, and he was aware of it.
"I ain’t got no respect yet, as in the league don’t respect me. They don’t respect me," he said. "I’m the menace, that’s what y’all call me, right? … Put it like this: I don’t put pressure on myself to impress y’all or these fans. I’m here to do a job. Focus on me doing my job, not me talking and doing this other bullsh**."
Player rankings will always be subjective, though CJ does have a point that Ramsey doesn't belong on the list of nickel corners. What isn't subjective is what happened during his 4.5-game absence a season ago. Gardner-Johnson suffered a foot injury shortly before halftime of a Week 9 loss to the Falcons. He missed games against the Titans, Eagles, Bills and Cowboys. The Saints lost all four while surrendering an average of 30 points a game. These were also difficult matchups and the team was without starting quarterback Jameis Winston, but the defense clearly hit another gear over its final five games with Gardner-Johnson back in action, going 4-1 with an average of 11 points allowed per game.
Ultimately the Saints boast a stacked group of defensive backs, headlined by Marshon Lattimore and bolstered by Bradley Roby, Paulson Adebo and rookie Alontae Taylor on the edges. Marcus Maye and Tyrann Mathieu will man the deep safety spots, with PJ Williams likely retaining his hybrid role as the roving DB. It's difficult to weigh the relative importance of any one player in the larger defensive scheme.
But it was Gardner-Johnson who took Tom Brady for interceptions in both wins over the Bucs last season, a large part of what made the mean-mug in the shutout feel so merited. He logged 46 tackles and 7 passes defensed, playing whatever physical brand of defense that was necessary over the middle of the field. Whether he's the best nickel in the league can be debated, what's not up for debate is his importance. CJ will certainly continue talking, but he welcomes the arrival of players like Tyrann Mathieu and Jarvis Landry. They're the type who answer questions early and often when it comes to the media.
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"I just gotta understand how did [Mathieu] carry a team to the Super Bowl," CJ said. "I had a vet last year in Malcolm [Jenkins], now he’s a younger vet, so I take some of those tools and get better so I can get [a ring].”
Tyrann will be the spokesperson for the safeties, CJ just has to ball, and that's what he's going to do. Now, let's talk about something else.