PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He played football in Toledo, but only played one cold weather game in December in his career. Nothing like he will feel on Saturday night with the single-digit temperatures and wind chills below zero.
“Hands get real numb, cold, you got a lot on your mind,” Johnson said of memories of college games in late November. He’s not exactly sure what to make of what it will be like on Saturday night. He’s trying to figure out how to dress for a game that cold. He joked that he would find a ski mask like the one George Pickens wears when it’s 40 degrees, but he may need more.
“What to wear?” Johnson wondered. “What to put on? It’s all a mindset thing at the end of the day. I’m going to make sure I wear the cold weather gloves.”
To his point, he and other players, said it’s about your mindset. How you attack it and how much you psych yourself out about the bitter cold.
“It’s about how you attack each rep, really staying locked in and catching the ball regardless.”
10 for 10
Johnson caught 10 passes on 10 targets Sunday against Carolina.
“Diontae was open,” said Steelers Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada. “The coverage dictates where the ball should go. In my opinion, you can't just say we're
going to throw him the ball no matter what, because they can say we're not going to do that. I think that the ball found Diontae. There was a comfort level there, obviously him and Mitch got into a little bit of a rhythm, but they were different routes.”
Canada added Pickett now can’t just go and blindly target Johnson. You need to see what the defense is giving you and he believes they are improving enough that if they swing an extra player to Johnson, George Pickens is open or Pat Freiermuth or they can run the ball.
“Believing in the game plan the coaches are putting together for us,” Johnson said of the key of keeping not only his rhythm, but the offense’s rolling. “Buying into one another and play freely. If you go out there and play freely you don’t have too much to think about out there, you know what you are doing. I feel like we are going in the right direction and everybody is starting to come together. We just have to play good on Saturday.”
Postseason
Currently the Steelers have a 0.4% chance to make the playoffs. Wouldn’t call it great, but they’re not eliminated.
“We are just trying to take it one week at a time,” Johnson said. “We have to hope someone loses. I’m just trying to finish the team strong and get this record right for Coach T. To keep his winning streak (non-losing season streak) going.”
Hall of Fame help
NFL Network calling the game on Christmas Eve, a few of their Hall of Fame crew stopped by to watch practice on Thursday. Among them was someone who you would expect to be loud and boisterous based on his persona. Michael Irvin was just quietly watching until Johnson, not practicing because of turf toe, came over to introduce himself.
It was the first time they had met and Irvin immediately went into coach mode. Started getting into stances and putting his hands out while talking to the fourth-year Steeler.
“Just gave me a few tips on what to do-coming back to the ball on a curl route or running a slant, just soaking it all up from a Hall of Famer,” Johnson said. “Enjoying the moment and trying to add more tools to my tool box.”
“I will never forget that moment.”