C.J. Gardner-Johnson doesn't roam the field so much as he stalks it. Sometimes, before the snap, he'll squat in the back of the secondary and survey the offense from every angle, hunting the next pivotal play. A Lion and a crouching tiger, Gardner-Johnson thinks the game as quickly as he plays it.
"You gotta just dial in and understand who you're playing against and what they’re trying to do with the guys that they have," Gardner-Johnson said Wednesday.
On this day, the Lions were playing the Jags. And on one of the first plays of 11-on-11, the Jags were trying to get star running back Travis Etienne around the right edge of Detroit's defense. Gardner-Johnson sniffed it out at safety. He sprung toward the ball as Etienne was trying to turn the corner and blew the 210-back off his feet. Hit him so hard he landed on the Lions' sideline.
A few plays later, the Jags tried the right edge again. This time it was Jamal Agnew trying to turn the corner, and Gardner-Johnson beat him to the spot. The collision was like a thunderclap. Charging downhill, Gardner-Johnson put such a licking on Agnew that he jarred the ball free and broke his own helmet. The hit was clean, and the Lions' sideline went berserk.
Gardner-Johnson yanked his helmet off and shook his head, as if to scold the Jags for trying him. Then he flexed and nodded, confirming that he's here.
"To be the most feared DB in the league, you gotta be able to tackle," he said later. "So, practice it, practice it, practice it, on the bag, on the bag, on the bag, against your teammates, against your teammates. And then against an opponent, apply it. If it works, keep practicing it."
The Lions' secondary, a year ago one of the worst in the NFL, is suddenly full of swagger. It oozes out of Gardner-Johnson, who dances between plays and talks so much smack that he's basically the soundtrack to practice. At one point Wednesday, while the starters were between drives, Gardner-Johnson spent some 30 seconds jawing at Trevor Lawrence. The message, edited for clarity and, uhm, cleanliness, was that the Jags 23-year-old quarterback isn't anybody yet in the NFL.
"Everybody knows me to talk, but if you can back it up, you can talk as much shi — as much crap as you want to," said Gardner-Johnson. "I think when I play at a high level, it feeds into my teammates."
Gardner-Johnson, 25, led the NFL in picks last season despite playing in just 12 games. He helped the Eagles win their division and reach the Super Bowl, after helping the Saints win two division titles during his three seasons in New Orleans. He played mostly in the slot in New Orleans, mostly in the backend in Philly. With rookie Brian Branch emerging as a starting nickel for Detroit, the Lions are deploying Gardner-Johnson where he's most dangerous. Where he can have the widest impact on the game.
Gardner-Johnson wasn't perfect Wednesday. He allowed a touchdown in coverage to tight end Evan Engram when Lawrence rolled out and hit Engram streaking across the front of the end zone. And he was later flagged for pass interference on receiver Zay Jones in the back of the end zone. Gardner-Johnson immediately objected to the call, and he might have had a case.
Lions quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was with the Saints the year Gardner-Johnson arrived. The fourth-round rookie didn't act like one. He dove into the fray, ruffled a few feathers and earned a big role on a team that won 13 games. Now, he's four years more vocal and more violent.
"He’s a fierce competitor," said Bridgewater. "And that’s what you want, man, because that competitive nature, that competitive edge and those juices, it becomes contagious and it trickles around the locker room. You can tell that he’s learned so much from his time in New Orleans and Philly, and he’s now looked upon as one of the best on that side of the ball, which is crazy to me. But man, I love the player and the type of leader he’s grown into."
Gardner-Johnson had begun Wednesday's practice by going back and forth with Jags receiver Calvin Ridley in 7-on-7's. Fitting: the Florida natives have a friendly rivalry that dates to 7-on-7 camps in high school. As Gardner-Johnson was talking to reporters about Ridley after practice, Ridley happened to walk past the scrum. He leaned in, looked Gardner-Johnson's way and said, "He's a good player, man, but he just talk too damn much!"
"Facts!" said Gardner-Johnson. "Facts!"
"He's certainly a personality," said Aidan Hutchinson. "He's one-of-a-kind, man. But I'm glad he's on my team. Even today, he shows why we brought him here, man. He's a hard-hitter and he's willing to come down and bring the juice. And when practice might be a little lackadaisical, he's going to come up and make a play and get the boys going."
The Lions got going last season, and Gardner-Johnson wants to push them further. He might not be here long, signed only for a year, but then, he doesn't need long. Gardner-Johnson is pedal to the metal "until the car run out," he said.
Then he turned to the Lions facility and added, "But this is the gas station, so I guess I’m fueled up every day."
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