Hey, it's Graham, it's Thursday, and that means we're offering you another positive piece of a past interview. Each week our team digs through the archives to find our strongest feel good stories to present to you in podcast form. This week, Chad Johnson. Explain why you used to tell defenders what you were going to do before you actually did it. So they understood that. I was prepared that week so. Actually, the people on the outside understood.
How great I was. When I played, you take away the Annex, everything, everything I've done over the years is. Overshadowed because. Of the annex, but people really don't understand. How really great I was. At my craft. To be. Able to go with the. Out there with the best of the best. Not only be. Out there with the best of the best, but tell the elite players. This is what I'm going to do and then go out there and execute. It the.
Exact same way I said I'm going to do it and it's not on myself because I'm relying on 10 other people. For the plays. To actually function like an engine, like an engine, everything has to be working, you know, for it to work, or you don't just drop back. And throw it to Chad. But that's the confidence I had in myself, that's the confidence I had in my team mates to. Be able to do that for a decade straight. What would you say to the defenders?
Everything, everything. Sometimes I would tell them my route. Yeah. And when would you have these conversations, that line of? Scrimmage, that line of scrimmage, if it was man to man, there's another thing if you ever watch. Clips. Or you ever get a chance to talk to Marvin Lewis, I will come out the huddle and I would look at him and I would look at him and do this. And that would always be I want you to watch me on this play.
We would, I would have. Conversations through sign link with Marvin Lewis in the middle of plays before the snap we even occurred. Letting him know watch what I do to him. Like it? Is I really had? Such a fun time and I was so focused and zoned in when I was playing, despite what the media or everyone else might see. Because you see the finished product, you see they're having the fun part, but you don't see there. There's a whole another side
that was never shown. Probably because of the way I the way I was. How often would you sleep at the stadium? Oh, you. Remember that. I heard. It that was fun first. Two years. First two years. I was. A little. Kid, you know young. First two years in the NFL, yeah. 1st 2:00. Years I would. Stay at the stadium. Why? It was home. It was it was all I know. It was all I knew at the time was football, you know, my place.
It was cool to be home. But then I was so engulfed in the game of football and wanting to just, just. Just be. Great at my craft that I felt this was the necessity. To be just that. Where did you sleep? In the lounge room we had a lounge room, TV, video game, arcade machine. Couches were plush, it was dope. How true is it that you would sometimes call coaches to talk strategy at 2:00 AM?
2-3 in the morning, Yeah, because I was one of the few people, one of the few people that didn't club. I didn't go out. I'm in bed by 9:30 and I always call Coach Lewis four or five in the morning, Hugh. Jackson 4. Or five in the morning. Barbara Kowski. Offensive coordinator. He got the the most. He got it the. Worst because. I always had an idea. I always had some type of. Strategy or. Or something that I felt. Could help us.
He would get it 2-3. Four, it didn't matter what time it was and do. They welcome the calls or they like what are you? Doing they? Knew what? It was. For because I. Did it over an expand of 10 years. This wasn't just all right, I'm going to do this this week now. This was all the time consistently. So I was really part of the family in a sense. One quick favor before you leave, please consider giving the podcast a rating and review.
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