Diontae Johnson on Smoking the DB's, Sky's the Limit for Bryce Young, Story of this Team, & More

all right I'm here with brand new Panther this colors work for juice it looks good how you feeling feeling good I'm excited to be here just taking one day out of time you getting a feel for the offense and just trying to you know turn things around around here you have a lot of energy you ran over you just had a crazy practice how much does smoking these DBS like I'm hearing that you're doing uh add to the juice this year uh you know just coming out here competing every day with the best uh JC horn and Dane Jackson you know we getting great work out there know just being like I said going up against those two just bringing the best out of me know yeah that's nice of you to say about some Corners I feel like are they being slept on a little bit yeah you know cuz obviously the the record that we we had last year and what not but it's a new year so we steady building and trying to turn things around and um I'm I'm looking forward to the season you have sort of the benefit of experience of seeing how other organizations are run this one going through a big culture change I talked to Dan Morgan i t who loves you I talked to Dan Dave Canales who loves you Luke Keeley who loves you what would you say you're bringing to the culture of the Panthers uh a guy that that gets open you know a guy that's hungry that loves to win um that just loves the game you know just to compete every day and just try to get better so and I'm I'm hoping like my work does does the talking for itself and everybody like sees the work and wants to Rally around that you know what I'm saying and um like I said my work is going to do the talking just go out and be my best version of me what's working so what we CH brce uh we just click you know I can click like what do you mean once I got here we click instantly like like like we like known each other for a long time and um like we study study the Playbook hang out a lot uh just trying to get to know each other you know what I'm saying so and that once you get on the field and the connection it just happens cuz you know what I'm saying you you building that connection the the timing when it comes to football and just it shows that he can trust me out there so that's that's what I'm enjoying and know I say like disguise the limit for and I'm out here to make him better with this world that we're in in the NFL it's like a world of labels people get labeled real quick out the gate they're this they're that Bryce already has a label he hasn't even done anything he's a young kid uh do you think that that sheds this year is it are the changes that were made bringing you in different leadership is it enough to sort of shed any label that somebody thinks they might have about this quarterback um you know everybody going to have something to say about somebody but it's just how you respond to it and you know what I'm saying put your your best foot forward you know what I'm saying when you hear stuff like that about you know what I'm saying your quarterback or whatever but you know I'm I'm I'm glad they brought me here to help change things and bring then bring the best out of him and um I feel like the new guys that they brought in uh guys that knows know what it takes to win and uh bring that attitude every day uh it's going to help him in the team and uh get everything going in the right direction so just just those guys and you know what I'm saying the guys that knows like how to win uh shows you like what it takes and like I say you bring that energy here everybody wants to be a part of that you know experience that sounds like you're a leader on this team I'm trying to be you know I don't I'm not really a big talker I like to let my work do the talking for itself so I'm trying to open up more and uh just bring more energy than I did before how much do that has to do with your coach he's a big energy guy I just sitting next to him I'm like what how much coffee have you had he's unbelievable I feel like just that's just him naturally and that Mak does it affect you yeah n it it makes you want to you know what I'm saying bring the best out of you and bring that the your best attitude he he harps on that bring that your best attitude energy uh and just to compete every day and uh like when he gives you those messages in the team meeting it makes you want to go out there and play for a coach like that so so something about the ball has energy that he said something about how the ball has energy and that somebody can catch the energy and keep it going has he talked about that yeah yeah I mean like you said the ball like you said the ball has energy I mean I say just wherever the energy flows you follow that because you want to follow the good energy obviously not the bad so like just when somebody make a play or whatever uh that that shows like uh anybody else can do the same thing and U I'm trying to do that whenever the ball get in my hands the next guy going to make a play so just little stuff like that what's different about you here I feel there's like a a a levity maybe like a sense of belonging what's is is it any different or you this everything's standard issue uh just the the love that they showing like once I got here I felt the love instantly uh that I feel wanted you know what I'm saying not that I saying like other the pie that was at I didn't feel like that but like I just feel like want to hear and like they wrapping their arms around me and I'm I'm excited to be here I couldn't couldn't ask for nothing better the position to be in right now just to have that that leadership role and just to how the younger guys look up to me and like learn from me and know I can pass down anything that they need help with and I'm making the most of it take me inside that wide receiver room because you're basically saying you're an old head which is crazy really and then you got Mingo who's having an insane Camp too but then you got the real old head and Adam th what's the dynamic in there um like said you got Mingo who's learning you got Terren uh DT Dore um then obviously Adam he's the old head of the other group like Adam brings that that that leadership you know what I'm saying he he's good at one thing I'm good at the next like there nothing like say whatever whenever he speaks everybody antennas goes up cuz he always has like valid valid points when he talks and U you need a guy like that around to just be that leader have that leadership role and like to make control the group when everything like gets out of control or what not and um I feel like my job is just to leave by example when it comes to like on the field stuff like that's just me personally like I said I'm not a big talker but yeah I just like to show the guys like what to do on the field and how to get open and just lead for the younger group The younger guys and whatnot and um like I said I love learning from Adam like I said I'm he's just he's a great great help uh mentor to me right now that's why I would say he's a mentor to me and um just learning from him each and every day is is a blessing when you left the Steelers you get here you you you obviously it's new energy how would you describe that is it like a fresh start because people want to think just like labels are shed on everybody they have them on you so what do that how does that impact you uh it don't it don't it don't impact me in a negative way I mean it just allows me to just keep going and just to keep working uh cuz you can get better at every day uh just cuz like I say somebody put a label on you or say something about you doesn't mean like you supposed to let it affect you so I just use it as fuel and uh I go out here and attack the day every day what do you think the story of this team is going to be this year I don't really know to be honest I mean we still got we still got some work to do but obviously we trying to change turn things around here but I feel like this year is going to be obviously better than last year because it's a new team bunch of new guys and we still like building each and every day and um I can't wait to see like what we do come first game coach was saying you know I wanted to ask him maybe what's the identity of this team and I think he doesn't know yet I think we're going you're still very much in the process of figuring out what is that like to not know exactly what you have here yet it's it's it's not tough but it's like got to be different cuz you go I mean I was in LR and it's like everything has its place this is it's very different cuz I mean they obviously they had that one year they went to the Super we had the one year we went to the Super Bowl here I think it was 2015 I think cam yeah when cam was here but obviously they trying to get back to that that type of team so that's they they brought in guys to that know like knows how to win and knows what it takes so hopefully we can get we can get this thing moving in the right direction this year and know the guys that they brought in can show everybody like what it takes and the rest of the guys can follow there's some people who think Bryce isn't the quarterback fans pundits whatever that they do we are the questions still out there do we have our guy yes Bryce is our guy I mean obvious he's still young but he's steady growing each and every day but you can't put put stuff over his head just cuz yeah team didn't have a good year I mean it's a lot of stuff that goes into that at the end of the day we can only control what we can control and worry about what's going on in in the locker room and uh and just keep rallying around him and keep making him better you're a favorite here I got to say I was hanging out with the fans I watched practice I find practice kind of boring so I just like to talk to the fans and I went in there and everyone wanted your autograph everyone saying I can't wait to see how does Deontay look how does Johnson look that has to feel amazing I'm happy for you yeah for sure it does like shows that my my my my my aura I have a good AA yeah you do have a good Aura Aura 5000 for sure and like my my work does speaks for itself so I just want to bring that energy to the team and just keep competing and uh turn this thing around and get this you know what I'm saying get some wins yeah last one for you off schedu throws from Bryce I'm seeing a more looks good do you enjoy that oh yeah easily cuz you never know when he going to break the pocket there a good opportunity to make a play down the field when the play breaks down the pocket breaks down what not um those those those the catches you want the the yak and those yards that you want after the catch or whatever but like I said we just steady building on those and looking for them the explosive plays okay keep the or going keep your confidence in yourself and your your quarterback who you clearly are mentoring in some weird way too I'm sure which is amazing I can't tell like you're cuz I feel like I don't know where I can't tell where you are your journey but I know that you're in the right place right I feel like I feel like I'm in the right place yeah but who knows who we'll see thank you Deontay Johnson by the way who's going to be on my fantasy team because I cannot explain to you how everybody talks about this wide receiver here on this team in this crowd in this locker room Luke Keeley told me to draft you and I'm going to win my league thank you Deontay thank you