Tyler Johnson On His Performance Against Lions, Love Of Minneapolis & More | Rams Revealed

[Music] well hello and welcome to Rams revealed I'm your host JB long and here in 2024 we are presented by Sleep Number the ram sleep and wellness partner Our Guest is a 26-year-old from Minneapolis he's coming off a career performance in Detroit which we will certainly get to Rams receiver Tyler Johnson joins us thanks for being here we appreciate it appreciate you for having me I know it was a quick turnaround after taking the lines to overtime how are you and the Rams taken that week one long uh just got to bounce back you know we got some things to learn from um but overall as a team we saw some things that that we like and that we definitely would improve on take us inside the Huddle when you're at Ford Field and it's like 115 DB and you're trying to get the play call from Matthew Stafford what's that like uh I would say my first time in the Huddle yesterday uh was kind of loud but after that I feel like I was so dialed in that the crowd noise really didn't even have an effect on me personally but um but from a from standpoint it definitely was loud out there though I would say that you know just being able to hear their they had a good atmosphere there um definitely was uh one of my favorite places to play at so far though for sure football is very much a next ManUp sport but last night those were some circumstances on the road uh you set your roster you set your game plan and then things to start to kind of fall apart how do you think your group specifically responded to that adversity oh I mean we just play for each other honestly you know we got a a good room that cares about one another and we all know we can all make plays so just going out there trusting ourselves trusting each other and just going out there and whenever our numbers cards is making a play you certainly did make a play contributing to that uh two touchdown deficit comeback that you nearly overcame yesterday the longest catch of your career 63 yards set it up for us will you give us the playby playay um so we in the Huddle Matt you know he caught a play and I'm like all right I got a shallow right here so just wanted to stutter him at the line of scrimmage real quick M and um once I once I stuttered him real quick I just knew I had to get from point A to point B real quick you know nine did a a great job just placing it on one of my shoulders the ball on one of my shoulders and allowing me to have him be my eyes for real you know so I I I took that as all right let me just turn this way with this catch and um after that just saw green grass it just started rolling started rolling seeing it in real time we like oh that's the biggest play of Tyler's Rams career as your going do you know that's the biggest play I've ever made in the NFL I know you scored touchdowns before but like that's the biggest game you can feel that in real time oh yeah Mo most def most def I definitely knew that uh as I was running I would say I'm like you know I've been I've been running for a while right here but um it's it's a blessing man it's it's truly a blessing to be able to uh play a child's game which I love to do did you happen to see this from the uh the NFL's official social media account you want to give that a read can you make that sound Tyler John really says skirt yeah skirting and out of there got to get out of there slammed on the brakes and got started pretty good didn't you yes sir 79 yards in a game that was also a career best and one of your previous best games actually came against the Rams you remember that one playing for the Buccaneers I do went for three catches in 63 yes sir nice to have you on this side of the equation it's a blessing man yes sir I feel good to be over here so your Guy Cooper cup goes to the podium afterward and uh he says they call you playmaker I didn't know you had a nickname I mean that's what coach Ys shout out to Ys um that's what he called me ever since I got here um he said he gave me that name for a reason you know uh um he said every time I go out there on the field I'm just liable to make a play so uh it's truly an honor to to have somebody else nickname you and whenever they can nickname you something like that you know it just it just says a lot how great is ybs like you can't have a bad day around that guy at all he brings energy every day man you know just just from from the time you see him to to practice you know he he's just going to bring the best out of you for sure so uh it's amazing to have him as a coach know Tyler if pukit is out for any stretch of time and even if he's not your time could be now it feels like how ready are you to be a more consistent contributor on offense for the Rams I would say I'm ready man I'm excited um God's placed me here for a reason you know so um I just got to continue to trust him trust the plan he has for me and um I just continue to be still and be ready in the moment you know so whenever my number is is called I'm just going to continue to do the things that I've been doing my entire life that got me here so um but like I said man I'm just excited uh excited to contribute to this amazing team uh make plays and just have fun when friends and family ask you what's it like to catch a pass from Matthew Stafford what's the feel like does it come out of the hand different than something you're used to previously um I mean football is football really uh nine is amazing though man he's he's the real deal uh the way he could just no look passes and you know put the put the ball on a on a dime wherever you know um he's amazing uh being able to watch him from afar and now be a teammate uh he just a he just a cool dude man he got that Swagger to him for real so um but yeah shout out to nine though can we walk through the Tyler Johnson biography in short if you don't mind give our audience a sense of who you are and where you came from uh yeah so Tyler Johnson uh I'm from North Minneapolis Minnesota um I went to Minneapolis North High School I played basketball football baseball uh I play hockey for for a year I played hockey I did play hockey for a winter um but um yeah so just a um been an athlete my whole life for real I'm the oldest of six I love my siblings you know and um but yeah that's a little bit about me for real want to follow up on a few things there but you on ice skates yeah kind of velocity we talking about GPS on the field or on ice skates what's I mean at the start at the start of the year it was it was a little rough it was a little rough but as the year went on you know like I said I'm an athlete so I started to get good at pretty much everything that I do yeah you know but um that was only for one uh because it was it was too cold so um but basketball football and baseball was was really them Sports though I read in your local paper this morning that Minneapolis is literally Inked in Black cursive across your chest you have that tattoo in the skyline that's how much it means to you yes sir and then there's an NFL tattoo on your arm but that wasn't like projecting your football future necessarily what does that stand for IT stand for north side for life so um it's really where I'm from like I said North Minneapolis um and I take a lot of pride in that you know I take a lot of pride in my city just to be able to impact others you know let them know that there is a way out you know so um to all the ones that's coming up to anywhere anybody around the world you know that that that sees this but um just to let them know that no matter where you're from you know you can make it out there there a lot of there's a lot of things out there in life I know your mom had multiple generations of her family from that area in fact did you guys go to the same high school yeah I went to the same high school as my mother um my pops he went to he he graduated from the Rival High School is that right yeah so um but um but yeah man he my dog though but every time I played against the high school he knew what I had to do he understood um but you really made an imprint on that program from what I read like winless the year before you enrolled uh the program in Jeopardy uh two wins your freshman year to a state championship game as a senior how did you help grow that program and that school it's my friends around man honestly we all stuck through the tough times uh like it was it was it was I ain't going to lie it was it was super tough cuz I went from playing Little League football and winning every game from from the first time I stepped on the field till eighth grade and then getting the nth grade and go out there and just win two games and it was like it was shocking to me you know it was it was uncomfortable but had a good group of guys around you know we all stuck through it we had some good some good teachers in the school that said you know if if y'all stay y'all stay here you know y'all got a chance by the time you guys are Juniors or seniors so um and that actually happened so uh but like I said man my friends man they they're my boys they're my boys for sure just being able to have them by my side and us be able would have flipped that thing from down to up was just like was amazing is that number 10 still unofficially retired or officially retired retired now I I don't know what it is man but um you know I I I won be seeing nobody in it and it's an honor to really have a unretired retired jersey but uh it's a blessing though man just to be able to have something to go back and and be honored you know um in my community you know just to be able to see that love and support it's amazing so when you have a chance to stay home and play for the Golden Gophers was that automatic uh and I wouldn't say automatic honestly I I explored my options a little bit but um it just it just felt right you know it felt right it felt like the fit for me and um it turns out it was the fifth it was you know so uh amazing experience there um got my degree yeah you know so um it all worked out so you could have gone pro after your junior year but instead you become the first member of your family to get a a 4year college degree yes sir and then you have an amazing senior season for those who don't know 86 catches over 1300 yards 13 touchdowns all of which led the Big 10 and set new single season school records in fact I found gophersports.com the official site of Minnesota Athletics recently ranked the best receivers in program history I bring this up for a couple of reasons one because you're number one so good on you the other names there are pretty cool too Eric Decker who had a nice career with the Broncos and jets uh Ron Johnson uh went to Baltimore then played in the arena league but fourth on that list is a familiar name to our audience 2 two Atwell tutu's father preceded you and was a great receiver for the Golden Gophers so that's another neat tying all right fast forward to Spring 2020 I'm sure you remember this time I was actually in Tampa in March of that year right so the pandemic hits Tom Brady's signing with the Bucks and then a few weeks later the draft and you find out you're going to be a Buccaneer and you're going to be playing with the goat what do you remember about that time uh I remember Tom Brady hitting my phone um after I get drafted um just congratulating me or whatever you know I'm chilling with my boys and I actually didn't know how to respond you know I'm like wow this is time Brady hitting me up right now like what do I say back like you know so I was really in shock but um I remember going down there to workout with him and the uh rest of the guys and they just welcomed me with open arms you know um Talk me a lot along the way and um just been helpful throughout this process that I've been having in this league all right so when he hits you up like the callor ID doesn't say Tom Brady no future Hall of Famer like it just says hey Tyler this is Tom yeah you are you think you're being punked nah didn't think I was being punked at all I I I knew it hadn't been real you know I I knew so uh I was just like wow man this is this is crazy like what what do I say back to this you know so um ended up texting him back though like you did probably a good move yeah yeah yeah most de had to earned you a few targets and 10 months later you're a Super Bowl champion what a quick turn of events in fact you drew it proved to be the game clenching pass interference is that the right way to kind of say it against what you call it Kevin King in the NFC Championship Game the Bucks beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl 55 so you're playing in the Super Bowl as a rookie but it's a Super Bowl unlike any Super Bowl prior to it it must have been surreal probably not what you dreamed of as a football player getting a chance to play on the globe's biggest stage no I definitely was still a dream still like I I I can close my eyes and see see the whole scenery one more time you know but um it was an amazing time though just to be out be able to go out there and do what we did that year you know we um we went on a run to to finish that year out like going like eight games in a row or something like that but um yeah it was it was an amazing time though for sure so I wonder what was like then to to be waved at the end of that next summer right you're you're on the rise you contribute to a championship and next thing you know you're looking for your next NFL home what was that like it was rough man honestly it was really rough but um looking back on it um it's definitely shaped me into who I am today you know at the time I didn't understand what God was doing to me and and why he was doing the things that he done to me but um over now that I look back um and it was it was all for a reason you know I was able to uh learn myself as a man learn myself as a player you know um find things out about myself you know um it it basically was like growing pains honestly I figured out things that I needed to work on whether that was Route running you know creating separation little little small things in my game and over these past what three years now um I definitely been digging deep deep in my bag now and then just letting my game just show now let me quickly connect the dots because you go to Houston for a couple months then back to Tampa Bay on the practice squad you spend the first half of the 23 off season with Las Vegas and then the ram sign in May of of last summer MH do you remember your early impressions of joining not just this organization but specifically this coaching staff and this offense it felt real whenever I first got here honestly um I remember my agent calling me saying that the Rams wanted me you know and I'm like for real like no workout no nothing like he like no they just want you like can you be there Monday I'm like man I'm ready so um get here meet the coaches just talk to them and go out for practice or whatever and it just all felt like everything was just clicking you know everything was just clicking um then over time you know obviously I was I was a little upset that I was um I didn't make the active roster last year but like I said um everything happens for a reason and um I just came in every day with the same mindset the same attitude you know um get 1% better day in and day out you know control what I can control and um and I did that you know uh I was still I was still coming in here not ping you know just being being what I had to be you know I was I was helping the defense out that was that was my role last year I had to I had I had to take that role put that role on every single day at the end of the day when I would get home yeah I'll be a little frustrated but like I said it was all for a reason man I was able to work on myself as a player more more than I ever been in my life you know and um I think that last year was really the year that that I truly found who I am you know aw so um it's a blessing I'm I'm thankful for the last year of my life honestly I'm thankful that God placed me where he placed me so I can be able to go out here and and and flourish and continue to shine you know be a be a be an impact you know kind of In My Memory I feel like you and Demarcus almost comeing together that summer and there was a cool moment where you're miked up in the preseason you and Demarcus are just kind of sitting on the bench watching the game talking about your love for football that was kind of my first exposure to you as a person and how much this means to you and I really appreciate the contributions that you both have made to the Rams and your patience with which it kind of took for him to get that four game rip of touchdowns in the playoff push you finished last year getting your first chances a ram R in week 18 and that touchdown against the ners it had been three years how good did that feel felt amazing man scoring in the league is hard very difficult for real but um like I said it's a blessing to be able to play a child's game honestly and as as as my job as my career so um I thank God every single day every single time I step on that field just to be able to go out there and and continue to play you know and um but like I said I love it man and it's something that I want to do until I really can't do it no more you know so um it's just it's just it's just fun to me it's it's like I said a big blessing I can't wait for your next one and your first from Matthew right you got two from Tom one from Carson Wentz now we need to get you one from Matthew yes sir all right time now for a new segment we're calling the wind down brought to you by Sleep Number each week here on Rams revealed we'll get insight into how sleep and Recovery impacts performance in the NFL so Tyler the Rams are traveling over 24,000 miles this season on your schedule so I wonder how you keep your consistent sleep schedule while traveling to places like Detroit to ensure you're getting proper rest and Recovery uh well my sleep is very important to me I love my sleep um I would say definitely on the plane make sure I get a little nap in um get to the hotel you know if we if we ever get a little break make sure I get another nap in um but um yeah just making sure that you know I'm I'm waking up when I got to wake up waking up a little early before the next meeting or whatever it is but yeah whenever I get to sleep though I definitely close these eyes for a little bit I mean it's impressive you're way sharper than I am I feel foggy you look like you're ready to go start a new week because take us through this post game in Detroit I'm trying to wind it back we're wheels up at what like 2:00 a.m. Eastern more or less y you get some sleep on the plane maybe not great every once in a while I was like up and I go to sleep up go to sleep so we land at 3: you're back here at the facility Monday at what 10:00 for a treatment and lift mhm maybe that's what I was missing I didn't get a massage in a lift in that's why I'm trailing um off day Tuesday then Cardinal's pep prep Begins for real let's finish with a a couple rapid fire ones okay Tyler we'll get you on to your day off let's do it uh as we pointed out you caught your first career touchdown down pass from Tom Brady that was against the Packers and I wonder how you think now the goat's going to be on TV as a color analyst I feel like he going to be amazing man I feel like you know I know he know what you're talking about so um but um I'm excited for him you know whenever I get a chance to watch I'm definitely going to watch I know he watching me you know and um but yeah I'm excited for him I was going to say I'm more excited for him to watch you he's going to be on the call in week four when you go play the Chicago Bears okay so show out that game make sure he can talk your connection he probably remembers that text message he sent you back in the spring of 20 uh your college career was capped by what a 12 catch 204 yard two touchdown performance against Auburn in the Outback Bowl mhm that catch on the goal post was sick by the way yeah I went and saw that one again this morning appreciate uh you were the Outback Bowl MVP which leads me to ask could you finish a blooming onion by yourself nah no what if I helped I mean help help probably would be needed for sure I'm more of like the brown bread and butter guy you ever have that at upack house never had that oh no wonder you're in such good shape that's my Nemesis never had that right there funny you finish your college career right where you start your pro career though right at Raymond James was meant to be next stop State Farm stadium in Glendale Arizona week two go get that win for the Rams okay most defa Tyler thank you for some of your time we wish you a a great week of preparation can't wait to see more on the field for Tyler Johnson I'm JB long thanks to all of you for joining us for Rams revealed presented by Sleep Number [Music]