A fascinating glimpse into the mind of Eagles’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson

A fascinating glimpse into the mind of Eagles’ C.J. Gardner-Johnson originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Whether he’s jawing at a teammate, dancing during practice or fielding questions in his first can’t-miss press conference of the summer, C.J. Gardner-Johnson is one of a kind.

One of one.

And he’s always himself.

What about the Eagles organization allows him to be himself?

“S—,” Gardner-Johnson said. “Excuse my language but no filter.”

Yeah, sure, excused.

“I don’t care how y’all feel,” Gardner-Johnson continued before pointing to several members of the media crowd in front of him. “I don’t care how you feel, I don’t care how you feel, I don’t care how you feel. I’m here to win, hold my teammates accountable, hold myself accountable. I get [dogged] on for saying little things. If y’all wasn’t hating on me, I wasn’t doing my job. So I’m glad I got a lot of haters, a lot of critics, if that makes sense.”

Does Gardner-Johnson really have that many critics? Are there really that many who have doubted him? Are there really that many who thought he couldn’t play safety or that he’s not worthy of accolades?

Probably not.

But that’s his mindset and the mercurial safety gave us a glimpse into it on Sunday afternoon following the seventh training camp practice of the summer.

The Eagles didn’t acquire Gardner-Johnson until after training camp concluded in 2022 and then he joined the Lions on a one-year deal in 2023 before coming home to Philly this offseason. So this is Gardner-Johnson’s first training camp at the NovaCare Complex and he’s been exactly what you’d expect.

CJGJ brings the juice. Without fail. Every day.

It’s no secret that he’s been a favorite of head coach Nick Sirianni and maybe that’s why Sirianni gave Gardner-Johnson a chance to get the entire team out of a meeting last week with one jump shot in the auditorium.

He nailed it.

That’s how you become a locker room hero.

At first, Sirianni was…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/fascinating-glimpse-mind-eagles-c-110000557.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-08-05 11:00:00

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