<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2jMnzG_0vlo9aJP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2jMnzG_0vlo9aJP00" width="1280" height="853" ><figcaption>New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs the ball past Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (8) during an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman) AP</figcaption></figure>PHILADELPHIA — When <a href="https://www.nj.com/eagles/">Eagles</a> safety <a href="https://www.nj.com/eagles/2024/09/eagles-inactives-cj-gardner-johnson-will-play-veteran-lb-once-again-a-healthy-scratch.html">C.J. Gardner-Johnson</a> walks into a room, his teammates don’t have to look up to know that he is there. He usually screams or speaks loudly enough to be recognized without sight.His voice never gets tired. He talks trash to his teammates and coaches during practices. Then, he provokes opposing players into making bad decisions like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXe5lsXPlL4">throwing punches</a>.BUY EAGLES TICKETS: <a href="https://go.skimresources.com/?id=126006X1587338&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stubhub.com%2Fphiladelphia-eagles-tickets%2Fperformer%2F761%2F">STUBHUB</a>, <a href="https://go.skimresources.com/?id=126006X1587338&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vividseats.com%2Fphiladelphia-eagles-tickets--sports-nfl-football%2Fperformer%2F669">VIVID SEATS</a>, <a href="https://go.skimresources.com/?id=126006X1587338&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketmaster.com%2Fphiladelphia-eagles-tickets%2Fartist%2F805999">TICKETMASTER</a>Throughout his career, Gardner-Johnson has been criticized for being too rambunctious, including after the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&amp;rls=en&amp;q=Eagles%E2%80%99+15-12+win+over+the+Saints++nj.com&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=UTF-8">Eagles’ 15-12 win over the Saints</a> last Sunday. The 26-year-old played three years with the Saints (2019-2021) before getting traded to the Eagles in 2022, so winning that game was extra meaningful for him.As he walked into the visiting locker room after the Eagles had won, he was heard saying, “They ain’t no contenders, they’re pretenders,” Gardner-Johnson said, according to NFL Network’s Bridget Condon. “They have Derek Carr, remember that.”Gardner-Johnson later joked about the Saints’ defensive backs giving up a 61-yard catch-and-run to tight end <a href="https://www.nj.com/eagles/2024/04/nfl-draft-2024-is-it-time-for-eagles-to-select-dallas-goederts-future-replacement.html">Dallas Goedert</a> on the Eagles’ game-winning scoring drive.“Y’all favorite DBs couldn’t chase a TE down,” Gardner-Johnson posted on X, followed by three laughing emojis.His comments irritated Cowboys edge rusher <a href="https://www.nj.com/eagles/2023/05/cowboys-star-micah-parsons-caught-wearing-philadelphia-jersey-explains-why.html">Micah Parsons</a> and Saints wide receiver <a href="https://www.nj.com/sports/2024/09/saints-wr-fires-back-at-trash-talking-eagles-player-hes-a-little-loose-in-the-head.html">Equanimeous St. Brown</a> this week. Parsons <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmy_CNX7WaU&amp;list=PLoqDIJHlyN3PWwUI1VDMbexYOQp2PtHur&amp;index=1">said on his podcast</a> that he “(doesn’t) know who C.J. Gardner-Johnson thinks he is,” and St. Brown described Gardner-Johnson as a “little loose in the head” during an episode of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxUDXIqdzeaPP4RYbtPM1FDASBcKLEnrM">St. Brown podcast</a>.The Eagles gave Gardner-Johnson a three-year deal this offseason — a year after he left the team to sign a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions — because they missed his attitude on the back end. Gardner-Johnson has always talked smack to opposing players and plays with fiery passion. His mentality has helped Philadelphia’s defense become more physical this season and has made certain players feel more confident.“Oh, he brings that swagger back,” Eagles safety <a href="https://www.nj.com/eagles/2024/04/why-eagles-reed-blankenship-just-had-a-great-day.html">Reed Blankenship</a> said. “We missed that a little bit last year. He’s a very emotional guy. That’s what I like about him. He takes everything to heart. That’s what we needed. I told him when we got here, ‘Look man, you can do all the talking, and I’m going to have your back.’”Gardner-Johnson was voted the “biggest trash talker” in the NFL, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5067161/2023/11/21/nfl-player-poll-2023/">last year’s anonymous player poll from The Athletic</a>.Eagles safety <a href="https://www.nj.com/eagles/2024/01/why-eagles-sydney-browns-absence-will-greatly-affect-the-team-in-2-areas.html">Sydney Brown</a> said Gardner-Johnson’s mindset is “contagious,” so teammates want to emulate his play style. He believes every team needs a player like Gardner-Johnson to “get in someone’s face” and set the tone.“There’s real passion behind C.J.’s game,” Brown said. “You see it every day. He speaks it. He believes it. It’s an everyday thing. The ability to come with that energy every single day, you know it’s passion and not just like a front. It’s the passion he has for the game. He loves football. He works at it.”Eagles defensive coordinator <a href="https://www.nj.com/eagles/2024/05/eagles-vic-fangio-addresses-issue-of-being-an-old-school-coach-in-new-age-of-nfl-players.html">Vic Fangio</a> said on Tuesday that Gardner-Johnson has a “rare personality” and brings a lot of enthusiasm on each play, but he doesn’t want him to get penalized for doing too much. Fangio said he has discussed this concern with Gardner-Johnson.Blankenship, who has a more mellow personality, keeps Gardner-Johnson in check.“If he’s pushing the edge a little bit, I’m going to be like, ‘Alright, we got to chill out a little bit,’” Blankenship said. “You can’t just tell a guy like that to calm down. That’s part of how he plays. I’m going to let him go until he gets close to that line, and I’m going to reel him back in.”Gardner-Johnson has made his presence felt with his play, too. In the <a href="https://www.nj.com/eagles/2024/09/eagles-late-collapse-just-the-culmination-of-a-game-filled-with-bad-mistakes-and-decisions.html">Eagles’ Week 2 loss to the Falcons</a>, they were up by three points when Gardner-Johnson tackled running back <a href="https://www.nj.com/eagles/2023/03/nfl-draft-2023-should-eagles-select-running-back-bijan-robinson-with-the-10th-pick.html">Bijan Robinson</a> for no gain on fourth-and-1 with under six minutes left. His defensive stop gave the Eagles an opportunity to score a game-winning touchdown on the ensuing drive, but they failed to execute.On the final play of the third quarter against the Saints, Gardner-Johnson stopped running back <a href="https://www.nj.com/eagles/2024/09/if-eagles-run-defense-doesnt-improve-the-team-could-implode-this-s-has-to-be-fixed-right-now.html">Alvin Kamara</a> for no gain on third-and-1 from the Eagles’ 18. The Saints went for it on the next play, but Eagles linebacker <a href="https://www.nj.com/eagles/2024/05/eagles-not-using-zack-baun-in-the-position-where-his-former-coach-thought-he-was-best.html">Zack Baun</a> tackled Kamara before the first-down marker. If Gardner-Johnson didn’t make that tackle, the Eagles could have fallen behind 10-0.“He just prepares for those moments. He watches a lot of (game) film,” Eagles cornerback <a href="https://www.nj.com/eagles/2024/05/eagles-isaiah-rodgers-learned-this-harsh-lesson-during-suspension.html">Isaiah Rodgers</a> said. “He tells you throughout the week, ‘Oh, I’m going to do this. I’m going to do that.’ He goes out there and does it every time he says it. Just knowing that’s already speaking it into existence. He’s manifesting every play that he’s making. It’s not nothing new to him. So when it happens, we’re lit because he spoke it into existence.”Rodgers said the Eagles’ defensive back room “never gets mentally down” because Gardner-Johnson uplifts them after they make mistakes. Gardner-Johnson, who has been in the league for six years, has imparted some of his wisdom to the younger defensive backs.Rookie cornerback <a href="https://www.nj.com/eagles/2024/04/nfl-draft-2024-why-eagles-knew-quinyon-mitchell-was-special-after-senior-bowl.html">Quinyon Mitchell</a> said he’s asked him a bunch of questions, and he tries to match his energy. Brown, who is a second-year player, said he has learned a lot from Gardner-Johnson on how to play safety in the NFL.“I love that he is himself,” Brown said. “He is comfortable in his own skin. He says what he wants. He speaks his mind. He communicates well. That goes a long way. Just know that you’re always going to get honesty from him. He’s always going to be real with you. It’s real. He’s a real guy. At the end of the day, I think that’s the best trait you can have. He’s going to be honest with you all the time. Even if it’s good or bad, he’s going to say it.”Many players and fans have criticized Gardner-Johnson for the way he acts. His teammates believe he’s a passionate player who gets emotional about football, but not everyone sees it that way. Some people believe Gardner-Johnson is an arrogant player because of how he expresses himself.“I can definitely see that,” Brown said. “The people that get that (expletive) mixed up, they don’t know what the(expletive) they are talking about if I’m being honest. If they’re going to judge him for having passion on the field or getting mad at something, I would like to see these people in the distance kind of deal with the same sort of stress that he has to deal with on a daily basis.“They have never had a competitive bone in their body to relate to that kind of intensity that he plays with. … That’s just who he is every single day. … If you don’t like him, you don’t like him. I know he doesn’t care.”Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust.Cayden Steele may be reached at <a href="mailto:CSteele@njadvancemedia.com">CSteele@njadvancemedia.com</a></div></body>

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Eagles veteran’s ‘rare personality’ is not loved by everyone: ‘He doesn’t care (if you like him)’

PHILADELPHIA — When Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson walks into a room, his teammates don’t have to look up to know that he is there. He usually screams or speaks loudly enough to be recognized without sight. His voice never gets tired. He talks trash to his teammates and...

Eagles veteran’s ‘rare personality’ is not loved by everyone: ‘He doesn’t care (if you like him)’

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