“Rodney is one of those guys that I sit down and talk to every pregame for 20 or 25 minutes on keeping my head clean and staying focused,” Johnson said. “It’s more of a father/son talk every time I talk to Rodney. He says if I’m in the headlines, make sure it’s for something positive.”
Not surprisingly, Johnson admires Harrison’s ability to insult.
“He’s an old-school trash talker,” Johnson said. “He’ll hit you and talk trash, punch you at the bottom of a pile and talk trash. He’s an original.”
So is Johnson. He begged Patriots coach
Bill Belichick to lock him up in single coverage. The Pro Bowler has been limited to 137 yards and one touchdown in three games in part because of double and triple teams.
“Tell him please, just give me a little one-on-one,” Johnson said. “I won’t score. I’ll stop at the 1, go out of bounds. I promise.”
Johnson is fun-loving and popular and expects the Patriots to take his words as a challenge.
“It’s funny, but they know I mean business,” he said. “I talk it, but I walk it. It’s never meant in a negative or unsportsmanlike way. Everybody understands it’s merely a challenge.”
Johnson signed off with a request those on the other end were only too happy to oblige: “Don’t forget to relay my messages.”