Texans Hall of Fame WR Andre Johnson | NFL Players: Second Acts Podcast

What's up, everybody? I'm Peanut Tillman, and this is the NFL Player Second Acts Podcast. And with me, as always, my trusted co-host, Roman Harper. Bro, I'm feeling the gray, the gray, and the gray. That's what's up.

Can we get to our guests? Look, I played against this guy. Really, really enjoy who this person is as a human being. I can't wait to ask him a couple of questions about some of the scrimmages we had, too. back in the day between New Orleans and Houston. So, yeah, introduce our great Hall of Famer.

Hall of Fame receiver out of the U.

The U, baby.

There it is. The man holds every receiving record for the Houston Texans, and he was probably the most, if not one of the most, physical receivers of his era. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the pod, Andre Johnson!

You've never had one of those. Nah, that was a hell of an introduction. I saw it in your face. He was like, never had one of those.

Hey man, I'm trying.

I try to do something different. You did good. Appreciate that.

Man, welcome to the pod, brother.

Appreciate it. Appreciate you guys, man.

Thanks for giving us a little bit of your time today, man. So how did you get introduced to football in Miami?

All my uncles. So my mom had four brothers. All my uncles played football. And so I would hear stories about me watching them play football out in the street and different things. And they say I would sit in the window and look at them and I would cry. And so when I became old enough, I started playing.

I started playing at the age of six and played from the age of six until I retired at the age of 35. So it was something I always loved.

It's just growing up down there. I mean, football is, it's a way of life. Yeah, bro.

It's different.

Everybody talks about it. Florida ball, Miami. Like, tell me, tell me what that is like. Cause I'm from Alabama. So we think we know football, but I'm from Texas. We think we know football.

Yeah. It's, it's, it's, um, I, I, I would always tell people like, we look at it as a way out. Um, out of Miami. Um, that's, that's just, you know, if, if you can't make it, you know, in school, it's just like the only way, other way to get out is through sports. So, um, I remember like me playing little league and just seeing how many people would be on the park. Like it's, you go to a little league game now in Miami, it's crazy. It's so many people on the park. It's like, that's the place to be during football season. So, uh, It's just something we love to do and it's something we take very seriously.

I didn't realize it until Devin started coaching and I'm looking at the little league, this is part one of like coaching the Suns and I'm looking at the crowd and I'm like, these ain't but like.

10 year olds.

Bro, y'all got the whole stand packed. It's like a party. It's like a barbecue. Like everybody is out there. It's a vibe.

Yeah. So when my godson was playing, I would always go back on my bye week to try to catch his, you know, his games. And man, people would be on the park at like seven in the morning. They sitting up their barbecue grills, like, because they have to get their spot because they know they're going to be in that spot the whole day. And they're going to sit and watch all the games.

It's an experience.

It really is. Yeah.

It's definitely an experience. So how did you get to choose the University of Miami? How did that come about?

Growing up in Miami, man.

You just knew you wanted to go there?

Yeah, I remember watching Lamar Thomas and Ray Lewis and Michael Barrow, all those guys, Sap. And I used to, it just looked like they was having so much fun, you know, playing the game. And I used to always be like, man, I want to play there. Like, I just want to be a part of that. And I remember when they offered me, I was just like, I was so excited. And the crazy thing was my first letter I ever got was from Florida state and I hated Florida state.

Just because you lived in Miami. They did nothing to you.

He's like, I just hate them.

Yeah. I hated Florida state. I was cause I was such a huge Miami fan and I was the rival. So, um, but when I got the offer from Miami, man, I was so excited. I was so happy. Uh, coach Ogeron, I will say this, um, A lot of people don't know this. I almost ended up going to USC.

All the way out there? Yeah.

Coach Ogeron was recruiting me, and he did an amazing job. So I remember my mom, she was like, man, I don't know what I'm going to tell these coaches. You got me thinking you're going to Miami. You about to switch. But, you know, at the end of the day, I knew Miami was the place I was supposed to go.

The one unique thing, and I got to admit, all right, because when, and I know it's been forever and they've upgraded the facility since, but you don't go to Miami for the facilities. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. I was blown away at the level at which the facilities were because of all the greats that have gone through those hallways. And it's like, no, you go because of the people.

Yeah, when I got to Miami, the weight room wasn't very big at all. It wasn't too much bigger than my high school weight room. And I know some high school weight rooms that were bigger than our weight room when I was in college. So you wasn't going there for the glitz and the glamor. There wasn't nothing that was gonna be there that was gonna make you be like, oh, I gotta go to Miami. You were going there to compete and win, and that's what it was about.

What about that 2001 Hurricanes team? Is that the greatest college football team ever assembled? I mean, you got the stats to back it up, but I just want to hear from you.

Yeah. I don't see... I don't think you'll ever see another team like that. I think it was 30-something guys got drafted off that team.

I agree.

I was. It's funny you bring that up. Somebody had asked me about the 2001 team a couple days ago, and that incoming freshman class was Frank Gore, Sean Taylor, Kellen Winslow Jr., Roscoe Parrish, and Trell Rowe. I can't remember who else it was, but you look at just those five guys alone. They were incoming freshmen on that team. Those guys never even played. Like, they were running down on kickoffs and stuff like that.

Oh, they played special teams.

Yeah. Okay. Like, Sean never even– we had to, like, blow somebody out for them to even get in the game.

Yeah.

So, those guys never even really touched the field or really even got reps. So, I mean, it just shows you the depth that we had as a football team. I mean, if you look at the backfield, you had Clinton Porters, Willis McGee, Frank Gore, and Najee Davenport.

They had to move Davenport to fullback.

Just to get them reps.

That's insane to me. And DJ Williams was the backup fullback.

DJ actually started off playing fullback before he switched.

Over to linebacker. That team was crazy though. I mean, you had the Shock was there too, right?

Shockey. Yeah, we had Shockey. Reed. Vince Woolfolk didn't even start. You had Vilma. DJ, we've mentioned.

Was McKinney?

Brown McKinney was on that team. Yeah, Brown McKinney was on that team. Yeah, we were loaded, man.

That was a good team.

Was it Larry Coker?

Yeah, he was the head coach.

So what was practice like for a team like that? I mean, all those personalities.

It had to be like super competitive.

Man, so.

We would go from stretch to stretch. straight into the goal line, like competition period. Like ones versus ones. Like you had to be ready to go like right off the top. And it was the most competitive practices I had ever been a part of. Cause you can imagine going against Phillip Buchanan and Ed Reed and Mike Rump every day. Like you going against these dudes every day.

So when you got in a game, it was just like, I don't win against the best already. So, you know, you just go out there and do your thing. You knew you wasn't going to face nobody that was better than them. So. It was, but it was some hell of a practice. He left a year before.

Yeah. All right. So no, no, go Swayze.

Yeah.

How was, how was Swayze? So Swayze coached me in high school in Texas. He coached me like my sophomore junior in high school and taught me a lot, learned a lot, learned about, I learned how to lift weights because Swayze, we was doing stuff, but he was like, nah, man, you know, do this thing. So learning, learning how to play the game, learning the weight room, learning how to run.

You know, he had us on the track, helping us with that. So what was your experience like with Swayze?

Man, Swayze was the best, man. I got a chance to actually speak to him maybe like a month ago. We still keep in touch. Hell of a guy, man. Hell of a dude. And I've never seen a coach that has wanted the best for his players as much as Swayze has. He's always trying to put you in position to be successful. And sometimes it seems like he wants it more than the player wants it. But just a great guy, man. Taught me a lot about taking care of my body, things in the weight room, like you said. Even Another thing people don't realize, him being a former player, I mean, he could be on the field and he could show you something real quick on the field that will help you in your game. And he just had an effect on you in so many ways.

And that's what I loved about him. Yeah.

So for those listening, Swayze is Andrew Swayze. He coached me in high school. And then he went down to the UN, was there strength and conditioning coach? Yeah, strength and conditioning coach. But he was a hell of a DB, played for Baylor. Yeah, he went to Baylor and played.

He's at Colorado now with Dion. Dion, okay.

Oh, them boys going to be ready.

Yeah, Colorado. You hope so.

It's just so hard to build a roster now because of, you know what I mean? Yeah, it's tough. I want to know this though, because that team at Miami was so swaggy. You had players with all kinds of personality. You had all this, top tier talent, and your quarterback was Ken Dorsey. Seemed like the most quiet. You know what I mean?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

He was a quarterback's coach in Carolina when I was there. So I've got to know him. And he is kind of just like normal kind of dorky a little bit, quiet guy. But you're after you. And so it just, how did all of that go?

Did y'all break some swag out of him?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. What was he like as the quarterback of those teams?

A lot of people, I mean, you see Ken now like, You gotta know him. People say that about me, like, man, you so quiet or whatever. I think it's just about getting to know a person, right? So me and Ken Dorsey, we came into Miami together as freshmen. We were suite mates our freshman year. He was always quiet. He'd be sitting in the room by himself sometimes. I'd go in there and just start talking to him or whatever. And I'll never forget, like, I remember when, you know, he became a starter. And we used to have these meetings on Thursday. And one day Ken just, I think it might have been the first game of the season, somewhere like the beginning of the season. And I'll never forget, Dorsey got up and he was like, man, I would

go out there and throw a fucking interception on the first play of the game. on purpose just because of how much confidence I have in my defense. And I had never heard nobody say nothing like that. But it just showed how much he believed in his team, how much he cared. And man, the way he approached the game, he had some swagginess about him now. It's just you had to be around him or be his teammate to see it. Even when I see him, I end up running into him. When he was in Buffalo, we were playing against the Bills, and somebody's just catching, he throws me a ball, and I'm just like, okay, here you go.

So he's a low-key, funny guy, but I love Dorsey, man. I love everything about him.

So we're same draft class. You get drafted, I think, third overall in 2003. You go to Houston. The Texans had only been around like a year or two. So they're like super, super young. What was your welcome to Houston moment?

Welcome to Houston moment.

Are you going to say on the field or off the field? Because I think off the field Houston is like, I mean, you can go a thousand ways with that question.

It's how you interpret it. It is how you interpret it. I'm going to let you take it.

Welcome to Houston moment. I wouldn't say... I know everybody always say they welcome the football moment has always been like a hit or something like that. I was on a practice field. We were in OTAs. And I was on the field one day. And I don't know, bro. I was like in a daze. Like I'm standing there and I'm just looking over across the street at the stadium.

And I'm just like, I'm just standing there. I'm just looking at it. Now my IU practice is going on. But. I'm not in taking reps at the time, and I'm just standing there. And something I just snapped out of, and I was like, damn, I made it. And I was just like, I'm here. Because that was always my dream of playing in the NFL. So when I was there, and I think it may have been my first or second practice, and I'm just really just sitting there dazed out in practice, staring at the stadium. So I would probably say that was my welcome to Houston moment. Okay. Okay.

Now, did you listen to screw music?

Hell no.

Oh, my God.

Yes. No. No.

No Swooshy House. No DJ Screw. Oh, that just hurt my heart. Dre, you just hurt my heart, cuz.

Yes.

Oh, my God. You just hurt my heart.

Yes.

You know, this is so good.

And that is the podcast, ladies and gentlemen.

We are done.

It's a wrap.

Yes.

And cut. Yes.

It's so overrated. Seriously.

So overrated. No. So overrated.

Okay.

So we had a few guys from Texas that I played with at Miami. So the crazy thing is me and Slim Thug, we were the rapper. Yeah, yeah. We were just talking about this the other day. A lot of people didn't know that I knew Slim before I actually got to Houston.

Okay.

Because one of Slim's closest friends played with me. at Miami. So they used to come down and hang out with us all the time in Miami. So I already knew Slim and they whole crew before I even got to Houston. I used to hear the music and I'm like, man, what in the hell is that? So, you know, it's like it's dragging and I remember it was some, we had some girls I ran track with that was from Texas too that ran at my, and they used to play it all the time and they'd be doing these little dances, and I'm like, man, y'all need to take that shit back to Texas. In Miami, we don't listen to that. And I'll never forget, one of them told me, they was like, you need to stop talking like that, because you're going to end up going to Houston. And

I ended up going to Houston. But now it's kind of, I wouldn't say I listen to it now, I'm more, I accept it more now, because I've been around it, and I hear it a lot now, so It's different. I've embraced the Houston culture.

There you go.

Shout out Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Chameleon Air. Swoosh a house.

If you see screwed up, click. Let's go. Great guys. Let's go. Let's go. Yeah, when I first heard it, I wasn't a big fan. It didn't make any sense. Everything kind of sounds the same. Anyways, we don't have to go into that. But I'm glad you got that out.

I'm glad.

Dre, man, what was it like for somebody like you who doesn't try and, you're not your typical wide receiver. I just hate to say that. I mean, not just your size that stands out, but you don't have the over-the-top personality that, hey, I'm me, me, me. That's not you. So what was it like with that type of attitude, being the wide receiver, but also you became the face of the franchise as a very early part of your career for Houston. You were the guy. You were the big ticket.

Well, for me, I've always been that way. I never been just a me guy. I've always been a team guy.

Yeah, for sure.

I always wanted the team to be successful. And for me, coming to the Texas organization, it was tough at first because I had never lost that much. So it was tough, man. I remember coming in after a game one time and man, I took my helmet and I slammed it so hard into the locker and my receiver coach, he pulled me out the locker room. And I think at the time it was probably one of the best things I needed to hear because I had the mindset of like, I'm going to go out here and win this game. Like no matter what, like I'm going to go get it done.

And in the NFL, man, you can't do it by yourself. Like, And I'll never forget, he pulled me out of the locker room, and he told me, he say, listen, man. He put both his hands on my shoulder. He was like, man, Kippy Brown. He was like, listen. He was like, you got to only control the things you can control. And that was probably one of the best things he ever told me. And when he told me that, it kind of settled me down, and I was just like, you know what? I'm going to go out here. I'm going to work every day. I'm going to control the things I can control. And when plays come my way, I'm going to make them. And wherever the marbles may fall, that's where they land. And that's just kind of the way I approach it.

I want to know something.

So in Chicago, we had a thousand quarterbacks. We had good receivers, but we always had a thousand quarterbacks.

You were a great introduction to this.

You were a great receiver. You had a thousand and two quarterbacks. But every season, you was productive as hell. how hard was that having so many different quarterbacks? Not like a Peyton and a Marvin Harrison, a Joe Montana, a Jerry Rice. You didn't have that. How were you so productive?

Well, I mean, for me, whoever was the guy at the time, I just always did extra with them. Okay. So Kyle Shanahan was my receiver coach when Kubiak um, got there and Kyle had gave me like this whole different type of vision towards the game. Um, just listening to him and the way he broke film down and the way he just like showed me certain things on routes.

Um, Is this early in your career?

Uh, yeah. So I'm in my, going into my fourth year. Okay. And, uh, I'm just like, damn, like I never really looked at it like that. And so one day he told me, he was like, man, why don't you go sit in the quarterback meeting? And I was like, well, I'm like, why would I go? So he said, man, just go sit in the quarterback meeting. He's like, you know, everybody being there eating breakfast because the quarterbacks would meet before we had the actual team meeting. So I was like, all right. So I just listened to him. I went in there and started sitting in there and I started noticing, that I started seeing the same things the quarterbacks were seeing on the field. So Sharp used to always tell me why he wouldn't throw me the ball. So when

I come back to the huddle, I'd be jogging back, but I ain't throw it to you because of this, this, that. I'm like, yeah, all right, whatever. But then when I started going.

To the- Was this every time? Like, I didn't throw it to you because of this. I know you, but you didn't get it because of this.

Interesting, okay, okay. So once I started going to the meetings and stuff, I'd be jogging back, and I said to him, and I started noticing, I'm like, okay, we're seeing the same things, like we're out on the field, so whoever was the starter that week, I was in the meeting, so I'm hearing the same things they're hearing, I'm seeing the same things they're seeing, so for me, when I would go out on the field and play, or I would tell them, hey, if I'm running this route and they're in this coverage, I'm going to do it like this, or I do it like that, and you know, we were on the same page and it, it just worked out.

So would you suggest that to other wide receivers as they were coming to Houston?

Like maybe you guys need to go sit on a quarterback meeting. I, I, you only could suggest so much. I don't think, um, some of the guys, they be young, so they don't realize it. Cause they, you know, they, they, they look at it like, Oh, you just go out there and play, but they don't see the work you put in behind closed doors. So, um, You could suggest it, but it don't mean that they're gonna do it.

All right, I got a question for you. Cause I kind of remember like, so for those that don't know, the New Orleans Saints and the Houston Texans would scrimmage in pre-season before we played pre-season games. Felt like two or three years straight we would do this. They came to New Orleans, then we would go to Houston, And it was like, these are some of the biggest camp fights I've ever been a part of.

That was mine. That was like, how many fights did y'all get? It was bad.

It was like, it was brawls. Would you agree? And I just want to know, how did you like, I've never seen a guy be as great as Andre Johnson. And he was like, versus those scrimmage days. It was like, you know, Andre Johnson, you don't practice. You kind of just like, we don't need you. We don't trust these Saints guys. They doing a lot out there. I want to know like what.

Was the- They had bounties on people probably.

What was the meetings like? What do you remember about those practices?

Man, like you said, it was a lot of fights. I mean, I think that's the first thing that jumps off. But I will say they were, I think they were great practices though because you guys were a hell of a football team. And I know for us as a team, we were trying to still build as an organization and to compete against you guys for three, four days and then play you in the preseason game. It was great for us. Believe it or not, it was something we actually looked forward to, to go and practice against you guys, even though I didn't get to practice all the time.

I'm just glad he admitted that because our producer Tom was like, man. So I was like, dude, we used to scrimmage every year. He's like, man, what was that? I was like, dude, it was a lot of fights, number one. It's always fights. I was like, and I would look up and I'm like, dude, Andre was like, he's like... he wouldn't practice, he would do like the little things early.

I would do my workout. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Then it was like, the moment we start going, it was like, yeah, Andre out. Like, we not gonna let him go with them, no. And everybody else, so when the fights would pop off, he was like, he wasn't there. Yeah, it was cool, but yeah, okay.

Yeah, I always, it was funny because when the fights would break out, I would just sit back and watch. And I would laugh because I'm like, these dudes ain't doing nothing but wasting energy.

It's a whole bunch of wasted energy. It's hard.

Cause you still got to practice.

You still going to practice.

You got to go and still do the plays anyway.

They always say we're going to throw you out and they don't throw anybody out. We did the same thing. And I think we, we practice and we scrimmage against St.

Louis Rams and Torrey Hall and Isaac Bruce sideline fight breakout day on the sideline. They just chilling. So I get it. It's got to protect the investment.

I just wanted to see if I remember that correctly.

I want to talk about this Jaguars game you played in 2012.

273 receiving yards. You was in the zone.

What made that game so different versus some of your other games? What was so special about that game for you to go off the way you did?

To be honest, it wasn't nothing special about it. To be honest, I didn't even realize I had those stats until I came in.

And 14 catches, 273 yards, one touchdown.

And you had the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

I didn't realize until after I came in the locker room. And one of the guys was like, man, what you was trying to go for, 300? And I was like, what the hell are you talking about? And he was like, man, you had 273 yards. And I'm like, what? Okay. But when you're out there playing, like, you're just trying to do whatever you need to do to win the game. Like, I wasn't sitting there, like, I wasn't a guy who was like, oh, how many catches I got or, you know, what's this or what's that. I'm just trying to do whatever I could to help my team win. But if you want to call it in the zone, I mean, evidently I was in something that game because they were throwing it to me and I was making it happen, so.

How you only got one touchdown on 14 catches?

Well, when you play with Arian Foster. Yeah, okay.

We give the area when we get close.

I get it.

Nevermind. When you play with Arian Foster, that's how you get it. Give Arian the credit. I get it. I was wondering that in my mind. I'm like, did they just give the area?

What else do you want? You only got one touchdown.

You only got one touchdown, 14 catches.

I mean.

That really crossed my mind. I'm sorry. Damn, bro. I'm just asking.

That ain't enough.

273? It's pretty good. It's pretty good.

Amazing.

It's pretty good. It's incredible. It's pretty good. How does it make you feel when I tell you that you're the only Texans Hall of Famer?

One of one. Well, yeah, for now. JJ will be up in a couple years.

So that's what you think.

All right.

Let's give Andre Johnson some. How much pride do you take in being the first?

Oh, I take a lot of pride in it. I don't. That's not something I take lightly. I remember going to the Pro Bowl. I think it was my first Pro Bowl. And somebody, you know, they call you up. alphabetical order by your team or whatnot and I was the only guy there from the Texans and I remember them saying like Denver and Houston's up next and whatever and I remember seeing somebody lean over there and was like who the hell here from the Texans and I was like so disrespectful yeah like I'm like what like so I never like approached the guy I never said anything but it was something I internalized yeah and I was just like you know what I was like Okay, like nobody respect us. So I was like, it's up to me

to make that happen. And that was just something I put on my back myself. Like I never shared that with anybody. Even after it happened, I never shared it with anybody. It was just something I just use as a motivation. And I was just like, I'm gonna make people respect us. Like people gonna know who the Texans are.

And I'm gonna make sure, you know, when you think of the Texans, you don't think Andre Johnson.

I think I would say is, You are such a quiet professional.

You know what I'm saying?

Like, y'all would have a losing season, not the greatest season. You wouldn't make the playoffs. But you produced, your production was, like, there every single year. We would look at, when we used to do the Pro Bowl voting as DBs, we're looking at the stats. Obviously, we don't vote for y'all.

Y'all on the AFC. But we're looking. I was like, God dang.

Andre Johnson got what? He got... But you're just... I think we can agree that receivers are divas. Like they're, they, Oh Mimi, you know, they're, they're super loud, but you weren't that. And I, I think a lot of people, you just flew under the radar.

So, well.

Yeah.

That's why people just like, who the hell?

It's hard to say under the radar, but yeah, it's interesting. Yeah.

I always tell people, um, I remember we were playing Philly one year and I remember after the game, Dante Stallworth walked up to me and he was like, man, you got to get in a bigger market. This is like a crazy thing. But he was like, I'll never forget it. He walked up to me. He was like, man, you got to get in a bigger market. He was like, man, being here ain't going to do it for you. He was like, because the things you're doing, he was like, it should be recognized. He was like, you're not getting the recognition you deserve. But that wasn't, to me, that wasn't like a big thing. It didn't, that didn't affect me. Like, I just want, And then too, like going to a new organization, I think you can go, like you can

go to New England and they've already won three or four Super Bowls, right? But you go to Houston who hasn't accomplished anything, nothing at all. And you can go and be, help build the foundation there and be a part of something special. So for me, that's why I never left. Like I wanted to be, you know, to be the, part of the first playoffs, you know, and things of that nature. Was hoping that one day eventually get to a Super Bowl, it didn't happen. But if you walk in that stadium right now, you look at the jerseys that's in there, it's probably majority 80 jerseys, you know, my jersey. So I've left some type of foundation there that's helped build it.

I like that. So I got this one.

Okay.

Who were some of your best.

Matchups at cornerback?

Best matchups? I know where you're going with this.

No, no, I'm not.

I'm not.

I'm not looking for. I just.

Who was some good competition? Always. My favorite two guys to go against was always Darrell and Champ. Yeah. They were always my favorite two. Why? I don't know. I think. for me just being a fan of the game. Um, cause I, even just like, I'll say watching the game, I was always a fan of it, you know, when I wasn't out there competing. So those were, those were my two favorite cornerbacks to watch, you know, um, just as a fan of the game. So when I got a chance to play against him, you know, it was always a little bit more, you know, extra there. But, um, You know, competing against you guys, I mean, it was something I looked forward to. You guys were great players also.

So I never took anybody less lightly than the next player, you know, because at the end of the day, you're in the National Football League. You're the best of the best. And I remember competing against you the whole week. All I'm saying, man, you better protect that damn ball because he's going to punch it out. I just knew like, I'm like, I was determined. I was like, I'm not letting him strip me. Like. I didn't.

He got, he got one over two in the end zone. Fade route, end zone. I was so mad. I was just like, yeah. I told Moody the story or I told Jake, I told someone the story. I had the bad shoulder four days after the game. I had to get surgery.

So I had like zero strength. I probably shouldn't even play.

And it was a fade over the, I think you lined up on the left side through the fade.

It was a perfect, perfect position.

I had it, but I didn't have, I.

Had like zero strength. And he just like, give me that.

I was like, oh, hurt me.

But I got a forced fumble on the running back. So I kind of, kind of made up for it. Kind of made up for it.

But I mean, we had some great matchups. I never covered outside.

I was going to say, hold on, you matched up on him?

No, no, no.

How'd you do?

Well, we always, so we had, we would always play a lot more man to man and we would have somebody over the top a lot of times, but he and Jabari always had great, Jabari had really good feet. So, and our corners wouldn't like to get up and press versus you. That's not, they don't feel like they're going to win that one. So they want to get out there.

And dance a little bit. I feel like CJ was helping them out a lot. Cause you know, CJ the one who taught me.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So all week long, he woofing, trying to get us ready. Cause he know, oh, this is one of my boys. You know what y'all going to do about it? You know how CJ talks. But, yeah, man, it was always great. You know, when you have great players and you get to watch them, you understand what the matchup's going to be all week long. And, you know, Andre will have 130 yards, but as long as you win the game. And he probably had a lot of games like that in his career where he'd have 100 yards and it still felt empty because ultimately you didn't get that opportunity to bring a championship or a title to Houston, which is ultimately what you were looking forward to. Um, what about when you guys would win the conference though?

Cause you guys did win the AFC South a couple of times when you were there. And when you guys are rolling with Arian, I mean, you guys were so good. Uh, D'Amico was playing linebacker for you guys. So you had that him, uh, you know, shout out Alabama as well. So, um, he's a roll tie guy. Um, so, you know, just the whole thing.

Right.

Uh, those were the good years.

Yeah.

Talk about those for me, man.

Um, Those years were great. I can remember, you know, us, I think we went like nine and seven the year before. And I remember coming back, we came back and that, and everybody like showed up for off-season workouts that year. But you could just feel like there was a different like sense or like there was a like just a different energy in the building. And just even with the team, like everybody was there, everybody participated, everybody's working hard. And when we got into the season, I think we played the Colts first game. And I think Aaron went off with like 220 something, like something crazy. And I'm sitting there, I'm like, okay, like maybe we got something here that, you know, maybe we, you know, we, we, getting over

that hump. And we had two great seasons, came up short in the playoffs. We lost to Baltimore that first year. And then the next year we lost to New England. But two, I would say those were the two best teams I was a part of, you know, when I was with the Texans.

So I want to transition in the second act. So you retired. You're still living in Houston. What are some of the things you're up to now? What keeps you busy?

Clearly working out.

Yeah. I mean, working out is that's, that's the first thing I get up in the morning, brush my teeth, grab me some, grab me a coconut water. I'm headed to the gym. That's pretty much my, uh, every day. Um, my morning routine before I do anything. Um, but, um, right now I'm still around the organization a lot. Um, doing a lot of going to a lot of the corporate functions and things of that nature, uh, around the owner around Cal and Hannah McNair, a lot, uh, just getting to see that side of football, um, what the front office is like.

Yeah.

Uh, I used to always say I wanted to be a general manager when I was younger. Um, and playing the game. So, uh, just kind of being around that now and seeing how things move and how organizations operate. So that's pretty much what I'm up to now.

I mean, that's gotta be cool. Like, did you ever see yourself? I know you said you dreamed of maybe being a GM, but to, for Houston to be that accepting of you, making sure that you're still around, that you're, you know, you're not on the bottom level, which is not really the bottom level, but, being on the top level of behind the scenes?

Man, you know what, to be honest, I didn't see it. I remember, you know, them even asking me, they was like, you know, what's next? What you want to do? And I don't know, I just told them, I was like, I want to hang around y'all. Just kind of figure it out, you know? But... So I actually... I like that, though.

So they know about the whole GM thing. I did tell them about that. And so in 2019, they had... Well, Bill O'Brien was the head coach then. There's a lot of flaky stuff going on in the organization. But I was on the staff in 2019. And that was my first... That was supposed to be my introduction to it. You know, they were supposed to, you know, tutor me and teach me all these different things or whatnot about how the organization runs and things like that. None of that happened.

And I ended up, so I did, I was on the staff 2019. I ended up, you know, leaving after that season. That's when the whole Deshaun thing came out and I put the tweet out and all that stuff. And after that, after all that stuff happened, we had a meeting, me, Cal, Hannah, and God rest her soul, Miss McNair, Janice, who just passed. And we all sat at the house and we talked and talked about everything and asked me again, like, what you want to do?

I just told him, I was like, man, that's my ultimate dream. But they just told me, it was like, well, we have these things we want you to do. And I was like, cool, I'm fine with that. And once I started doing like the stuff being, going to the corporate things, they started telling me like, hey, why don't you just come sit with us at the games? And then all of a sudden that started, you know, decisions needed to be made and phone calls started coming like, hey, what you think about this? If you was in this situation, what would you do? And I just been, you know, a little help to them in that manner. So who knows where it goes, you know, from here, so.

Well, first of all, that's really cool because you earned that. You earned the right and you earned the trust of those around you. And so that's the ultimate. High five to you. What do you think about this when I tell you about this quote? And this is from the Houston Chronicle. If there was a Mount Rushmore of professional athletes in Houston, Andre Johnson's sculpture would be front and center.

That's crazy because, I mean, when I think of Houston, I think of Nolan Ryan. I think of Hakeem Olajuwon. So for them to say mine would be front and center, that's big. You've left something special on the city. And I always tell people that, even when my friends come to town, even Adrian, he comes to Houston a lot.

And he was just like, man, I've never seen a guy having an effect on the city like you have. And he was like, for you not to be from here, it's crazy. they treat me as if I'm their own. It's funny, because even when I'm out sometimes, I could be at a sports bar or something. We could be watching the games. And of course, they see me watching games.

So people are going to come up. They're going to talk or whatever. And we'll be just talking and talking about the games. And then you'll hear somebody bust out like, are you from Miami, right? And I'd be like, yeah. Nah, you from Houston.

So you still say you from Miami, you don't say you from Houston, I've lived there for so long?

Nah, I still, I'm in Miami all day. All day. All day.

You got the boots, you got a cowboy hat, you got some boots?

Yeah, yeah. Like I said, I've embraced the Houston culture now. I actually just got me another pair, got fitted for another pair of boots about two weeks ago.

So, um, You got to look good when you're up there in the box. You know what I mean?

Yeah, I mean, I'm at the rodeo every year now.

Hey, that Houston rodeo is a vibe.

Really?

Never been?

I haven't been, but I've seen the pictures. I think I'm going to try.

To go next year.

No, it's a good time.

It's a great time from what I've seen on social media.

Yeah, there's a lot of people coming to town for it now. So it's a hell of a– Edron's there. every year now. He experienced it one time, now he comes every year. So it's a great time, man. So like I said, I've embraced the Houston culture. Yeah.

Not only the culture, but the community.

Yeah.

Could you talk about how you've been able to support them? And I know you used to do a toy drive and I'm sure you've done a thousand things and just what that community means to you of Houston.

It means a lot. Damn, it is... It's crazy like y'all asking me these questions. I had a kid, well he's not a kid no more. I had a guy come up to me the other day and was like, man you gave me a bike when I was in elementary school. And I'm just like, what? I know I used to give out bikes, but I'm just like, damn I'm getting old. But it was just, I always said like, if I was to ever make it, I never forgot where I came from. I always want it to be a blessing to people, you know, because you don't know how you may affect them. Like, you never know what somebody's going through or what their day is like. And you giving them that bike or giving them that gift card or whatever it may be, you know, even stopping,

taking a picture or just sharing a few words with them. You don't know how that can change their life. So, so, um, see those kids that are now, you know, grownups, um, coming to you and telling you that stuff. Cause I hear it pretty often. Like, man, you came to my school and did this, or, you know, I remember you took me on this shop. I was one of the kids that went on this shopping spree. It makes you smile.

Cause it's like, okay, man, like these kids really remember that. Like it wasn't something they just experienced and forgot about. They, it was something that they really took and took a liking to. So, it means a lot to hear that. Yeah.

I'm going to go back to his Mount Rushmore quote from the Houston Chronicle. Mount Rushmore, you get four picks. You get four people to put on your personal Mount Rushmore of people that help mold you, shape you into the.

Man you are today.

Four people Mount Rushmore.

It could be about football. It could be personal off the field. It's just the people that who've really had an impact and just poured into you and just had a really, uh, a huge impact on your life?

Um, my mom would be first. Why? Uh, my mom was like, she, uh, I tell people like she made probably one of the best decisions, um, for me. Um, I didn't understand it at the time, But my mama had a saying, she was always telling me, you don't understand it now, but you'll understand it when you become older.

And she sent me out of district to Miami Senior High School, which was probably about 30 minutes, 30 minute drive away from where I lived at. So she sent me to a school where I didn't know anybody. And it was probably one of the best decisions she ever made for me as a, just as just me being her kid, it put me in a different environment from what I was around. I had so many guys that I played with that were, because the guys I grew up around, they weren't focused on, you know, going to college or anything like that. And when she sent me out there to school, man, guys was encouraging you, like, man, you got your, you took your test yet? You know, what's your GPA like? they on you, like they asking

you these questions. And I had never been asked no questions, especially not from my teammates. And it wasn't just the football players, it was the basketball and baseball players. And like even right now to this day, like I was just on the phone last night with two guys I played with in high school. And they just check on you.

Like it's a brotherhood we have. that I don't think a lot of high school, you know, people have, you know, but I would say her, number one. I had a coach in elementary school named Coach Jabali. He played in the ABA. He was, he saw something in me from a little kid that I don't think Anybody else probably seen.

And when I was in elementary school, I used to get in trouble a lot because I hated cheaters. And when we would play sports, we would play football, basketball, whatever, I got into a lot of fights because if I felt like they was cheating, I wasn't going to let it slide. And I'll never forget Mrs. Jabali used to always tell the principal, because my principal, she thought, I was the bad kid, because I would get in fights and stuff. And Mr. Jabali would always come in there and be like, trust me, if he ain't here, somebody did something wrong. And he used to tell her, he was like, this kid going to make it. And he used to say that about me, and I was like 9, 10 years old. And even after I went on to

high school and things of that nature, I would still go back by the school and just go talk to him. And he would always just ask me how I was doing and things of that nature and just making sure I was doing the right things. And he was a great influence on me without even him knowing it.

I love that you went back and seen him too. Yeah. That's good.

Yeah. Third, I would say, I would probably say my great aunt. My great aunt was a very religious person, but She always knew when you was into something wrong. So she's always like, man, I could come home and I don't know if it was just something on me when I walked through the door or.

What, but she knew I was doing something.

She just knew. And she had those conversations with me like, you having sex yet? You know? My mom hadn't even asked me that, you know, but she would have those conversations with me. And, you know, I was able to sit there and be honest and be vulnerable with her about some of the things that was going on at the time with me. And she would she also gave me great advice, you know. about my surroundings and people I was around. So I would put her third. Fourth, fourth I would probably say CJ. I'll probably say CJ because CJ was probably the hardest coach I ever had.

CJ was a person too who saw something in me I probably didn't see him myself at the time coming in as a freshman. CJ used to always tell me, he used to be like, man, if you just listen to me, you'll be a top five pick. And I'm like, how you going to predict that already? But he was just like, man, I'm telling you. But I used to always wonder, I used to be like, man, why is he so hard on me? Why is he so hard on me? And I'll never forget, he pulled me to the side one day and he said, Dre, He said, man, I'm not getting you ready for the cop to play college football. He was like, I'm getting you ready to go to the NFL. I'm trying to make you a pro. And, um, once he told me that, I never forget when he

pulled me to the side and told me that I was just like, man, I'm gonna just listen to what this man tell me, you know, just go with it. And, uh, I did it and just kind of took off with.

Me, man. I love CJ. Um, Rare as far as like, he was a New Orleans Saints coach, wide receivers coach for a long time, head coach at Tulane. And man, he loves his Miami guys. Loves his Miami guys. Even when he was in New Orleans? Loves his Miami guys. I mean, Ed reads from Destrahan, which is right outside New Orleans, and he got him to go to Miami.

And so he has a connection with all these guys. And he talks so great about Andre and I I've seen him work receivers and I understand that. I mean like blocking drills, like getting after guys, like talking trash to everybody. Like I, I love CJ and he was never my coach, but you have that special relationship because of the way he held guys accountable. Like I don't care.

You know what I mean?

He called Colson soft dude. Cause Colson wouldn't come down on the crack block drill.

Right.

Like, it's just like, but the way he motivated these guys, and got things to go, man. I appreciate you. I'm going to tell him you said that. Make sure I hit him up.

Yeah, that's my guy, man. I love CJ to death. I tell people all the time, he don't get the credit that he should get, but CJ was a hell of a football coach, man. He was a hell of a coach.

Andre, that's it, man. We appreciate you coming on the pod. Thanks for blessing us. I know you're a busy man, Hall of Fame, you know. Y'all got y'all handlers.

What has been your best experience by being a Hall of Famer?

Best experience?

Yeah. I like that. Thank you.

Well, I would say I have a couple. Of course, getting a knock from Chris Carter. That, I would say receiving a Hall of Fame jacket at the Gold Jacket Dinner.

Who put your jacket on?

Michael Irvin. So... This was the craziest thing. So at Miami, when we do the Hall of Fame, we get gold jackets also.

Okay.

So Michael gave me my gold jacket at Miami. I don't know who picked them or whatever, but he gave it to me. And I'll never forget when he gave me the jacket, he was like, this won't be the last gold jacket I give you. And so when they asked us, we get to pick who gives us our jacket, and I had the gold jacket then. So when they asked me, I was like, Mike. Like, Mike got to give it to me. And when he did it afterwards, he was like, man, he was like, man, you don't know how much that meant to me. So I knew it meant a lot to him because he had told me that, you know, when I got my college jacket.

So the third one would be the, I was sitting on the patio. It was me, Sap, Emmett. Len Swan, Bruce Smith, Andre Reid, and it was somebody else. I'm missing a person. I can't remember. And it was the year I was being inducted. And I was kind of like sitting in the middle and they were all kind of sitting around me. And I was just sitting there like, damn, like I'm around all this greatness. And I think those are the moments that, that you really realize like, man, I made it. To be out there and sit there and just talk with those guys and hear their stories and different things and learn about them, man. I always tell people I never miss this weekend. God willing, if I can, I would be here every time I can.

Because it's just a great feeling. It feels like you're back in the locker room again. So I embrace every moment of it.

Are you and Devin in the same class?

Yeah.

So I went to the dinner, the dinner on Friday in the gauntlet, and you guys walk out. I'd never gone.

I'd never been. I went when Lack came, but I just did the enshrinement. I didn't do the dinner.

I do the dinner with Devin.

Right.

And, man, I didn't get a go, Jack, and I was crying. Like, it was, that's how powerful it was. Like, it's just, you felt it. I felt the excitement for you when your family was up on stage with Devin and all.

The other guys.

Like it was, it's just a, it's a really cool, it's just a really great experience, man.

And that's what made it even more special to go in with Devin, you know, another cane. So that, I mean, we would just, that's why we were talking about like the whole, every time we were around each other, it's just like, man, like you ever thought we'll be going in the hall of fame together. And it's, it's, it's to be honest, I feel like it's even drew us more closer. You know, we, we, probably talk more now than we ever did. Just, you know, shooting each other text messages or whatever. Like I even came up here today earlier just to go see his team play today.

I'm going to watch his little league team play today. Once I finished with this. So.

Is he in the, the, their little, they got a team, like a game.

Yeah. Yeah. So I, I literally, I was like, Hey man, what's your team playing? And he'll be, we playing on Thursday. All right. I'll be there Wednesday night. Like, so, um, yeah, man, it's, uh, It's a great thing, man. Great experience.

Good. Appreciate you, boss, man.

No problem, man.

We're going to let you go and go watch some football Miami style, how y'all used to do it. You think it's going to be crowded like Miami? People barbecuing?

Nah, I don't think it'll be like that.

I just think it's all the unks. They got side bets in Miami, bro. They all got something going. They all got action. That's the thing.

They got action.

They got action out there.

We got action.

Yeah, they got action.

There's definitely action going on. Yeah, man.

You know what? We talked to Dan Fouts and one of the things that he said that was so beautiful that I don't think we understand. And you guys, when you have your luncheon, the Hall of Fame luncheon, you know, the Hall of Fame is a team that you could never be cut from. You can never be released. And you're like always a member of it. You can never quit it. You can never quit it. And I'm just like, man, that's so unique, right? In our world, our realm where at some point everybody gets told to take their ball and go home. Right. And this is like, man, you like get to go up there and man, it's a blessing.

And I appreciate you, dog. And you deserve every single moment of it. And I love that you're going to be back. And every time I get to come around and be around you guys, I enjoy that moment just to say like, man, this person I played against or they know me or it's just a really, really cool thing. And the football, this is what it gives us ultimately is the memories and the relationships.

Absolutely.

I really don't remember the place, but. I totally remember the relationships.

The brotherhood.

Yeah.

It's all about the brotherhood, man.

Yeah.

We appreciate you.

No problem.

Appreciate you guys.

I'm Peanut Tillman. That's Roman Harper. And that is Andre Johnson. And this is the NFL Players Second Acts Podcast. Cut.

Texans Hall of Fame WR Andre Johnson | NFL Players: Second Acts Podcast

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