Raiders FB Jakob Johnson From Training Camp

HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders have opened their 2023 NFL Training Camp, and fullback Jakob Johnson took to the podium to address the media.

You can watch his entire comments below., and read the transcript:

Fullback Jakob Johnson

Q: Borussia Dortmund was in town yesterday. What was that experience like? What do you think about watching soccer in America?

Jakob Johnson: "It was pretty cool. I got to meet Mats Hummels, one of the 2014 World Champions. I got to meet Emre Can, one of my favorite players. I did get some negative comments on my social media from my hometown because obviously Dortmund is not the club that I'm supposed to be supporting, but I had to take the opportunity man."

Q: I saw you had some thoughts on American soccer fans.

Johnson: "Yeah, it was funny, man. Like every offside, they would yell stuff like it's a football game like: 'Let the boys play,' but it's offside, we need that in soccer you know what I mean. But it was cool.

Q: Barcelona and AC Milan play tomorrow. Are you going?

Johnson: "No, man. Tomorrow is the first day in pads, so I've got to be locked in for that."

Q: How excited are you for pads?

Johnson: "It's the main part that I wait on every offseason. So, a big work day tomorrow. We'll see where we're at with the run blocking and yeah, looking forward to it."

Q: This is going to be a very big time now for Zamir [White]. I'm just curious what you see out of him in his second camp, and what are your thoughts on his maturation to be ready for this opportunity?

Johnson: "Zamir, honestly his locker is right next to mine. I always try to give him a good word every day, but he's just been coming in super focused, working hard, asking questions every day. I'm excited to be out there leading the way for him."

Q: I guess what is the mood in the room with Josh Jacobs not there?

Johnson: "Yeah, I mean everybody is supporting Josh, and this is just the situation. It's the situation around the league, and I hope it gets figured out. We'll see what happens, but right now we're in camp. We have to get ready for our first day of pads, so the mood is good. This is football."

Q: As somebody who grew up without softball being a main sport, do you sympathize with Nate Hobbs's fly catching skills or do you kind of give him a hard time?

Johnson: "Listen, I was right there, and I thought he had to be, too. Actually a couple of innings later I had a fly ball going my way and I let go right over my head too. So, that stuff is a little harder than I guess we expected. Also somebody should have told me before the game to touch the home plate when you want to score. I thought it was more like a finish line situation. But next year we're coming and we're winning that thing."

Q: What is the difference between year one and year two as so many guys now do understand the system and being able to help the new guys, where last year everybody was new?

Johnson: "Yeah, I mean if you're new to offense there's always a lot more work that you have to put in just understanding the verbiage, understanding the terminology. Once you make that step then you can get into the real details of the football, of how you're going to adjust to certain looks, how you're going to key the defense up, and you can think ahead a little bit as a player. So, just having more time in the offense helps, but at the end of the day you have to go out there every day and put it all out there and perform. So, we are taking it day by day, and we'll see where it goes."

Q: Obviously the position is something that's kind of beginning to be phased out of football, and you're the only fullback on this roster. Considering your skill set and what you do, how much pride do you take in the importance that you provide to this team?

Johnson: "I think all fullbacks take a bit of pride in being the last ones who are still here. I don't think the position will ever completely go away. It's been kind of the running story for as long as I've been in the league, five years, that the fullback is going to die out, but really the numbers haven't changed that much. The teams that do have a fullback have fullback, the teams that don't, don't. But I definitely feel like we're standing on the shoulders of giants, guys like James Develin that I came up underneath, Mike Alstott -- all these guys who played the position before us, and we're trying to keep it alive, man."

Q: I see you working with the tight ends and running backs. How many position group meetings do you go to?

Johnson: "I used to be in the tight end room. Here I'm in the running back room. But the fullback, especially in this offense, there are so many different places that you can be that you have to be ready for. So yeah, I just try to take a little bit from everybody."

Q: Are you going to Josh Jacobs, trying to get in his ear to give you some more carries?

Johnson: “Hey man, listen, I try not to be that guy. Wherever coach sees me, that's where I'll be. But I did watch the 2001 Ravens against Tampa Bay game the other night, and that was pretty cool to see.”

Q: Your arrived to the NFL via the International Player Pathway Program and now the Raiders have David Agoha from the same program this year. Are you trying to be a mentor to him?

Johnson: “100 percent. I mean, David's situation is a little different, obviously he came directly from Nigeria and never really played football before. I had the chance of meeting him in the spring already and speaking to him there a little bit, and then now watching him grow throughout OTAs and where he's at now. I think he still has a lot to learn and long journey ahead of him, but he's definitely putting the work in every day and coming to work with the right mindset. Because when you're new to football like that you just have to keep chopping away at it and eventually the dam will break. So, he's on the right track.”

Q: What is your excitement level to get the pads on?

Johnson: “I mean, it's the most important day of the year, right? The first day of pads, real football starts. All the stuff that we X-ed and O-ed out all year, we're finally putting the metal to the floor and getting in there. So, yeah, for me, that's the most exciting part about training camp. And once we cross that we can get back to the third down passes and all that stuff. But the first day of pads is important.”

Q: Is that when the real trash talking starts?

Johnson: “Oh, yeah, 100 percent. I mean, you guys saw it a little bit today, things is getting a little bit more chippy out there. So, I think it's going to be a good day tomorrow.”

Q: Who on defense has been saying enough that they're going to get hit first?

Johnson: “I mean, I think we all know our front man trash talker here on the team, right? The Condor. I mean, he's going to always do his thing. So, we'll see how that goes.”

Q: You are playing with the same offensive line that you played with last year. How much does that continuity make your job easier in terms of picking up blocking assignments and then being the lead blocker down in the A and B gaps?

Johnson: “I mean, it doesn't necessarily make the blocking easier, but it does help with the communication. You know each other, you know each other's tendencies, you can give each other reminders on things that you know that the other person might struggle with. So, yeah, I think the camaraderie and everything has just been coming together a little bit more this year.”

Q: Obviously, Raider Nation is worldwide. There are a lot of Raider fans in Germany. But how much pride do you take in trying to be that ambassador from inside the team to help the fan base grow even more in your native country?

Johnson: “Yeah, I mean, that's been my mission here, right? Trying to expand this pathway that I came across on and the game back home is growing and expanding every year. I mean, the European League of football is going into its third season right now. My franchise is doing pretty good. I think we're sitting at about 6-1 or 7-1 right now. So, yeah, I think that's my role as an ambassador for the sport. Try to do my best to put out content and stuff for the people back home and play good football while I'm at it so I can stay here.”

Q: Is that something that you kind of have a passion for is going back to Germany and hosting your own football camp?

Johnson: “100 percent. We're already working on it. We already had some conversations. We're definitely trying to make this England versus Germany match happen, hopefully in London. But yeah, we both come from international backgrounds, so we try to do our best to grow the game back home because I think eventually that they'll help the league and help us, right? We need somebody to still play football 30 years from now when it's time to collect our pensions. So, anything we can do to pay it forward.”

Q: Do you want to admit publicly that you thought some British food wasn't that bad?

Johnson: “Yeah, I think I can go on record with that. So, I was talking a lot of trash to Jermaine [Eluemunor] about eating beans for breakfast, but I tried that out. It's not that bad. Those baked beans that they talk about with toast. You can do it, it’s doable. It's edible.”

The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.

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