Oct. 18, 2006
Press Conference quotes from Calvin Johnson on Oct. 17, 2006, as the Yellow Jackets prepare to face No. 12 Clemson
Calvin Johnson, WR
On playing at Clemson – “It’s going to be a real hostile environment the whole game and they have some of the best fans. I have fun playing there. It’s always a tough game, playing there.”
On something that stands out in his mind from up there – “(Making) the game-winning catch. If I see it on TV, but I don’t just go and look at it.
On watching other receivers – “Other then watching my teammates on film, I really can’t say that I watch other receivers. I really pay attention to the defense when I’m watching film or just watching a game on TV. I watch what their effect on the DB (defensive back), if they get up on their route like I do.”
On what has been the biggest improvement for him – “I’m doing a better job on my route running. Getting myself wide open, maneuvering the DB without touching him to where I want him to be at.”
On Reggie Ball’s development – “Every year he has taken steps. This year you can definitely see how many steps he has taken with our record and the success of our offense right now. He has taken control of the offense out there, whether it is practice or the game. He is a whole different player.”
On living up to people’s expectations – “For me it’s not hard, I have my own expectations. I don’t worry about what everybody else’s expectations are. I only need to worry about what I expect out of myself.”
On being discussed for the Heisman Trophy – “It’s always an honor. It’s nothing that I came into the season trying to accomplish. I don’t talk about it, but when I hear it I really don’t think about it too much because I am trying to focus on what I need to do to help us win the next game.”
On why wide receivers don’t usually win the Heisman Trophy – “The more you have the ball in your hand, the better chance you have of winning it.
On the team succeeding in hostile environments – “We just always figure to be the underdog. But we know that we are just as good as the next team. That’s just the way I see it. We have all the talent in the world on this team, so I feel we are just as good as the next.”
On the team’s confidence – “You have to be confident. We have beaten these teams before that we have left on our track this year. We are real confident that we can go out there and win the rest of these games left as long as we go out there and work real hard in practice.”
On what this season could be for Tech – “I think about it all the time. There are two or three big games we have left, all of them are big, but there are several big ones that are going to tell whether we make it to Jacksonville or not. But I’m still focused on this game right here, and the next one after that, but you still think about those games that you have to get under your belt to make it there.”
On the team being more consistent this year – “It’s all in practice. In the past few years we would come off a big game and would not have such a big game the next weekend. This year coaches are not letting us have any lackluster practices, and we are making sure that we practice hard every day and get after it.”
On jumping to the NFL – “I’m just trying to get a degree from Georgia Tech. That’s why I came here, and that’s what I am going to do.”
On agents contacting him – “They call, but if I don’t have a number in my phone, then I know it’s somebody that I don’t need to be talking to. They send stuff, but I just forward that to my folks.”
On what made him decided to be a wideout – “I really did not like basketball, so I quit that in ninth grade. Baseball is what I played all my life, and that is what I wanted to be all my life. But then I started playing football and saw all the attention I was getting and I stuck with that.”
“I played running back and cornerback in middle school, because I did not hit my growth spurt until high school, and then I played receiver.”
On playing baseball – “I played since I was six years old. I was pretty good at it. Football became my focus in high school. I played center field. When I decided to play football here at Tech, the baseball coach here (Danny Hall) wanted me to play, and I talked to him but told him that I was not going to play because I needed some free time.”
On the Clemson game two years ago changing the way people look at him – “That was my coming out. That’s when everybody learned about me. It was a big game for me and it gave me some publicity.”
On his parents’ role in his life – “My mom was a real disciplinarian. My dad was cool and all. Both of them were cool, but my dad was more laid back.”
On his mother earning her PhD (Education) – “She had been working towards that for a long time, so it’s a great compliment for her, and I am very happy for her.”
On playing through his leg injury and coming up with big games despite it – “Basically once your adrenaline starts rushing it really does not bother you until later in the game. After the game gets started, it’s a factor, but not too much.”
