This week, Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Kansas City Chiefs legend and franchise leader in tackles, Derrick Johnson, about his new children’s book, ‘Super DJ Saves Field Day,’ Defend The Dream Foundation, and experience playing with Patrick Mahomes for a season.
“Super DJ is my IG name, but I have a tattoo on my arm, a number 11 with the Superman symbol. My family nicknamed me that when I went to college because I blew up on the field, and everybody started calling me super DJ,” said Johnson, “So that was pretty cool, but it’s always stuck with me. It’s just obviously a superhero. Superman was my superhero growing up, and just being able to tap into that, that Superman mentality of just having excellence and doing things at a high level, that’s the professionalism in me and being able to exceed and just whatever I do, even it’s on the field or off the field, or it’s in The classroom or talking to kids, being able to elevate their game on or off the field, through character, through humility, and just through being a good person.”
The 2017 season was Johnson’s last with the Chiefs, but it was also the rookie year for franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who made his impression early in practices.
“In practice, I’ve never gotten fussed at by defensive coaches that much from a scout team quarterback that just lets you know the balls he was throwing and that no look stuff looking this way and throwing that way. I saw that in practice. I thought it was a joke,” said Johnson, “I thought he was playing around. But obviously, that’s what he does. He’s a very confident quarterback. He looks nice, but his arm isn’t nice like he’s all about throwing a big ball. He’s got the ultimate confidence. He’s very skilled. He’s faster than you think. You think you’ll get him down, and he runs away from you a little bit and then throws the ball across his body. He breaks all the rules when it comes to playing the quarterback position. I wish you knew either I was younger, or he was older, so we could overlap a little bit more, but seeing him play is a joy.”
Super DJ Saves Field Day, an inspiring story about a dad-turned-superhero who flies in and helps kids overcome challenges and find their own super powers, will be released under Black Rose Writing.
