1st & Goal: Zion Johnson, Los Angeles Chargers Guard

The NFL season is inching closer and closer.

Who are the contenders and who are the pretenders? We have four downs to figure out your team's future. It's time now for First and Goal on the Zach Gelb Show. Alrighty, today we'll preview the Los Angeles Chargers. Zion Johnson plays on their offensive line getting ready to enter year two in the NFL.

I remember when we first met Zion right before the NFL Draft when he came in studio eventually did go on in the 2022 NFL Draft to be a first-round pick, 17th overall, and we'll see what year two has in store for him and he's kind enough to join us on the Zach Gelb Show. Zion, appreciate the time as always, how you been? Absolutely Zach, thanks for having me. It's always great.

Well thanks so much for coming on. So how do you kind of look back at that rookie year for you in the NFL and that transition going from Boston College to Los Angeles Chargers? I mean, I know for our team the end goal was a lot deeper than, you know, we ended up making it, you know. We were able to have some wins, some losses, and you know some good moments, some tough moments, but you know our goal for this year is just to build on what we did last year and continue to become a better football team and win more football games. I know you'd never get over a playoff loss like the way that it happened for you guys, but how do you kind of move on from that to not let it kind of hold you back for what you guys could be able to accomplish this upcoming season?

I mean, you don't forget about it. You allow that moment to drive you forward every day and work on your faults, work on the things you lack that caused, you know, individuals, you know, us as a team to get into that point in that game. You know, we're all striving each day to become better players for our team so that something like that never happens again. For you individually, Zion Johnson, offensive lineman, second year for the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL, where is your game at, do you think, individually going into your number two? I feel great. I feel like I had a lot of opportunity in the offseason to get better, work on the things I know I need to work on, to get even more comfortable in our system and, you know, just kind of, you know, take the honest of trying to master the scheme and, you know, know the most I can about the offense.

And I feel like I've made a step in that regard, but now, you know, it's up to me to prove that and put that on tape. And how about the rest of the offensive line? Tell me a little bit more about the big boys up front. I mean, it's great. I mean, you know, left tackle right next to me is Rashawn. You know, he's a tremendous player, a lot of talent, great leader. I mean, you could sing his praises for hours and hours. You know, he's a great guy. You know, Corey is at center, absolute great leader. He's been in the league for a long time.

He knows how to get it done. You know, Jamari is at right guard and Trey is at right tackle, both guys who are, you know, very talented and work really hard every day. And, you know, I feel blessed to be on the offensive line with those guys, guys that I know I can count on and I know if we put our heads together, we can do something special. Did you have a rookie dinner experience last year? I did have a rookie dinner experience. It came about a little earlier in the year, which was great for me.

We got it over with, but it wasn't too bad. The guys really enjoyed it. We went to like a nice dinner in New Orleans and everyone had a good time. What kind of food are we talking? In New Orleans, you get some gumbo, some crawfish, some poboys, all that stuff?

All of that. The gumbo was great. Crawfish. I think there was something else there that like, I don't know if it was like snails or something. It was something that's cargo baby.

That's cargo. That's awesome. How much did it cost you?

If you don't mind, I can't, I can't remember the exact number, but it was, it was, it was, it was not bad compared to some of the horror stories. You know, we have a great group of guys and they know that like we can have fun and you know, not hurt anybody's pockets. That's awesome. Let's get to the next down Zion Johnson here with us. So talking about the money that's going into the pockets, Justin Herbert got a ton of it yesterday with that monster extension. I know it's someone else's money, but that's your quarterback.

That's your leader of your football team. When you see that extension hammered on out with the organization and him, how did you react to it yesterday? He was awesome.

I mean, he deserves every, every penny of that deal. I mean, he's a great leader, great player. He's just the guy you love to play with every, every game. And, you know, we pride ourselves in protecting him every, every Sunday.

And we can't wait to see, you know, what more he does in the future. I think the world of Justin Herbert, but there are some that say that he's overrated. What do you say to people that don't believe in Justin Herbert? I mean, everybody's going to have their critics. There are people that, you know, let's scoff at them and say they're overrated, but I mean, Justin Herbert is a great leader. We love him on this team. And, you know, we don't listen to that noise. We know what he's capable of and what this team is capable of when we're at our best.

Let's get to the next down. Zion Johnson here with us from the Chargers as we get set for their 2023 campaign. I know that, like you were saying earlier, you guys could learn, and you don't want to forget about that playoff loss, but you want to make sure it doesn't happen again. On paper, this offense with the linemen up front, the quarterback Justin Herbert, you got Austin Eckler back. The wide receiving room was already great with Keenen Allen and Mike Williams.

Now you had Quinnen Johnston at a TC. You got Gerald Everett as your tight end. I think the sky's the limit for this football team on offense.

What type of offense do you think you guys have this season? Yeah, I definitely agree. I think the sky's the limit. I think, you know, one thing that we're focusing on is just making sure that we leave everything out there, every single play. One thing we've been stressing in our room is a lot of people talk about the light at the end of the tunnel. People think of camp that way, that you're looking to get out the end at the end, playing your best and getting through it, but we try to take the approach of looking for the light at the end of the window, the light at the end every single day, and maximizing our talent, maximizing our potential every single day, and, you know, trying to make sure that this offense comes together, and we're able to have those explosive plays, those big plays on TV that we want to have.

For so many years, there's been high expectations for the Chargers, but they've come up short throughout a long period of time. Like, are you aware of that? Do you hear that noise, or is that just something you just only focus on what you could control season to season since you're a younger player in the league? I mean, I know the goal. I know our goals.

Our goals are to win games and, you know, the ultimate goal, but we try to keep, you know, the outside noise, you know, out of our ears, focus on, you know, us, on the team, on our family, and what we're trying to accomplish. What have been your early impressions so far in the new offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore? I mean, it's been great, you know. I mean, we just really started, you know, going full speed.

I want to put the path on soon, but I'm really excited for what we have coming up. And as we said, there's big expectations, a lot of eyes on your head football coach, Brandon Staley. Everyone has an opinion about him, good or bad. You tell me a little bit about your time last year with Brandon Staley, and what stood out to you with him as a head football coach first year in the league?

I mean, I think he's a great guy, a great coach. I mean, the one thing that stuck out to me is even when we got in tough situations where it seemed like, you know, things were in the fan, you know, he's cool and collected, sticks right to the plan, and I feel like that attitude kind of permeates the team and, you know, people start to stay calm under pressure. You know, you see that from from Justin and a lot of the vets on our team that, you know, we understand that there's going to be certain times in a game or certain times during the season where things are going to get tough, but those are the moments that really show you what kind of team and what kind of locker room you have.

And let's get to the final down. Wrapping up with Zion Johnson, you guys suffered a lot of injuries last year, and it was really remarkable that you guys are still able to make the playoffs and be a team that looked like they were headed into the direction that we thought they could reach. How does that affect you guys mentally and does it at all when you see so many teammates? Unfortunately, I know it's part of the game, just get injured.

Yeah, it definitely is part of the game. You know, it is tough, you know, to see guys you practice with, guys that, you know, have done well for the team, get injured and not able to play. But, you know, we have to have the mentality of next man up, you know, with other guys who have been practicing during camp and practicing every day that know that their opportunity might come and they might have to come in the game. So we just have the mentality next man up and, you know, next guy has to come in and really lift us up.

But yeah, it can be tough, especially for the individual because mentally, you know, when you don't feel like yourself, it can kind of, you know, hurt a little bit. But everybody's itching, you know, get back on the field and we know that we have guys to the left and to the right of us that can hold us up. When you look at your division, and really it's the entire NFL, but it hits home for you guys even more because you have to play them twice a year. Everyone's chasing Kansas City. How far away do you think you guys are from catching the Kansas City Chiefs?

I mean, I don't think we're very far at all. You know, we know what we're capable of as a team. We know in all those games that, you know, we've played that they've been close games and, you know, if we, you know, played a little bit better at certain parts of the game, you know, the outcome could have been different.

But now we're just in camp trying to, you know, hone those things, work on the specifics of our craft that can allow for that outcome so that, you know, the next time we have an opportunity we can come out with the win. How's your golf game been? I know you played golf before playing football growing up. I've been wanting to get back on the course, but I haven't really been able to recently, but best believe I'm going to be out there after this season for sure. Oh, win a Super Bowl and you'll have a nice little off season, right?

You go get some away time and not have to work that much harder, right? Yeah, I like the sound of that, yeah. Zion Johnson, always great to catch up with you. Good health and good luck coming up.

You're number two in the NFL. Awesome. You have a good one, Zach. I'm here to tell you about a new show that's going to make you uncomfortable. It's going to make you laugh. You will feel pangs of recognition. It's all about class and it's hosted by me, former working class kid Jonathan Manivar. The show is called Classy and it's full of people talking about all the awkward, embarrassing, and strangely intimate things that class tension makes us do. Available now on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.