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University of Minnesota Athletics
Under the Helmet: Antonio Johnson
11/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 10, 2015 
Not only do football players break down game film, but they also watch footage of their own practices. The Gophers spend hours at the Gibson-Nagurski complex watching and analyzing both themselves and their opponents.
So what does senior defensive back Antonio Johnson do to wind down after all this? He goes home to a different screen and watches a movie. One of Johnson's favorite pastimes is heading to the theater or picking something to stream. He often watches Netflix at night before road games, too.
"I'll watch it before I go to sleep before the game, just to relax and get my head off football," Johnson said. "Sometimes you need to just relax and not think about football. You can drive yourself crazy if you're thinking about one thing too much."
Johnson said he cuts down on movie time during the season, but in the offseason he estimates going to the theater every other week or watching up to two movies a day at home.
"Sometimes I watch so many movies that I'll watch a movie that I've already seen, but I didn't even realize I saw it until I got to a certain part," he said.
Johnson even took a class based on leadership in movies. Between game film and the high volume of Hollywood productions he takes in, one almost expects someone to tell him, "Go play outside!" But looking at the way he plays defense for the Maroon and Gold on Saturdays, it's clear he makes the most of the time he does spend outside. Johnson has 65 tackles and needs just five more to set a new career single-season high. The senior has also added two pass breakups and a fumble recovery through the Gophers' nine games this season.
"He seems to have pretty good vision most of the time, so I don't worry about his screen time," defensive backs coach Jay Sawvel said. "As long as his football time outmatches his Netflix time, I'm happy each week."
Sometimes Johnson's loves of football and movies overlap. His lists "The Program" as his favorite football movie and notes that it deals with hard-hitting issues.
"A lot of people haven't seen that one," he said. "It's a good one. It's a college football movie. I think that's probably why I like it the most, because there's not a lot of college football movies."
While Johnson is used to the sequential pattern of quarters and play series in the game he plays, some of his favorite movies to watch take a more artistic and roundabout route to the finish than a football game.
"I like movies that start off in the middle, or they start off showing the climax and then they bring you back around to it. I think that's interesting, because it kind of draws you in. Like in an action movie, they might have one of the scenes with the most action in it, and you're like, 'Whoa, how did we get here?' and they go back and tell the story."
Johnson also likes superhero movies, including the Marvel franchise, saying that he has "stayed a huge kid my whole life. I never really grew up yet." He will likely see the highly anticipated "Batman v Superman" movie after it comes out in March. But as big a movie buff as he is, Johnson doesn't always like to go on opening day.
"Sometimes I don't like all the crowds and sitting by a bunch of people," he said. "Sometimes you get a bad seat when you go to something like that."
Sometimes, a quiet night in is simply a better way to relax. Like Johnson, his coaches recognize the importance of finding a way to escape from time to time.
"If you put so much pressure on yourself, you can implode," Sawvel said. "Every once in a while, you've got to have an outlet, a release. You enjoy the guy that watching a movie or sitting down somewhere quiet is their release. There are a whole lot of other things out there that aren't compatible with being a good student or a good athlete that are some guys' releases."
In a more thrilling form of release, Johnson likes to watch horror movies by himself to see if they scare him. He said "The Conjuring" accomplished that feat.
Johnson will offer opinions on movies or other topics if asked or if he feels strongly about something, but doesn't go out of his way to argue. He is often called "quiet" by those within the football program. He lets his play do the talking on the field. The Gophers hope that Johnson's highlight reel this year will be a horror movie for opposing offenses.
So what does senior defensive back Antonio Johnson do to wind down after all this? He goes home to a different screen and watches a movie. One of Johnson's favorite pastimes is heading to the theater or picking something to stream. He often watches Netflix at night before road games, too.
"I'll watch it before I go to sleep before the game, just to relax and get my head off football," Johnson said. "Sometimes you need to just relax and not think about football. You can drive yourself crazy if you're thinking about one thing too much."
Johnson said he cuts down on movie time during the season, but in the offseason he estimates going to the theater every other week or watching up to two movies a day at home.
"Sometimes I watch so many movies that I'll watch a movie that I've already seen, but I didn't even realize I saw it until I got to a certain part," he said.
Johnson even took a class based on leadership in movies. Between game film and the high volume of Hollywood productions he takes in, one almost expects someone to tell him, "Go play outside!" But looking at the way he plays defense for the Maroon and Gold on Saturdays, it's clear he makes the most of the time he does spend outside. Johnson has 65 tackles and needs just five more to set a new career single-season high. The senior has also added two pass breakups and a fumble recovery through the Gophers' nine games this season.
"He seems to have pretty good vision most of the time, so I don't worry about his screen time," defensive backs coach Jay Sawvel said. "As long as his football time outmatches his Netflix time, I'm happy each week."
Sometimes Johnson's loves of football and movies overlap. His lists "The Program" as his favorite football movie and notes that it deals with hard-hitting issues.
"A lot of people haven't seen that one," he said. "It's a good one. It's a college football movie. I think that's probably why I like it the most, because there's not a lot of college football movies."
While Johnson is used to the sequential pattern of quarters and play series in the game he plays, some of his favorite movies to watch take a more artistic and roundabout route to the finish than a football game.
"I like movies that start off in the middle, or they start off showing the climax and then they bring you back around to it. I think that's interesting, because it kind of draws you in. Like in an action movie, they might have one of the scenes with the most action in it, and you're like, 'Whoa, how did we get here?' and they go back and tell the story."
Johnson also likes superhero movies, including the Marvel franchise, saying that he has "stayed a huge kid my whole life. I never really grew up yet." He will likely see the highly anticipated "Batman v Superman" movie after it comes out in March. But as big a movie buff as he is, Johnson doesn't always like to go on opening day.
"Sometimes I don't like all the crowds and sitting by a bunch of people," he said. "Sometimes you get a bad seat when you go to something like that."
Sometimes, a quiet night in is simply a better way to relax. Like Johnson, his coaches recognize the importance of finding a way to escape from time to time.
"If you put so much pressure on yourself, you can implode," Sawvel said. "Every once in a while, you've got to have an outlet, a release. You enjoy the guy that watching a movie or sitting down somewhere quiet is their release. There are a whole lot of other things out there that aren't compatible with being a good student or a good athlete that are some guys' releases."
In a more thrilling form of release, Johnson likes to watch horror movies by himself to see if they scare him. He said "The Conjuring" accomplished that feat.
Johnson will offer opinions on movies or other topics if asked or if he feels strongly about something, but doesn't go out of his way to argue. He is often called "quiet" by those within the football program. He lets his play do the talking on the field. The Gophers hope that Johnson's highlight reel this year will be a horror movie for opposing offenses.
Players Mentioned
Defensive Back
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