Latest / The Irish Steelers Podcast / From Australia to Pittsburgh: Cameron Johnston on his NFL Journey
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Irish airline aer Lingus will proudly serve as the presenting
- 0:03Speaker 1: partner of Steelers Ireland twenty twenty five. Airlinus's growth in
- 0:07Speaker 1: North America continues in twenty twenty five as the airline
- 0:09Speaker 1: prepares to fly to two new US destinations, Nashville and Indianapolis,
- 0:14Speaker 1: using its new Airbus eight three twenty one xl or aircraft.
- 0:18Speaker 2: This brings the number.
- 0:19Speaker 1: Of transatlantic routes operated by the airline from Dublin, Shannon
- 0:22Speaker 1: and Manchester to twenty four. Steelers fans traveling to Ireland
- 0:26Speaker 1: for the Big Game can enjoy a relaxing journey when
- 0:28Speaker 1: they fly.
- 0:28Speaker 2: With air Lingus. Air Lingus, You're very welcome, everybody.
- 0:41Speaker 3: Welcome into the Irish Steers Podcast. As we get through
- 0:45Speaker 3: mid June, man is how many camp is over and
- 0:48Speaker 3: we're now counting down the days and even counting down
- 0:50Speaker 3: the ours to Steelers training camp in the Troube next month.
- 0:55Speaker 3: Cannot wait for that to happen. Michae mccaid here, delighted
- 0:58Speaker 3: to be joint if you folks for a week of
- 1:00Speaker 3: the Irish Theiars Podcast presented by Erlingus and Steelers Nation,
- 1:04Speaker 3: you know it is time to take flight with Erlingus,
- 1:07Speaker 3: an official airline partner of the Pittsburgh Steeters and the
- 1:10Speaker 3: founding partner of Steeters Ireland. There's never been a better
- 1:13Speaker 3: time to book your trip to Dublin with nineteen North
- 1:16Speaker 3: American gateways, including flights from nearby Cleveland. Get ready for
- 1:20Speaker 3: warm Irish hospitality and plenty of room on board for
- 1:24Speaker 3: your terrible title, whether it's game day or a getaway.
- 1:27Speaker 3: Aerlingus looks forward to saying you're very welcome to the
- 1:30Speaker 3: players and fans of the Pittsburgh Steeters. You can book
- 1:33Speaker 3: now at erlingus dot com. And I know so many
- 1:36Speaker 3: people have booked and are looking at booking because this,
- 1:39Speaker 3: my friends, is a historic week, after all the talk,
- 1:43Speaker 3: after all the build up, after all the discussions, the rumors.
- 1:47Speaker 3: You may be listening to this pre ticket sale or
- 1:51Speaker 3: post ticket sale tickets have or have went and seale
- 1:54Speaker 3: for the Steelers Vikings game for a European audience, generally
- 1:59Speaker 3: on Tuesday afternoon twelve pm Irish time, that's seven am Eastern.
- 2:04Speaker 3: I know a lot of fans are really hoping they
- 2:06Speaker 3: get tickets, and all I'm going to say is this,
- 2:07Speaker 3: I hope he's good sort of folks. More information is
- 2:10Speaker 3: NFL dot com slash Dublin. If you do listen to
- 2:14Speaker 3: this before the tickets go and sale, go to NFL
- 2:17Speaker 3: dot TM tickets dot Ie registering account. It will make
- 2:21Speaker 3: it easier when you buy tickets. Look, we are getting
- 2:25Speaker 3: closer and closer, as I said at the start of
- 2:27Speaker 3: the podcast to Steelers' training camp, and it was great
- 2:30Speaker 3: to hear last week, not just from coach Tomlin, but
- 2:33Speaker 3: from our new quarterback Aran Rodgers. And to hear from
- 2:36Speaker 3: those guys is one thing. It makes you feel like
- 2:38Speaker 3: football is coming back. But obviously I'm not in the States,
- 2:42Speaker 3: and I know a lot of you guys and girls
- 2:44Speaker 3: are not from the US. You know, you have that
- 2:46Speaker 3: international perspective of this league, this game you love, and
- 2:51Speaker 3: that's why I feel like this week, this episode is
- 2:53Speaker 3: really special. Yes, we talk Steers football, but we also
- 2:56Speaker 3: talk about the international growth, the international sort of the
- 3:01Speaker 3: international focus on the NFL. And yes, we put so
- 3:07Speaker 3: many guys like from Arland going over, but we've also
- 3:09Speaker 3: had guys from Pro Kick from Australia for example coming
- 3:12Speaker 3: over now but also in the years before as well.
- 3:15Speaker 3: And this week's guest a guy coming back from injury
- 3:18Speaker 3: for the Pittsburgh Staters. Punter for the Pittsburgh Staters, camera
- 3:21Speaker 3: In Johnson is just a great listen but also a
- 3:24Speaker 3: great guy as well. Had the chance to chat to
- 3:25Speaker 3: him off camera as well. Excited to see him in
- 3:28Speaker 3: Dublin and hopefully La Trobe in the next few weeks. Folks,
- 3:31Speaker 3: if you enjoy your Irish sports, if you enjoy your
- 3:36Speaker 3: own country's sport, and you enjoy living the American dream
- 3:40Speaker 3: in the modern world in terms of learning a new
- 3:43Speaker 3: sport like American football, you're gonna love this podcast. This week,
- 3:46Speaker 3: we're delighted to welcome Camera and Johnson to the Irish
- 3:49Speaker 3: Savers podcast. Okay, as we get actually another week of
- 3:55Speaker 3: the Staters offseason, getting closer to training camp in the troupe.
- 3:58Speaker 3: Delighted to welcome in for the Pittsburgh Seders this week
- 4:01Speaker 3: on the Irish Hitters podcast. Cameron Johnston usually say a falter.
- 4:05Speaker 3: I'll say, Goodeta you man, how you doing. What's the crash?
- 4:07Speaker 4: Well yourself, You've been good.
- 4:09Speaker 3: I'm doing good. It's funny. We've got like, it's great
- 4:12Speaker 3: to have somebody international in this podcast, especially somebody associated
- 4:15Speaker 3: with the team. And I have to start off with
- 4:18Speaker 3: this obviously, I know you've gone the All Zero's background
- 4:21Speaker 3: and our sport over here with Ga Gailey football is
- 4:24Speaker 3: quite similar. Have you ever seen it before? Have you
- 4:26Speaker 3: ever had a chance to watch it?
- 4:27Speaker 2: Ryland?
- 4:28Speaker 4: Yeah, I watched highlights before. It was the like the
- 4:31Speaker 4: International Rules Series back in the day with Australia and
- 4:34Speaker 4: Ireland that always show the highlights of the Gaelic football.
- 4:38Speaker 4: So yeah, I used to love watching that the International
- 4:41Speaker 4: Rules Series I did between Australia and I on that
- 4:43Speaker 4: some of those highlights a while back in the day.
- 4:45Speaker 3: So I love watching it early in the morning. It's
- 4:48Speaker 3: it's it's a great sport as well. And it's funny
- 4:51Speaker 3: because you're obviously from Australia, I'm from Ireland. While it's
- 4:55Speaker 3: still a very very far distance from home for you,
- 4:59Speaker 3: how can do you find it that when you're with
- 5:01Speaker 3: the team this year, the team the Steelers are going
- 5:04Speaker 3: to go over to Ireland, that are all this year
- 5:05Speaker 3: they've got done. Must be great to see it, obviously,
- 5:07Speaker 3: Congratulations to you into all Funds. You guys are getting
- 5:10Speaker 3: the game next year as well, which is really really
- 5:12Speaker 3: cool to see.
- 5:13Speaker 4: Yeah, I think it's incredible. You know, I mean, the
- 5:14Speaker 4: game over there is gonna be amazing. I've been able
- 5:17Speaker 4: to lucky enough to do a game in London once
- 5:20Speaker 4: and that was some incredible time. And then the Irish
- 5:22Speaker 4: game is going to be massive as well. So in
- 5:24Speaker 4: the Australia, I sawry in Melbourne. They were lucky enough
- 5:26Speaker 4: to get one there at the MCG. So it's incredible,
- 5:30Speaker 4: you know, in international games and getting the games over
- 5:32Speaker 4: in all those countries and being able to expose it
- 5:34Speaker 4: to more people.
- 5:35Speaker 3: So how does a guy from Australia land into American
- 5:41Speaker 3: football after kicking a foody?
- 5:43Speaker 1: Ah?
- 5:44Speaker 4: Yeah, it was kind of I was doing Australian football,
- 5:46Speaker 4: tried pro, just didn't really work out, so I ended
- 5:49Speaker 4: up it's a program back there, pro kick and ended
- 5:52Speaker 4: up at Ohio State and then lucky enough to you
- 5:55Speaker 4: we've played in the NFL now here with the Steelers.
- 5:57Speaker 4: So it's kind of wild. I was just see, I mean,
- 5:59Speaker 4: out of nowhere, going from you know, playing Australian rules
- 6:02Speaker 4: football and then eight months later you're in college. So
- 6:05Speaker 4: but no, it's been an incredible journey a lot of
- 6:07Speaker 4: fun and I mean aiming just to keep it going
- 6:09Speaker 4: as long as possible.
- 6:10Speaker 3: Sir, being with the Eagles and the Texans, was it
- 6:14Speaker 3: like sailing with the Staters and walking into the facility,
- 6:18Speaker 3: not only you know, when you're training there, but even
- 6:21Speaker 3: going and seeing acreator as well. It just feels like
- 6:23Speaker 3: it's just something different than that heads in the league.
- 6:26Speaker 4: It's an incredible team, an incredible organization. I mean free agency.
- 6:30Speaker 4: When the when the chance came to be able to
- 6:31Speaker 4: come with the Steelers, you mean me and my wife
- 6:33Speaker 4: and my family, we jumped at the opportunity as quickly
- 6:35Speaker 4: as possible. So I mean the history and just you know,
- 6:38Speaker 4: I mean and coach Tomlin and Denny Smith feels, you know,
- 6:42Speaker 4: it was an easy decision to be able to come here.
- 6:44Speaker 4: And I mean even though we got injured last year,
- 6:47Speaker 4: we've loved every moment we've been here.
- 6:50Speaker 3: That like, look, there's no point in me putting the
- 6:52Speaker 3: round it. That must be very difficult week one of
- 6:54Speaker 3: the season, having that injury, when you've got such a
- 6:58Speaker 3: like a like a long off season, a sense of
- 7:00Speaker 3: you know from like if you play the fall season,
- 7:02Speaker 3: you got from January or February to September, iilders months
- 7:05Speaker 3: in between. You've had more time than other people to
- 7:08Speaker 3: sort of get ready and to go again. How much
- 7:11Speaker 3: of a challenge have you found that or have you
- 7:13Speaker 3: sort of enjoyed the process of sort of resappened and
- 7:15Speaker 3: getting ready for this year, because we've seen quote on
- 7:18Speaker 3: Courte that you're booming.
- 7:18Speaker 2: The hell out of the ball, so that that could
- 7:21Speaker 2: be a good say, yeah, it was.
- 7:23Speaker 4: It's been a long process, you know, injured what's that
- 7:25Speaker 4: in September, got the surgeries done, and then I've kind
- 7:29Speaker 4: of just been I've been in Pittsburgh just working ever
- 7:31Speaker 4: since then. So you know, it was a long journey.
- 7:33Speaker 4: But you mean once we were able to get back
- 7:35Speaker 4: out on the field punting, you know, in feb Or,
- 7:37Speaker 4: so it's been fun. And then to be back out
- 7:41Speaker 4: here in OTAs, you know, it's just credit to the
- 7:44Speaker 4: incredible stuff we have here, the medical stuff been able
- 7:46Speaker 4: to get me back for OTAs is it's been so
- 7:49Speaker 4: much fun. So and then you know, looking forward to
- 7:51Speaker 4: mean full go camp camp and La Trow like, I
- 7:53Speaker 4: can't wait for it.
- 7:55Speaker 3: Talked was a bit of a couches what's he late?
- 7:57Speaker 3: Because obviously we see the ones out of them where
- 8:00Speaker 3: it's he's a bit of crack on the field. As
- 8:01Speaker 3: we say, he's a great interviewer, but the respect that
- 8:04Speaker 3: his players seem to have for him as well is
- 8:07Speaker 3: just top tier. What's he like as a coach?
- 8:10Speaker 4: Oh, he's incredible, super high energy, incredible knowledge. I think
- 8:13Speaker 4: he's I think you said the other day, a what
- 8:15Speaker 4: thirty one years or something in the in the NFL,
- 8:17Speaker 4: So you know, I mean, he's seen every situation. His
- 8:21Speaker 4: knowledge is amazing. So you know, that was one of
- 8:23Speaker 4: the big reasons signing he was to be able to
- 8:25Speaker 4: plan an under him. So you know, he always learned
- 8:28Speaker 4: something new every day. He's got incredible stories from his career,
- 8:32Speaker 4: so you're always learning, and you know, you're always trying
- 8:34Speaker 4: to ask you questions to make sure you're ready to go.
- 8:38Speaker 3: The obvious question for you is obviously around Ots mandatory
- 8:43Speaker 3: mini camp last week, we're getting closer and closer to
- 8:46Speaker 3: Steelers training camp. In the Troupe International media presence last
- 8:50Speaker 3: week with Arn Rodgers coming to the building, what's the
- 8:52Speaker 3: vibe like just generally with a team, because even from
- 8:55Speaker 3: watching that press conference and from watching coach Tom and
- 8:57Speaker 3: this seems like the team's really locked in and they
- 9:00Speaker 3: know that the job to do the season and the seams.
- 9:01Speaker 3: They're really went up a year month.
- 9:04Speaker 4: Yeah, no, it's incredible. You know, management Mini camp's always
- 9:06Speaker 4: a good time, you know in the longer days, higher
- 9:09Speaker 4: energy and yeah, I mean it's just the vibes and
- 9:12Speaker 4: around the buildings, incredible curs. Trumplin does an amazing job putting,
- 9:15Speaker 4: you know, people under pressure and then you in getting
- 9:18Speaker 4: you to perform at such a high level at this
- 9:21Speaker 4: time of the year. So no, so it's great, you know,
- 9:24Speaker 4: there's all Yeah, it was a little more media we'll
- 9:26Speaker 4: laugh on without watching on the sideline, but no, it's
- 9:29Speaker 4: it's a great time of the year. The weather is
- 9:31Speaker 4: nice and we're at their practice and so.
- 9:34Speaker 3: You told me the weather being nice by the time
- 9:37Speaker 3: we get the September, October, November, December. We both know
- 9:40Speaker 3: here that the weather and acreshuer or the weather. Sometimes
- 9:43Speaker 3: it's okay you're inside of the dome or whatever, but
- 9:46Speaker 3: when you're outside playing the football where it can get difficult.
- 9:49Speaker 3: What's it like for people listening, what's it like when
- 9:51Speaker 3: you have to punt the ball in weather where it's
- 9:55Speaker 3: very very hard to actually prepare for unless you're training
- 9:58Speaker 3: in that weather in the off season. So for like
- 10:00Speaker 3: snow or wins for example.
- 10:04Speaker 4: I mean, you just got to do what's bet I
- 10:06Speaker 4: we do best with the situation that you have. I
- 10:08Speaker 4: think it's when it comes to weather and those sort
- 10:10Speaker 4: of things. Just got a situational football, making sure you
- 10:13Speaker 4: know what you're doing before you go out there, falling
- 10:16Speaker 4: back on your training and then just trying to put
- 10:17Speaker 4: the team in the best possible situation. Yeah, I mean
- 10:21Speaker 4: there will be time. I mean times you backed up
- 10:23Speaker 4: with snow it's win and stuff like that, but you know,
- 10:26Speaker 4: you got to find a way through it, making sure
- 10:28Speaker 4: that you're doing your job to help the defense out
- 10:30Speaker 4: as much as possible.
- 10:31Speaker 3: So we've found that there's a lot of obviously Irish,
- 10:36Speaker 3: UK European players in the league and you well know
- 10:39Speaker 3: yourself sitting there, there's a lot of Australian players, guys
- 10:42Speaker 3: really trying to make it not in the league coming in.
- 10:45Speaker 3: Do you see yourself as sort of one of those
- 10:47Speaker 3: sort of I guess especially Australia. I know we've got
- 10:50Speaker 3: Jordan over there. We've had a couple of hours with
- 10:51Speaker 3: the Seahawks stuff over the last time and fifteen years.
- 10:54Speaker 3: Do you see yourself as that sort of first wave
- 10:55Speaker 3: and have you had many guys or athletes you know
- 10:59Speaker 3: that were previously in af hour different sports that have
- 11:02Speaker 3: reached out for a vase. How do you find that
- 11:04Speaker 3: sort of being over obviously from Australia going into a
- 11:07Speaker 3: completely different league.
- 11:09Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I think Jordan Berry, he was one
- 11:11Speaker 4: of the I think it was one of the first
- 11:13Speaker 4: Darren you know, Darren Brennan back in the day, and
- 11:14Speaker 4: then Jordan Berry was sort of that first real wave
- 11:16Speaker 4: coming over lately. But I think it's just continually going
- 11:19Speaker 4: to grow. I think, I mean, it's just so many
- 11:22Speaker 4: guys who have especially the punting situation, which I know
- 11:26Speaker 4: is like there's so many guys in other sports who
- 11:28Speaker 4: have the ability to do it.
- 11:29Speaker 2: It's just.
- 11:31Speaker 4: Putting yourself in the situation to go to go over
- 11:33Speaker 4: there and do it. You know. I tell guys all
- 11:36Speaker 4: the guys, a lot of guys will reach out from
- 11:37Speaker 4: Australian football and I said, you know, it was the
- 11:39Speaker 4: best decision I ever made. The college systems amazing. You
- 11:42Speaker 4: get to go get your degree and then if you're
- 11:45Speaker 4: lucky enough to go on to the NFL bath professional.
- 11:47Speaker 4: It's it's an amazing life to be able to do
- 11:49Speaker 4: so you I mean in the off season, I'll go
- 11:52Speaker 4: is it Dan will and from Green Bay? You know,
- 11:54Speaker 4: I'll go out to San Diego who out there punting
- 11:56Speaker 4: so and he's incredibly talented. So I just I think
- 12:00Speaker 4: it's going to continue to grow. I think the next
- 12:02Speaker 4: little wave might be the kicker I mean X soccer
- 12:05Speaker 4: players coming over and to be the kicking. I think
- 12:09Speaker 4: I think you know me, punners has grown international. I
- 12:11Speaker 4: think the next thing will be is a lot more
- 12:12Speaker 4: kickers coming over from a soccer background. I think once
- 12:16Speaker 4: they learned that, I think will be I mean a
- 12:18Speaker 4: big wave of that as well.
- 12:19Speaker 3: So she got to be done. Wheelersh it there for
- 12:22Speaker 3: a player line, there we go add two quick questions
- 12:25Speaker 3: to finish off as a player, you know, calming back
- 12:27Speaker 3: in the season, really going for it though? Is there
- 12:30Speaker 3: a game you look up in the schedule and go,
- 12:32Speaker 3: I can't wear it for that or are you very
- 12:33Speaker 3: much focused preseason week one week, two weeks fore.
- 12:37Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm just looking for I've circled pre season to
- 12:40Speaker 4: get back out there. I think it was you know
- 12:42Speaker 4: when you start with a new team and then you
- 12:44Speaker 4: knowing two punts into the season, you're I mean, you
- 12:47Speaker 4: hurt your knee, so you know, I've just circled it.
- 12:49Speaker 4: Just to be back out there again. That's my biggest
- 12:53Speaker 4: thing is to be back out there preseason, get ready, roll,
- 12:57Speaker 4: you know, impro improved everyone I can still do it.
- 12:59Speaker 4: So that's the main one for me is just getting
- 13:02Speaker 4: back out there again, which will be incredible to do.
- 13:05Speaker 3: Just finally, a lot of people listen to this, especially
- 13:08Speaker 3: in the arnem with a Gelli football background fully aware
- 13:11Speaker 3: as well people listening to Australia with an AFL different
- 13:13Speaker 3: sports background. We have a lot of lads over here
- 13:16Speaker 3: that are kicking balls trying to get over to the
- 13:18Speaker 3: US for college football. What sort of advice would you
- 13:21Speaker 3: have for anybody listening to this? Schooling God, I've seen
- 13:23Speaker 3: the guy who was in Australia was in the Australian
- 13:26Speaker 3: sporting background and husband dover learned to treat and look
- 13:29Speaker 3: where he isn't. No, have you any advice for anybody
- 13:31Speaker 3: even even considering that path cover?
- 13:34Speaker 4: I think it's reach. The biggest one is if you've
- 13:36Speaker 4: got the I mean you've ever thought about doing, it's
- 13:39Speaker 4: to reach out to the coaches. There's coaches coming out
- 13:42Speaker 4: from the Island and I've seen him at the combine.
- 13:45Speaker 4: Mum would bees reaching out to guys like that and
- 13:49Speaker 4: just going and trying out? I think it was. I
- 13:52Speaker 4: mean that was one one I went down to a
- 13:53Speaker 4: local field in Australia and there was just Nathan Chapman,
- 13:57Speaker 4: the pro kit coach, with a bag of balls and
- 13:59Speaker 4: he's just like pun them and let's see see if
- 14:01Speaker 4: this is something you want to do. So my biggest
- 14:03Speaker 4: one is if you've thought about doing it, go ahead,
- 14:07Speaker 4: reach out to someone, even reach out to you guys
- 14:09Speaker 4: in the NFL ask questions and just go try it,
- 14:12Speaker 4: because I mean, all of a sudden, you get to
- 14:15Speaker 4: go to college. I mean you get a degree, if
- 14:17Speaker 4: you get lucky, if you go play professional. You know,
- 14:20Speaker 4: I never thought what was that twelve thirty years ago
- 14:23Speaker 4: when I started doing it. You know, I'd still be
- 14:24Speaker 4: doing it right now. So so that'd be the biggest one.
- 14:28Speaker 4: Is really, if you've ever thought about doing it, you've
- 14:30Speaker 4: you've got a talent where you can hit pun of
- 14:33Speaker 4: ball really far, kick a ball, reaching out, getting the
- 14:36Speaker 4: coaching and just giving it a go because you never
- 14:39Speaker 4: know where it can honestly take yourself.
- 14:41Speaker 3: Prime example, do you sit in there right now and
- 14:43Speaker 3: look it's one thing sand but genuinely mone the very
- 14:46Speaker 3: very bast to uck with the next few weeks and
- 14:48Speaker 3: months coming back from the injury, but al still getting
- 14:50Speaker 3: back into it for the season, beast, look this season
- 14:53Speaker 3: hopefully have a chance to say hey a on the
- 14:54Speaker 3: drill but a few weeks and enjoy a better rouse
- 14:57Speaker 3: as well before thank you very much for coming on.
- 14:59Speaker 4: Thank you so much, that's good talking.
- 15:10Speaker 1: Irish airline aer Lingus will proudly serve as the presenting
- 15:13Speaker 1: partner of Steelers Ireland twenty twenty five. Airlingus's growth in
- 15:17Speaker 1: North America continues in twenty twenty five as the airline
- 15:20Speaker 1: prepares to fly to two new US destinations, Nashville and Indianapolis,
- 15:25Speaker 1: using its new Airbus eight three twenty one xl or aircraft.
- 15:29Speaker 1: This brings the number of Transatlantic routes operated by the
- 15:31Speaker 1: airline from Dublin, Shannon and Manchester to twenty four. Steelers
- 15:35Speaker 1: fans traveling to Ireland for the big Game can enjoy
- 15:38Speaker 1: a relaxing journey when they fly with air Lingus.
- 15:40Speaker 2: Air Lingus, you're very welcome