Post-injury boredom wore on Lions' Gardner-Johnson, but also pushed him to get back

Allen Park — C.J. Gardner-Johnson is back, and boy, oh boy, did the Detroit Lions defensive back have a lot to talk about. You have to understand: this man pretty much only had his two dogs, Pops and Mookie, to keep him company for the past few months.

Since tearing his pec in September, Gardner-Johnson has been going stir-crazy back home in Kissimmee, Fla. But that relentless boredom, which he said was the source of more dark days than good ones during his time away from the team, was also the driving force that helped him slice his recovery timetable in half.

How bored was he? A musician off the field, he estimated he wrote and recorded 350 songs — that's more than three songs per day.

The daily routine was an unquestionable grind. Gardner-Johnson said he'd start his rehab around 7 a.m. and wouldn't finish until between 8 and 9 p.m. each night. But the process really started to accelerate when he requested a second physical therapy session daily.

"I think it was real when I talked with my surgeon on the phone, and he was telling me about the process and how (the six-month timeline) could change if I did certain things," Gardner-Johnson said. "You got to think about it, as an athlete, it's hard to be away and do the right things all the time. And I think doing the right things all the time is what got me back where I'm at.

"I feel like it was a void, like I was trying to find something this whole time," he said. "But I think I found it by just being here, being in this building, being around my teammates."

Gardner-Johnson officially returned to practice on Wednesday, 94 days after suffering the injury that required surgery that was supposed to be season-ending. But this is a guy who essentially played three-and-a-half quarters with one arm. So, maybe we shouldn't be surprised.

The injury happened on the first drive of Detroit's Week 2 game against Seattle. Staying in that game required him to power through fear — the fear he'd hurt it worse, the fear he'd mess up because he couldn't move like he normally does and the fear he'd let his teammates and the fans down. But that was the same week he encouraged the fan base to show up in blue ski masks and many had obliged. Leaving the game, hurt or not, would play into his biggest fear: Not backing up his words.

"(That was) very important," Gardner-Johnson said. "I talk all that s---, I've gotta back it up."

For what it's worth, the ski mask will probably headed to retirement.

"Bro, I ain't even going to (lie), I think that s--- is cursed," he said laughing.

As for talking, that's what Gardner-Johnson has done his entire career. It's something of a calling card. His trash-talking is relentless, even on the practice field. His peers recently voted him the biggest talker in the league, in a poll conducted by The Athletic. But he's always backed up it, and every team he's played on during his career has been a winner. Last year, he led the NFL in interceptions, and this year, he was primed and pumped to help Detroit break its mold as a perennial loser. He's grateful they were able to still climb out of that hole without him.

But watching at home grew tiresome. He was particularly frustrated watching the Lions lose to the Bears earlier this month, furthering his drive to get back and be part of the solution, to play a role in the team's playoff push. That might be surprising to some, considering he's a pending free agent risking his future earning potential, but that's the least of his concerns.

"I'm not worried about that," he said. "You got to think about, five years, third team — you're tripping on that. If it happens, it happens. If it don't, it don't. Everyone knows what I can do. At this point in life, there ain't no proving who Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is. Can he play safety? Can he play this? Is he a team player? Y'all know."

Of course, he still has to clear a few more hurdles to get clearance to return to the lineup. Asked for a timetable, he was quick to point out it remains TBD, yet he's still ready to provide an immediate emotional boost, whether he suits up this week or needs a couple more to get back into football shape.

That emotional lift won't be a one-way street. Wednesday marked Gardner-Johnson's 26th birthday and he announced he had 26 wishes, but he only shared the first one, which was admittedly something of a three-for-one deal.

"It's for us to go to the playoffs, make (the) Detroit community happy and win our first playoff game in Lord knows how many years," Gardner-Johnson said.

This weekend, against the Minnesota Vikings, the Lions can clinch their first division title in Gardner-Johnson's lifetime. And while his ties to Detroit only go back to March, when he signed here as a free agent, the magnitude of the moment isn't lost on him.

"I might cry," he said. "You got to think about it, a lot of guys — and I don't want to speak for everybody — but a lot of guys have inexperience winning championships. So, this is a step toward feeling like a winner. This is my fifth year, I done won four divisions. Not to throw it in anyone's face, but that's the best feeling, home-field advantage, so everyone can enjoy it to help us win."

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

@Justin_Rogers