TINA NGUYEN: The Raiders are getting ready for Monday Night Football against the Detroit Lions. We're hanging out with Raiders' fullback Jakob Johnson. But first off, the NFL's in Germany in a few weeks.
JAKOB JOHNSON: Yeah. I'm excited. Of course, a little bit sad that I don't get to be there but that's probably better for my wallet because all of my friends, all my relatives will want a ticket. So I'm saving a little bit money but they get the experience.
NGUYEN: What kind of impact do you think that will have in Germany?
JOHNSON: Oh. It's already showing. So many more kids are signing up for flag football or signing up for the teams. I'm a part-owner of a team out there and we're seeing people, in stadium numbers, increase so it's pushing football forward a lot.
NGUYEN: You mentioned being a part-owner of the Stuttgart Surge. What have you learned in terms of being a co-owner?
JOHNSON: It feels different when you're the one paying the bills at the end of the season. So you've got a little bit more of an incentive to push everybody to be successful and you might understand why you can't pay every player the max contract. You know? So I [learned] a little bit more of the business inside.
NGUYEN: Now, if someone were to visit your hometown of Stuttgart, what would you recommend for them to do and see if they were there for 48 hours?
Speaker 2: The most important thing, number one, is eat as much food as you can. We're one of the best places for food in Germany. From maultaschen, spaetzle, schnitzel to our Turkish food, we got the top of the line when it comes to food. On top of that, I would say catch a catch a soccer game at our local soccer team. We're doing really good right now, Verein für Bewegungsspiele Suttgart. And then third, just take in the nature. We're a green city. You can walk. Our downtown area's totally walkable. You can shop outside so it's a good town.
NGUYEN: Speaking of food, the whole list you just mentioned right there, what is your favorite German dish?
JOHNSON: Favorite German dish, that's a tough one because I love food. But I would probably say our Christmas food is elite. So when it comes to Christmas in Germany, it's a whole procedure. At first, you bake little gingerbread with your family, the cookies and all this stuff, you got to paint them. That's for dessert. But the main course is going to be sauerbraten, which is like a a big chuck roast of beef that's marinated in wine for 48 hours with like some potatoes and red cabbage. It doesn't get any better than that.
NGUYEN: Have you found good German food here in Las Vegas?
JOHNSON: I actually have. So there are two spots. You've got the Hofbrauhaus, which is gonna be your best bet for like schnitzel and beer and Cafe Berlin, which is another spot. They have good German desserts. So whenever I get homesick, I get go to those spots and get me some food.
NGUYEN: You came to America in 2013. What was it like to adjust to this culture?
JOHNSON: Honestly, it was a lot tougher than I thought. Like when you grow up in in Germany, you kind of think you know what America is like from watching like American Pie and Blue Mountain State and all of those like college movies. But when you get here, you realize the reality of living here is a little bit different. You know? So it took me a little bit but I'm lucky. I play football. I always have teammates around me to kind of guide me in the right direction and I think that helped a lot.
NGUYEN: What was the most interesting thing you learned about living in America?
JOHNSON: You can't go anywhere without a car. Like back home, I used to ride my bike to school for like the first 10 grades that I was in school. Me and my friends, we would walk everywhere. If you go out, like go out partying or something, you just go downtown and then walk around the rest of the night. So I had to realize here in America, if you don't have your driver's license and you don't have a car, you can go anywhere.
NGUYEN: So from playing ball at Tennessee to going through the International Pathway Program, what has this second shot at football meant to you?
JOHNSON: It meant the world to me. This is a game that I love. This is a game I fell in love with as a young kid out there in Germany. To get the opportunity to play in the SEC was already a huge step for me. Right? Going back home afterwards to Germany was a step back, was a major setback. I thought about quitting for a long time. It was my friends that I grew up with playing over there that kind of encouraged me to keep going and eventually, the second chance materialized and I'm just trying to make the most out of it and have fun with my teammates every day.
NGUYEN: What does it mean to have the chance to play for the Raiders but also to work with Josh McDaniels again?
JOHNSON: I mean, I'll always be grateful to Coach McDaniels because he's the guy that gave me my first opportunity to play. And then to get to play for the Raiders, which are the coolest franchise in the NFL, the one franchise that everybody knows about, even internationally, you see people who have no idea about football wear Raiders gear. Now, that's been huge.
NGUYEN: As we approach the end zone here, you guys face the Lions on prime time. The Raiders need to do what to get back in the win column.
JOHNSON: Oh man. We just need to all come together as a team, run the ball, play good defense, and have fun out there.
