<!--subtitle--><!--byline-->Pioneer Press

<!--date-->Article Last Updated: 05/25/2008 09:13:14 PM CDT

I always shoot for the stars. I want an A. If I don't get an A, I want a B. If I don't get a starting position, hopefully I'll be second team.

Do I want to be known as a great player? Most definitely. I'm going to strive to be the best that I can be. It's very important for me to leave a mark on the NFL.

I do have a chip on my shoulder because teams didn't take me in the first round. Whether I am or not, I always view myself as one of the best. If I'm not the best, I strive to be the best.

It makes me angry when people are mean to other people for no reason. And when people think they're better than somebody else. That makes me real angry.

If I had a time machine, I'd probably go backward to the conference championship a couple of years ago. We lost to Southern Miss. I'd like to change the outcome (so Arkansas State would win).

I used to like Superman. If I could have any of his superpowers, I'd like to be able to fly.

Besides football, I played basketball and ran track in high school. I played the one, two, three, four and five positions in basketball. I was pretty tough in the paint. We won the state championship in football my sophomore year. In high school, I had better numbers than Adrian Peterson as a running back. I averaged close to 8 yards a carry. I had 40-something, 50-something touchdowns. I didn't play any offense in college. The college coach told me, "Man, you can't run the ball." I played the position they wanted me to play. In track, I ran the 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles and threw the discus.

I think I was born, not to just to play football, but to be involved in any kind of athletics.

If I weren't playing football, I'd probably be in school getting my master's degree in business administration. I'd like to be in management for some type of corporation.

My mother has had the biggest influence in my life. She was a big motivation in my life. She and my stepfather taught me a lot about life. I used to play basketball with my stepfather, Travis Bell. He had the most influence on me as far as athletics. He used to beat me up a lot in basketball. He made me tough. I used to beat him in games all the time. He had to try to rough me up to win.

I played my real father once in basketball. (His birth father is former NBA player Alvin Robertson.) He beat me really bad. I was about 15 years old. He's more of a friend to me — a best friend type of deal.

I really love to shoot baskets. That's probably my favorite thing I like to do in any off time, play pick-up basketball.

The worst thing I ever did as a kid? We were about 12 or 13. We used to go on a bridge and have firecracker fights. We'd throw them at each other, and my mother found out about it. That wasn't pleasant. We'd also have rock fights and things like that. I once lit a firecracker and was about to throw it, and it popped right in my ear. I thought I was going to go deaf.

I put losses behind me. Nine times out of 10, I walk off the field knowing I gave it my all, and my team gave its all.

I want everyone in Minnesota to know I'm just a person. If I'm out in public, come say "Hi" to me.

My favorite movie? I really like "300" a lot. And I like "Apocalypto." That's one of my favorites.

If my house was burning down, the first thing I'd grab on the way out the door probably would be my wallet.

Jack Nicholson is one of my favorite actors. Actress? A lot of guys like Halle Berry, but not for the acting part. My favorite actress is Lucille Ball.

My proudest moment in high school was when we won the state championship in football (at Rison High School in Rison, Ark.) It was a sense of accomplishment. My proudest moment was when I got drafted. That was one of the all-time highs.

I'd want my last meal to be cheese dip. I love cheese dip. I'd wash it down with grape Kool-Aid. I know Kool-Aid and cheese dip don't mix. But minus the heartburn, that'd be what I want.

If I was the president of the United States, the first thing I would try to do is help the underprivileged people. Help them try to find a way to find God and get off the streets. There's no reason people should have to live on the streets. There are some people who are lazy, but I'd want to help the people who want to be helped.

I just bought myself my first car. It's the first thing I've had in my name. It's a Yukon Denali.

I like all kinds of music. RB. Rap. Classical. I listen to whatever sounds good.

I used to be in select choir in high school. If Simon Cowell heard me sing, I'd want him to say it's the best thing he ever heard. More than likely he'd say, "Are you kidding me? That's the worst thing I've ever heard."

I'm mentally tough, and I give it my best on every play. I really like (Pittsburgh Steelers safety) Troy Polamalu's play. He plays hard each play and gives 100 percent each play. That's what people pay to see.

The Bible is the best book I ever read. My favorite part in the Bible is the Book of Job.

TV shows? "Martin," and also "The Contender."

I'd want my friends to describe me as motivational, spiritual, nice. I think they would say I'm hard-working and funny.

The best advice I ever got: No matter what you do, always put God first.

The worst advice? I was 13 or 14. My hair was always kind of nappy, so the advice was to put perm in my hair to lay it down. So, I put a perm on my head. It messed my hair up. It made my hair rock hard. It messed up my roots. That's why I keep a bald head now. I cut my hair real low.

If I could trade places for a day with anyone, it would be Bill Gates. I'd like to see what it feels like just for a day to have that kind of wealth.

Do I believe in ghosts? I'm not close-minded about the whole situation. Anything is possible.

If I found Aladdin's Lamp, I'd wish that my parents wouldn't have to work anymore or struggle. I'd wish that the world was a better place, and I'd wish that I have a successful career and be proud of what I accomplished.

I want my epitaph to say, "Here lies Tyrell Johnson, who, no matter how many curveballs life threw at him, managed to overcome all of them and be a great person."