Lane Johnson on Patriots Fans Ahead of Super Bowl Rematch: Hope They Raise Hell

Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson isn't afraid of the hostile New England Patriots fans he will surely face in Thursday's preseason rematch of Super Bowl LII.

"Oh yeah. I hope so. I hope they raise hell," Johnson said Tuesday when discussing the reaction he expects, per Tim McManus of ESPN.com. "They can cuss me; they can say whatever they want. At the end of the day, I'm not blocking them; I'm blocking guys on the edge, so it really doesn't matter what they say."

He continued, saying: "I know that I'm not going to be well-liked, this team is not going to be well-liked going there, so it's going to basically bring out our best."

McManus noted Johnson has not shied away from criticizing the Patriots in the past and suggested they are a "fear-based organization" with players who "act like f--king robots." The right tackle defended his previous comments and said they received so much attention because they were coming from a place of truth.

"People can discredit it all they want. I think it's why I get so much recognition is because a lot of it is true, and they don't want to accept it. At the end of the day, man, I'm over it," Johnson said. "We are who we were last year. It's a totally different year."

Johnson often lets his play do the talking, though, and was a 2017 Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro member and a primary reason the Eagles offensive live helped the team win the title.

While he will draw attention during Thursday's preseason game given his past comments, NFL fans may get the opportunity to see him talk about New England at another Super Bowl media day if Las Vegas is to be believed. OddsShark had the Patriots and Eagles as the two favorites to win the championship in the 2018 season, meaning a rematch could be in store.

Tom Brady reaching his fourth Super Bowl in five years and Carson Wentz bouncing back from last season's injury to play for the Lombardi Trophy would draw plenty of headlines, but Johnson would figure to be right in the middle of things again with a rematch.

He already is for Thursday’s preseason contest.