Johnson said naming a ladder position to aim for had not come into calculations during the pre-season.
"We haven't spoken about the ladder at all. We finished on the bottom last year, so there is only one way to go and that's up," he told melbournefc.com.au.
"We're just looking to play four quarters week-in week-out and earn respect. We lost a lot of respect in the way we have played and with the losses in the past couple of years.
"That's our No.1 aim – to win the respect back of the AFL."
Johnson said the club's pre-season program had been much more positive than last year.
"We started pre-season a couple of weeks after the grand final and the boys were really bubbly coming back. Coming back early has allowed everyone to put on a bit of weight and get a bit stronger," he said.
The 24-year-old added Melbourne's improved preparation was reflected in its NAB Cup/Challenge campaign.
"Our NAB Cup match against Hawthorn was a game we should have won. The next game against the Swans, we got pipped on the line and then we had the win against the Lions in torrential rain, which was fantastic to get some confidence," Johnson said.
"Last weekend against the Bulldogs, even then, we were in a position against a really strong Bulldogs team where we could've won. So it's been a major improvement on last year, when we were getting beaten by 100 points.
"We were thrashed by Geelong in our first NAB Cup match at Skilled Stadium by about 110 points, so going into the season with those losses does a lot to your confidence. But this year, we're going into the season with four reasonable games.
"So we've got a bit of confidence out of it and we're playing a lot of young guys that have really stepped up this year. It is an exciting team; we’ll impress a lot of people this year."
Dream Team watch – Paul Johnson is rated a $306,200 ruckman in Toyota AFL Dream Team 2009.
