Ja’Marr Chase Press Conference – September 18

Ja’Marr Chase Press Conference – September 18

Um, doing the Lucky Jones commercial. You don’t talk a lot during the season or? No, not really. Is that intentional or y’all just get busy? Uh, I mean, we’re older. We don’t really have much to talk about now, you know? What is it about him that you think has made him so obviously you both been very successful in the league? But about Justin specifically, what is it about him that makes him so tough to guard and makes him so successful as an NFL receiver? Uh just his routes in general. Um the way he gets open, you know, his body movements. Um of course we all see that when he runs routes. Uh that’s why he’s one of the best. Go for it. How’s the adjustment been working with Jake this week as QB1 taking all the first uh starter reps? Uh it’s pretty similar to Joe. Um I mean we really just getting used to the timing with him, getting used to the speed with him. Uh cuz we really had haven’t had that many reps in camp with him. So really just catching up on speed. How much of an adjustment is that? Uh I mean it’s not that it’s not really a lot to adjust with. It’s just him feeling the speed of his receivers really. That’s all it is. From talking to guys inside the locker room, Jamar, even to Zack, there seems to be a lot of confidence in Jake that he can keep this thing going. Are you confident and if so, why? Yeah, I think pretty much everybody in the locker room is pretty confident in Jake. Uh Jake’s showing what he could do. Uh he’s been here for the past couple years and, you know, he’s been doing his job when he’s been called for, called on. Um he’s won tough games for us in bad positions. So, you know, he he’s found his way to dig himself out the hole. Did you say anything to him before that last drive? Did anybody say to him on that last drive? Uh, I mean, yeah. I really just tell him be himself out there. You know what I’m saying? Um, I’m going push him to be himself and he going to push me to be myself. Same way with T, you know, as long as I push everybody the same, you know. Was there any Was there anything specific after uh Mitch’s touchdown on Sunday that you said to him? I saw you guys had a little conversation afterwards. was just like a hey, welcome to the league sort of thing or uh no I just told him you keep making plays you’re going to be somebody else’s number one you know what I’m saying and that’s a fact you know he keep making plays like that he’s going to be in in a league for a long time what were your thoughts on that I mean first catch you know one-handed touchdown you know just um I expect it from him if I’m being completely honest I seen it in camp I seen what he could do in camp and in camp you know that’s when he really like star struck me by his routes his his hands his releases so I know he could do it all. What What traits do you need to be a true number one? Say it again. What traits does a guy need to be a true number one relief? Um, I mean, as a receiver, you got to get open, of course. Uh, got to catch the ball, of course. Um, just having I really just want to say having a dog mentality. Um, not a lot of guys will have that. Um, just got to be a playmaker coming down to making contested catches when it’s crush time. Do you like making sure corners know you’re a physical guy? Like if they try to press you, like you shine away from any of that. Is that something that you enjoy to let them know that it’s going to be a long day in that regard? Um, majority of the time corners already know I’m a physical player, so they try to change my style up and make me play finesse, which is not bad. Um, it’s something I can do, but they just try to change my game up and try to make me play without being as physical as I am. You take that as compliments to a degree. I mean, yeah, they’re trying to take away something that I’m good at. Is there any part of you that with Joe out now, you being the best player on the team on offense, have any feelings of needing to do anything more from a leadership standpoint? Uh, I mean, yes and no. Um, I still want to be myself at the end of the day. Still want to be my authentic self, but also want to want to speak up more because that was I’m not going to say that was Joe’s job, but that was more of his role, I want to say. Um, just being a leader, more of a vocal leader really, like Zach told me at the beginning of the year. Um, and now this is the moment where, you know, I have to speak up a little bit and just let the guys know like we got to make sure we on top of it today, Thursdays, Fridays, any day. I’m assuming Joe hasn’t really been around this week. Uh, and maybe correct me if I’m wrong, but with his absence in here, how does that feel not having Joe around? Uh, I mean, it’s definitely different. I mean, your your star quarterback is not in the room every day. You know what I’m saying? Of course, it feels different, but um it’s a part of football, man. It’s not something that every team goes through. Um unfortunately, not everybody going through what we’re going through, but everybody go through the same thing. It’s just about how you react to it and how you adjust to the situation. Javar, is the uh Vikings defense that much different than it was in 23? How are they different? Um, I mean, still early in the season to say how different they are for real because they haven’t put a lot on film, but you know, they’re they’re still majority of the same team. Uh, they still run their their zero. They present their zero. Uh, they’re cross, they still do that. Um, now they just play a lot more zone than usual. So, it’s pretty much the difference. Is that a thing where y’all need the ground game? They’re going to play Say it one time. Is that is that a thing where you’re going to need the run game to be really good if they’re going to play that much zone? Is that is how important is that for you all? I mean, we need every every aspect of the game to play good, not just the running game. Pass, special teams, defense, everything. If they’re running the ball, if y’all are running the ball well, does that make it that much easier if they’re going to play that much stuff? If you’re running the ball well, just keep running the ball. Why stop? After the game on Sunday, uh you posted on your Instagram story clips of Jake’s touchdown, Mitch’s touchdown, and T’s touchdown, but nothing of your own game, which pretty great in itself. Why was there a reason for that? Um, just proud of my guys. It was it was a lot of emotions going on for me that game. Just going through adversity, me being tired, seeing Joe go down, you know what I’m saying? It was a lot for me. Um, so I was just taking a moment in just, you know, just looking at what the guy’s doing for for what the team does, man. And um just taking it all in, that’s all. Along those lines, how tough is it to see Joe go through this again? You’ve been through with it for so many years. For him to have another injury of this kind of severity, how tough is it as his as one of his good friends seeing that happen again to him? Um it sucks. It sucks, but for me, you know, I just try to make sure I keep him company. um make sure his spirit’s still high, make sure he’s still, you know, active a little bit, not down on himself. You know, all the small things that just keeps him above being hard on himself. Are there any instances now with Jake being QB1 that you find yourself looking for, you know, either advice or from other wide receivers who have been with him, you know, over the last year, you know, instead of them sort of coming to you just because they’re more familiar with working with Jake? Um, no. Or do you talk to Jake more? You know, just to I mean, yeah, I would I would talk to Jake more than anything just because me and Jake on the field, not other receivers. Um, and I can’t go off what Jake used to do. You know what I’m saying? It’s a new year now. We all got better from last year. So, um, we all expect different from each other. And the only way we can capitalize on stuff like that is being in a situation where it’s different that we never been in. There going to be people, Jamar, now with Joe being out that are going to write this team off and say you guys can’t make the playoffs. Is that a mistake? Um, it’s an opinion. I mean, everybody has an opinion. We We really don’t care. It’s outside noise. We got to worry about what’s in a locker room. Control what we can control and that’s how we going to win games. I don’t know how much of a chance you’ve had to speak to Joe, but are you able to say how he’s doing, how he’s handling all this? I haven’t actually. No. Um, today I’mma try to go to his house after just go chill with him. But, um, yeah, I haven’t. I mean, I talked to him right after the game and we didn’t even talk to each other. I walked up to him. We looked gave each other a look and that was it. You know what I’m saying? And now I’m going finally go talk to him. Is this Does this feel different than maybe some of the other ones he’s picked up over the years? What do you mean? like does just judge based on just asking does this injury maybe feel a little bit different compared to the other ones he’s had the knee the wrist kind of the vibes from it do you get a different sense is it just another thing he’s got to deal with or does it feel a little different to you uh if anyone has an injury I think it’s just an injury I think I I don’t I don’t really know how to answer that question I feel like it’s another injury I’m dealing with he’s dealing with the team’s dealing with something we got to go through in 2023 we obviously we saw him on the sideline with the the earphone and and street clothes helping Jake out, but during the week, what kind of things did he do to stay involved to help maybe help you or was he pretty much just shadowing Jake and helping him along? Um, can’t can’t answer that cuz I don’t really know fully. Um, but around that time, he was just always being, you know, extra on the receivers, just making sure, you know, we locked in and stuff like that. But with Jake, I can’t really say. Um, I’m pretty sure he was probably helping him, just give him tips and stuff. He came back from the knee injury and you all go to the Super Bowl. He came back from the wrist injury and both you and him both had a great season. What is it about Joe that allows him to come back from that type of of adversity as strong as he has in the past? Uh I just think his mindset is really just really really strong um of overcoming everything he’s been through and stuff that he will go through. So, I just think he has a strong mindset of just, you know, not not letting him get on himself about everything. Um, I think the fact that he wants to be great at everything he does is why he’s so good in sports, not just in sports, just off the field also. So, um, you know, he he has a great mindset and great head on his shoulders. People look at the stat sheet from week one and week two and see just like how many more catches or targets you had in week two. Is that just a game plan deal where you know with obviously with Denzel being also really good too or why why was it so much more volume for you to manage one? Um good questions. [Music] I would say [Music] good y censored some bad language. Um really I I would say just different schemes of the plays. Um different pressures team brings you know different coverages they play also also makes a point in that. Um you know uh Cleveland was more of a man team bring pressure. Um Jacksonville was more like bring pressure play zone. You know what I’m saying? So, it was a little different on just the back end on how they going to play us and really just the holes in the defense we can find. How much do you enjoy like watching breaking down defenses, just studying other teams? How much do you enjoy doing that as you get ready for a game? Um, well, I only get excited if I really see something that really like bites my eye. I’m not telling you what it is, but um that’s the only time I really get excited when I’m watching film. Um, majority of the time I’m just trying to find like little techniques so I could just pick up something small that that the defense does. Pass, you know, you pass another milestone, you know, 400 400 catches on 14 catch thing was also a record. Um, does it matter? Does it does it matter to connection with some of these guys? Uh, it matters only because we got the win. Yeah. So, I’m happy. If we didn’t win, I wouldn’t care. But as long as we got the W with it, then I’m pretty it’s pretty cool to hear it. You know, 16 targets is a really big number. Um, is there a number that is ever too much? I mean, that’s kind of a dumb question. I’m going to say of course not, but but you talked about you retired. You know, you were you were gassed. But so is there is there a point where it becomes like man? Yeah and no. If I’m being completely honest, it’s yes and no. It depends how tired you are. And it also depends on like, you know, I I got a good bond with Zach on, you know, if if it’s going to be one of those type of games. And if it is, then I could I could talk to him on how I want to go about it on the field and how many plays. Um, but overall, I mean, no, I would want as many targets as possible. Jamar, you said that next really the only thing that you want now is to win a Super Bowl. Knowing how much of that a big part of that Joe is for you, for you guys to be the offense that you want to be and be the team that you want to be. There’s a lot of conversation right now about the Bengals style of play and and how it’s how Joe’s playing and the offense is structured. Like, has it led to too many hits on him? And is this style of play for both offense and Joe sustainable for him long term? Do you do you have any thoughts on that right now or do you think that’d be something maybe you’d evaluate at the end of the year? Um, so and so it’s like I don’t know. You know what I’m saying? Cuz I that’s something out of my control. But then again, it’s like um I don’t really know what’s going on back there. Also, you know what I’m saying? Like I I don’t I don’t know the protections that they’re doing. I don’t know what’s going on cuz my head is turned and my only job is to be prepared for Joe alerting me off a hot blitz hot zone or just getting man coverage. So like that question is something for like a upstairs Zack. I feel like I guess we ask you what what happened on your end of the play. You got the one-on-one on that side. You said it was a pick aside. How do you feel like that route went for you? Uh, what play? Joe’s play where he got sacked and he got hurt. Play he got hurt on. Yeah, I don’t even remember. I just remember walking back to the huddle and somebody telling him to sit down on that play. That’s the last thing I’ll ever really remember on that play. What did you think when you heard that and saw that? Um, I just was like, “Who he talking to?” And I looked back and I seen Joe sitting down. So, I was I didn’t really know what was going on. Are you allowed to gritty in Minnesota in Justin’s house? Is that allowed? I mean, if if he doesn’t want me to, I’m I want to do it. I mean, if if he doesn’t want me to do it, then I’m going to do it now purposely. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I want to piss him off. You can guarantee that you win. You get in, you’re going to do. Hell yeah. Yeah. Sure. You have to have I mean, you got kind of be fired up for this. He’s on the other side of the ball. Who knows what I’ll do when I get in the end zone. Maybe I might get a fine this week. Who knows? I mean, but you must be I mean, to go up against this guy, I mean, you guys are the two best receivers in the league if you look at it for the last five years. I mean, and your friends I mean, so you must get highly jacked up. No, I mean, if it was if we were checking each other, we’d always be in the end zone a lot. But, you know, since we played the same side of the ball, it’s a little difficult. But, I mean, I’m we gonna talk about a little trash after, but during the game, we we won’t say nothing to each other, sir. Was it cool last year that both y’all were first team all? Is there something Did you guys discuss that at all? The fact that y’all got to both share that on? No, we don’t really share our stuff like that. We don’t really get excited for stuff like that. No. Why not? Um, I just think we’re immune to it. Like we we expect it from each other, you know? We’ve been pushing each other for so long. It’s like we expect each other to be at the highest level. Did you see the clip? The clip a couple years ago where Jake yelled into the camera, they never should have cut me. What’ you think of that? What is it like, you know, knowing your quarterback plays with that kind of fire? Uh, confidence. A lot of confidence on the shoulders. Uh, love it. I mean, that’s what you want in a quarterback. That’s what you want as a receiver. So, um, he loves opportunities. I love him, too. All right. Thanks, Jamar. Cool. How long was that? 17. Jesus Christ.

Ja’Marr Chase speaks to the media going into Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings.

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