Ja'Marr Chase on Bengals' Matchup With Steelers, Mindset Moving Forward

Cincinnati Bengals On SI

Transcript

00:00During the bye, do you like really kind of tone it down or do you stay after it, you know, cardiovascularly and strength-wise?

00:08And have you changed anything this year that you've done in the past or is it pretty much the same?

00:13I didn't really – I just relaxed this whole bye week, spent time with my family.

00:18I had Thanksgiving on Thursday last week, so that was pretty much all I did.

00:22And I got the same routine. I don't really try to change nothing I do.

00:28Did you have any of the Louisiana food that you always talk about?

00:31Yeah. Moms and cousins and auntie threw down for me.

00:35What did you have?

00:38Bell peppers, stuffing, sweet potatoes, macaroni, pasta, spinach, roast beef.

00:49So you already had it. You're not having it tomorrow?

00:51Oh, no. I'm getting some food sent here to me. Yeah. I need that.

00:55Joe said that the – you know, the best thing you all can do at this point is kind of focus on every day,

00:59small picture and not really worry about the big picture, knowing kind of where it looks.

01:03Do you kind of maintain that same philosophy?

01:05Like, we can't at this point, we just got to focus on the small stuff and just hope we can put ourselves in positions we never were in?

01:11Yeah. At the end of the day, we just got to control the things that we can control.

01:13And, you know, that's trying to finish the game and win a game.

01:17But we got to take that one play at a time.

01:19And we know it's always come down to one play in every single game that we've lost a season.

01:23So that's what it's going to come down to.

01:24Have you had to take on more of a bigger leadership role than you maybe anticipated?

01:30I mean, I know, like, you said your leadership style is more like how do we play, not some big talker,

01:35robber out guy, given kind of how the season's gone and the level that you're playing at.

01:40Like, have you had to elevate your leadership?

01:44Not really. You know, I might say a few things.

01:48The most I say is just really getting the guys lined up in the right spot, for real,

01:51kind of since we do a lot of moving.

01:53But I don't really, you know, I try not to do nothing that I don't normally do, you know.

01:58The Pittsburgh secondary seems to be pretty solid, one of the best in the league.

02:02What makes them so good this year?

02:05They up front killing it right now.

02:08They secondary pretty smooth, too, but, you know, they up front is really the biggest key right now.

02:12And they got good linebacks, too, that's moving around.

02:15They don't give up the big one, right?

02:17Big play, you mean?

02:18Yeah.

02:19Not too many big plays.

02:20You know, a lot of the interceptions was pretty much thrown to them, too.

02:24Does that change how you approach things, knowing how they are up front

02:28when you go against a team like that?

02:30Not really.

02:32I mean, a little bit, yeah.

02:35You know what I'm saying?

02:36At the same time, I got to beat the D's and D tackles from trying to make a play,

02:42so I got to speed my route up.

02:43But at the same time, I still got to try to be in sync with Joe, you know.

02:46You mentioned a picture of DB rivals from the league.

02:49Where does Minkah stack up to that?

02:52How much do you enjoy that?

02:53Minkah not even ranked on, like, my most hated list.

02:56I don't got a problem with Minkah.

02:57He just caught me at a heated moment that one year, you know.

03:01Are you willing to share your most hated list?

03:03No.

03:05Of course not.

03:06We're not doing that one.

03:08Are any of us on the schedule coming up?

03:11No comment.

03:13Is this one of the best tackling secondaries that you play against?

03:20I don't really see them like that, no.

03:23You know what I'm saying?

03:24I don't really see them like that.

03:25I feel like L.A. did a real good job on tackling.

03:29They're linebackers and stuff.

03:31Not really a secondary, but, you know, they're linebackers.

03:33Do you enjoy the beefs?

03:35Do I enjoy what?

03:36The beefs.

03:37The beef?

03:38Yeah.

03:39Why?

03:40It's fun.

03:41I love the thrill.

03:42I love the excitement that comes with it.

03:44The trash talking.

03:46You know, everybody's not really down for that, you know.

03:48Do you like the ones that talk back?

03:52Sometimes.

03:53Sometimes.

03:54Sometimes I ignore it.

03:55Sometimes I'm ready for it.

03:56Is there, like, a game-respect-game aspect of it, too, at some point?

04:00Maybe not now, but at some point.

04:01Maybe in the back of your mind, is there just, like,

04:02even if you all hate each other,

04:04there's a lot of respect for the way y'all go about things or no?

04:06Do you allow that?

04:09That's probably – what's the guy's name, player in Tennessee?

04:14That's probably why we got most beef.

04:17But I don't, you know, I'm not going to keep going.

04:20But I think that's why, like, that's why the beef is like that, though.

04:24Because there's so much respect.

04:25Right.

04:26I think that's why, yeah.

04:27Samar, how many in a row do you think you guys have to rattle off here

04:30to really get back in it?

04:33I don't know, man.

04:34I've never been in this spot.

04:35I don't really know if it's in our hands, if other teams got one.

04:40Like, I don't really know how that works, for real.

04:43But, you know, we just got to worry about one game at a time right now

04:47and just focus on, you know, when we get those one-play opportunities,

04:50that's what's going to change the game.

04:52Obviously you closed in big numbers this season personally,

04:54but how hard has this season been

04:56since you've never been a part of something like this

04:58with so many games coming down at the end?

05:02I mean, it's adversity.

05:03You know what I'm saying?

05:04I mean, you've been through it.

05:05I've been through a lot since I got here.

05:08You know what I'm saying?

05:09There's just another part of adversity we face

05:11and we just got to get through it, learn from it.

05:14And, you know, it's just going to get us greater in the end.

05:17Is there anything that you do differently

05:20when you're playing in a really cold weather game

05:23to make sure that your hands stay warm?

05:27Besides a hand warmer, I put on some warm skin.

05:30I try not to put too much on because Joe's going to scream at me.

05:34Warm skin?

05:35It's like cream or like lotion we put on to keep us warm.

05:39Joe screams at you why?

05:40Because he gets on the ball?

05:42Yeah, get on the ball.

05:43You said Joe does what?

05:44I just said he screams at you why.

05:45He screamed at me in college for doing it.

05:47Maybe he told me he's not throwing me the ball

05:49unless I take it off.

05:51How many times are you warm?

05:56Anytime it was mad cold.

05:58Anytime it's cold, like mad, mad cold.

06:00Like KC?

06:01Yeah.

06:03The Buffalo game, that was the only game I didn't wear it for some reason.

06:07When it was snowing, I didn't wear that game.

06:09But usually I do put it on.

06:11When was the last time you were warm?

06:13We've been having no cold games lately.

06:14Right.

06:15So, I mean, I'm thinking the coldest game you were playing,

06:17was that in the weight room?

06:20KC?

06:21Yeah, run the ball, let's get out of here.

06:24Run the ball, let's get out of here, man.

06:27What was the game at LSU?

06:28Do you all remember?

06:30Ole Miss game at Ole Miss.

06:33So you threw it to him since you were warm?

06:35Oh, he threw it to me.

06:36I took it off, that's why.

06:37Wait, so what did he say?

06:39We got in the huddle.

06:40Well, I think this was like, I don't even think the game started.

06:43And I was walking like towards going on the field,

06:48and I think I bumped him or like he must have seen me like shiny, shiny.

06:52And like he touched me and was like, what's that?

06:54I was like, that's some stuff.

06:55He's like, bro, take it off.

06:56I was like, what?

06:57He's like, bro, I'm not throwing you the ball if you got it on.

06:59I was like, okay.

07:00I just took it off right there.

07:01So, it was cool.

07:03Define cold.

07:04How cold does it have to be before you put something like that on?

07:07If I can see my breath when I'm breathing.

07:09Why didn't you wear your buckle?

07:11Well, I don't know, man.

07:12I was just, I think I was excited that it was snowing.

07:14So I think I just wanted to feel the snow.

07:16I don't know.

07:17The first time you ever saw the famous picture of you and Minka, did you laugh?

07:21Yeah.

07:22Yeah.

07:23I was going to use it, but it's not the right time to use it yet, you know.

07:30When are you going to use it?

07:31I'm going to post it one day.

07:33Why not?

07:34Yeah, make her laugh and stuff like that, you know.

07:36It's just memories, man.

07:37Do you have it up anywhere?

07:38No, no, no.

07:39I don't have it like on my poster or nothing like that.

07:41No.

07:42How did you come up with the idea to like wipe the football as your touchdown celebration?

07:47Steve Smith.

07:50One of them, if you know, you know, Steve Smith celebrations, you know.

07:53Was it worth it?

07:54Was it fun?

07:56I didn't get fined.

07:57Who said that?

07:59Thank God I didn't get fined because it would have been in my –

08:02you all realize I was gone the whole week and I didn't have no paper in my locker, right?

08:05We didn't know.

08:06Okay.

08:07I just want to make sure.

08:08I just want to make sure.

08:09Because I don't want no more fines.

08:10Can you pay for it, though?

08:12We're not paying.

08:13Oh, okay.

08:14All right.

08:15Well, I'm pretty sure you can.

08:17With Thanksgiving tomorrow, when you sit back and think this year,

08:20what are you thankful for?

08:26I'm thankful to be alive every day.

08:30I'm thankful to have my friends and family around.

08:34I'm just thankful to just, you know, be in a position I'm in right now.

08:38When you reflect back on the bye week to your performance for 11 games,

08:42I mean, you were crowned guy at the 11-week mark.

08:46Are you satisfied?

08:47Or do you still feel like there was meat on the bone?

08:49What's your feeling?

08:51That's a lot more to achieve right now.

08:54There's a lot more I can still go for.

08:56But, you know, I'm just playing as I go, making plays as I go.

09:02I'm just trying to be a playmaker for the guys.

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