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