by DieHard, batteries and Advance Auto Parts
here in Bangles, training camp, Paul Brown Stadium in
Cincinnati. I'm with Jamar chase the reigning NFL. Rookie
offensive Rookie of the Year and
Jamar.
I wonder if even though you had great expectations for yourself
as a rookie.
Did you surpass them?
For the most part, I did, you know, just coming in and having
that mindset to dominate and honest and I definitely did
that on my perspective. Yes.
So
I wanted to ask you a little bit about the bond, you were
able to form both at LSU and here with Joe burrow
and I know receivers often say it's really important to be
like one with the quarter bang take me back to Baton Rouge and
getting on the same.
We paid so well as well as you did with jobber. Oh yeah,
it all started from no summer practices
like like camping stuff.
We would go on you high school right across the street from
LSU's campus and just throw on Sundays and Saturdays. It just
to get the chemistry down with all the receivers and, you
know, once the game kind
and I'm saying it just it just took off. And I'm saying, once
the game came, we took off the communication, got better and
it just build it on from there.
When did you know the Bengals were going to pick you?
Either the night before at a night off. So it was like
either or happening
and did Joe call you and tell you what was going to happen.
Yeah. He texted me and told me text, my bags, bring my
backpack. And
so
what was your feeling when you found out that you were going
to be reunited with Joe?
Honestly you know I was I was excited because you know I know
how much potential we had coming into the season and
especially him coming off his injury.
No I'm saying I know that gave me more confidence after
the injury, you know and it just gave me confidence, you know,
after my set out here to come in and dominate and want to be
a part of something special.
Can you tell me when last year in your rookie year,
you knew that you could be great, was their a game was
there a catch you made? Was there something
that happened during the course of your rookie year that
convinced you? Hey, you know, I can do this.
I'm always knew, I could be great, you know. It was just my
teammates pushing me actually
nice and they definitely
kept me up when I was down and I came in and season.
You know, they always told me keep pushing her keep going
forward. You know what, I my teammates, you know, I wouldn't
have known probably had much experience I did last year.
You said in a story in GQ that
it sounded like you were a little bit annoyed that you
only got five Targets in the Super Bowl. Do you ever talk to
Joe about it
was it just kind of kidding around annoyed or were you
really annoyed as a kid around annoy, you know I'm saying
throughout the whole season averaged about seven catches
a game. So
it wasn't like me getting 10 catches every game. So I mean
I was an average. You know I'm saying? That was just one of
the games I had Louis catches and
No, they just play good coverage of sometimes. Children
have enough time
we played against one of the best D lines and football. So,
you know, I'm saying it was a different speed that game than
any other game. Yeah.
Have you gotten a little bit spoiled now after going to
the Super Bowl in your first year and winning all those big games
in January? I wouldn't say spoil, you know, it just
humbles me
to be ready for this upcoming situation. We have this year,
you know, we re facing adversity, as we speak now. So,
you know, as the whole team just gets better, we waiting on
job, be a stepping up. So it's just one space and adversity to
be the next man up and, you know, we have to see what's in
front of us now.
Zack Taylor told me that
you or one of your secrets is how you work, maybe people on
the outside, don't see
all the little things you do.
If you're if there's a kid, there's a receiver in Grand
Rapids Michigan. Who's watching this right now?
What do you tell them
about how to be great?
I'll tell them, just focus on, you
know I'm saying is so much you could control.
But for the most part,
you want to be great, you got to work at it constantly every
day. Even when you're tired, you gotta know. When to push
yourself. You got to know when to over push yourself and get
yourself, right? So that's, that's, that's what comes with
being an athlete.
I, I've heard also that that Troy Walters, your receivers coach
has been a guy who's pushed all three of you got. I mean, all
the receivers out of steam. What does he do to make you
better?
Troy has been
a great great person here for me, and I'm saying not just off
the field but on the field also
just pushing me to be great and I'm saying making sure I catch
extra jugs. I should tennis balls
even in a Playbook and what is the story with the tennis ball
because I've seen receivers do that around the league? Why is
that important? It just helps with hand-eye, coordination
slows the ball down when it's coming at you,
you know? Just like I said, hand-eye coordination. That's
the main part you want to have and, you know, just making sure
you focus. And in on the ball when it's coming at you
to other things,
how did you learn to be
kind of fearless
on the field? You don't seem to be
in any way intimidated by the physical
part of this game or really buy anything.
Where does that come from?
Honestly, I think it came from me playing running back
and also not play running back
and middle school and then when I got to high school, you know,
I played, I had a little bit of carrots at at running back. So
having that physical
- and the school, I went to
and the college I went to, you know, they they building me
into the man, I am today.
You put little Post-it notes around your home to,
you know, are those goals?
What are those exactly? Give me an idea of what you put on your
Post-it notes.
I put them in my bathroom. So every morning, I wake up and
I'm brushing my teeth and stuff. I see him and I read
them,
but they mean example, what would be a good poster? So
let's see, that's like quotes I have quotes. Now, I don't have
all my goals yet, but I have quotes and I was just
Be a leader, you know, be on time execute and push others
around me. So that's something I have them on my right now
just to get my self motivation every day I wake up.
When I asked him one more thing. So
after the Superbowl
kind of a bitter loss
and you, I guess you're looking for Joe Borough, kind of can't
find them
and you went from what I understand and kind of got him
out of his lethargy. Got him out of his room to,
to go with you, to do something. Tell me about
the night of the Super Bowl and what you did with Joe. Yeah. So
I think he was with his family at first and I'll text them,
you know? And he was actually I think he was looking Me first
and I told him why was that?
And he came up to the room and just asked what was going to do
and I said we're going to go out and I'm saying you should
come with us and I'm saying cause you don't get this
experience. No more.
So you know, just like one of the lifetime experience and he
one of the best quarterbacks. No. I'm saying to ever do it.
So you know bro just
come out with us, have a good time
and enjoy the moment while you're here because we might
not get this chance again. Did you think he was a little down
after the game? He was I mean he was
especially the way I know him. That's why I told him to do it.
You know I'm saying? I don't want him to sit in. Side and
dwell on the moment, you know, saying what he could have done,
what he could
could done. So I mean, you just gotta
see what you do. Watch the film and then move on from it. You
really want to be the best receiver in football hurt. You?
That's my goal. No. Questions are questions. Yeah. What about
you against? Justin Jefferson? I'm better than Justin
Justin. What about Devonte?
I don't know if I'm better than him, but I'll definitely direct
myself. Hi, I'm saying, I watch this film all the time. He told
me he watches my film, so
that's definitely something to keep me working.
Hey listen, thanks for taking the time, really appreciate it.
Thank you Bangles camp and Cincinnati with Jamar. Chase
this Peter King.