Bengals All-Pro wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, the only receiver in NFL history to rack up 50 touchdowns and 500 catches in his first five seasons, heads into his sixth season not exactly oblivious to the exploits of NFL defending receiver champion Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
JSN knocked Chase off the perch last season, but Chase didn't stay with Wednesday night's Seattle win over the Patriots long enough to see Smith-Njigba's final line. He asked Bengals wide receivers coach Troy Walters Thursday morning and was told eight catches for 122 yards. He did, however, see JSN's 45-yard-catch-and-dash for a touchdown.
"I'm not keeping tabs on him," Chase said. "I just want to know."
Chase reiterated his only goal for this season is winning the AFC title and reaching the Super Bowl with no personal achievements in mind.
Slants and Screens
He's close to passing some franchise greats.
Eleven catches give him 531 in his career as he moves past Carl Pickens into third place on the Bengals all-time list behind Chad Johnson and A.J. Green. He needs 265 yards to pass Pickens and Bengals Ring of Honor member Isaac Curtis to also move into third behind Johnson and Green. Thirteen touchdown catches give him the franchise record, breaking Johnson's 66 …
Chase begins his second season as a captain just doing his thing.
"The thing overall being a captain, everyone is really looking at me and leaning on me and asking me things and just expecting me to do the right thing," Chase said. "I've always led by example, but I just think it's just me being more vocal." …
An injury scare went up with Thursday's injury report, where starting cornerback DJ Turner II surfaced with a limited practice with a hamstring issue. Chase didn't let on there was anything serious as he extolled about Turner's progress during the preseason.
"I think he makes me better every camp. I don't think it's just one camp," Chase said. "I think it's every camp. We both get different looks. We watch film on each other. I think it's an honor for him to come back to practice, and lock me down and show me something completely different from what he's been doing.
"Now I've got to go back and watch film to adjust myself and be a pro and just make adjustments. We're both getting better and that's just the best of the best…I can honestly say, just watching him at his locker and he'll be in his iPad a good bit of the time. I just like the confidence that he's been having lately, a whole bunch of swagger he's been playing with. You can tell that he's playing with a lot more of that on his shoulders."
Then again, Chase says you can't miss the swag across this new defense.
"I think the whole defense was more rowdy, not just vocally," Chase said. "I think the whole defense is tough." …
Chase didn't blur any lines on Thursday when he met the press after practice.
In fact, after going full for the second straight day with his hyperextended knee, he said he's taking his usual number of reps as the Bengals prep for Sunday's opener (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's FOX19) at Paycor Stadium against the Bucs.
He also asked the fans to chant "Bluuur," when he makes a play a la "Teeeeeee," after a Higgins catch.
"I just think it's better than Uno," he said of his nickname. "And I think it's like a more known thing than whatever else we were going to do at first.
"It's not a nickname. It's not anything referring to me, it's just I feel like if the whole stadium is doing that, then it's going to give some people chills. It's going to bring some excitement, and that's not something that we do usually. So just imagine a deep pass or a contested catch in the whole stadium just yelling that out. I think it'd be cool because I've been trying to find something I could do off ("Teeee,"), but there's really not much I can do off it. I just think it's easier, more worldwide, everybody knows it." …
Higgins was Chase's second guest on his new podcast, but start looking for non-athletes.
"I'm working on some people. I don't want to say right now, but I'm working on some names, football-related, non-football related," Chase said. "Artists. Actresses. All kinds of stuff. It's very, very, very different kind of people. I don't want the same people. I really don't even want that many athletes on there. Trying to really stay away from as much of the sports world as possible, but stay in it, too."
Chase is looking to reach everybody.
"Not everybody knows about sports," Chase said. "My cousin could be at home and she might know this basketball girl or she might know this soccer player. I think that's going to help. Also, I think it helps people in tough situations growing up and want to learn things.
I think this is an opportunity for them to get to watch and listen. You never know what they get out of it." …
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