“Pound Cake”

(Photo: Cleveland.com)

The one thing I’ve liked about analyzing this sport is looking back at teams who you’ve had the privilege to cover and breakdown over the years. One of my favorite college football teams I enjoyed watching was the 2019 LSU Tigers and that season, they were the best team in the country hands down. They were coached by Ed Oregeron and Quarterbacked by a guy named Joe Burrow, you may have heard of him. This LSU offense had no shortage of stars including two Wide Receivers who have become the gold standard for the position in the NFL today in Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase. In 2021, the Bengals decided to pair Ja’Marr with his college Quarterback and I can admit back then I wasn’t big on the move because I felt Cincinnati needed help on the Offensive Line. What Burrow and Chase have done has transferred over to the NFL from their college days. After speculations of a contract extension, the Bengals and their number one receiver have come to an agreement on a four-year, $161 million deal with $112 million in guaranteed money and this makes him the highest-paid non-Quarterback in the game.

Ja’Marr is one of the two best Wide Receivers in the game and I wouldn’t disagree with you if you thought he was the best at this moment. I saw how special he was in Baton Rouge during his college days and what he’s done in the NFL up to this point hasn’t surprised me one bit. Ja’Marr is so dynamic when he’s on the field because he’s able to take the short, intermediate or deep pass and make noise with the ball in his hands.  He’s a great route runner that can position himself for the ball at anytime, but it’s all about getting the ball in his hands and he’s so tough to tackle in space after the catch. Ja’Marr finishes plays, has the dog mentality and all the energy in the world which I can appreciate. One aspect of the game people don’t realize when it comes to him is how physical of a receiver he is. Ja’Marr is what I refer to as a “deceptive Wide Receiver” meaning he’ll act as if he’s running a deep route down the field, then he’ll use the speed and cut back inside then the ball is right there. To me, that’s nothing but footwork, smarts and most importantly, awareness. Ja’Marr has always had what I call sneaky speed which means he doesn’t look as quick as he is. One minute he’s in front of you, then the next, he’s found a crease in your coverage and he’s attacking it. I’ve seen my share of Wide Receivers catch the ball on the slant route and take it to the house with Ja’Marr being one of them and I’ve often found myself comparing him to another LSU receiver in Odell Beckham Jr. It truly doesn’t matter the route he runs, he will make something happen with the ball. I have my share of memories so far this early in his career and two immediately come to mind from his rookie season with the first being when he torched the Ravens for 201 yards receiving and later on that season, he had 266 yards receiving against the Kansas City Chiefs en route to winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2021. After complaining about not getting the ball enough in 2023, he catches 15 passes on 17 targets for 192 yards, then refers to himself as “7-11” because he’s always open. This is a confident football player who feels he can do just about everything.

I thought the two sides would agree to a deal last year and even when the season started, the Bengals franchised him just hours before their week one game against the New England Patriots. Considering the fact this is a guy that’s won an Offensive Rookie of the Year as I mentioned up top, 2024 was the best I’ve seen Ja’Marr look ever. I can say this would be your Offensive Player of the Year if a certain somebody didn’t join the 2,000 yard rushing club in Philadelphia (Saquon). I took last year as Ja’Marr betting on himself and it’s now paid off and he won the Wide Receiver Triple Crown which is when a receiver leads the league in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns in a single season and Ja’Marr did record 127 receptions with 1,708 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. Along with Burrow, they are the best Quarterback/Wide Receiver tandem in the league today and it’s not particularly close at all. Not only did the Bengals lock Ja’Marr into an extension, they were also able to give Tee Higgins a new deal. It’s about time they stopped being cheap and did what they had to do.