Jamal Chase often proves others wrong. The Cincinnati Tigers rookie receiver did a lot of these things in his first season, helping the Tigers reach the American League Finals and playing a big role. Four days before he competed with his teammates against the Kansas City Chiefs for Super Bowl tickets, Chase was asked to recall a moment that had once been questioned.
It wasn't a difficult question, because Chase took a second to think of it. "I can tell you that this is the thing I remember the most in my life." Chase said: "When I graduated, Les Mills told me that I couldn't take over. This sentence is something I have been carrying since I was a child, he said that I can play cornerbacks, play defensive second-line, but I can't play in the position of the outside receiver. I wasn't influenced by his words, focused on my own thing, and got up early in the morning during the offseason just to stay physically fit. ”
Chase's efforts paid off, and while Chase never played for Miles (he left LSU after the 2016 season), by the time he was a sophomore, Chase had become the best outside receiver in college football. That season, Chase won the national championship with the Tigers, completing 84 catches throughout the season to advance 1780 yards and 20 touchdowns. In the title match against Clemson, Chase advanced 221 yards with nine catches and got two touchdowns to help LSU beat Clemson 42-25.
Later, his quarterback Joe Burrow at LSU was selected by the Tigers in 2020 with a first-hand pick, and the next day Burrow recommended Chase to the team, and the Tigers selected Chase with the fifth pick in the 2021 draft. Truth be told, this choice drew criticism from the outside world, as many thought it would be better for the Tigers to choose former Oregon's offensive striker Penny Swell.
But as he did to Miles, Chase proved that those who doubted him were wrong again. In his first season in Cincinnati, Chase advanced 1455 yards with 81 catches and 13 touchdowns to help the Tigers win their first division title since 2015. Entering the playoffs, Chase played back-to-back 100 yards against the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans. In Nashville, his 19-yard catch created a chance to win a free-kick for Evan McPherson, helping the Tigers into their first American League championship game since 1988.
Chase's heroic performance was praised by legendary successor Jerry Rice: "He doesn't look like a rookie at all, he plays like a veteran who has been fighting for many years. His line runs, his confident expression, and his strength is quite capable. He kept asking for the ball and trying to be the person he wanted to be. The lad can do anything and I think he's a bit of a one-man feeling right now and playing great. ”
(Great White)