Yes, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor heard Ja’Marr Chase’s comments in the locker room after the loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
No, he didn’t have an issue with them.
Responding to a question about what “finishing” – something the Bengals have pointed to a lack of as the reason for their 4-7 start – means to him, Chase called out his head coach.
“Ask Zac,” he said. “Ask the coaches. That’s not my job. I play football on the field. I don’t call plays for us.”
Taylor said Tuesday he didn’t think Chase meant for his words to come across the way they did.
“He’s emotional, and when you got a guy that works as hard as he does, leaves it all on the field, I do think things – I don’t want to say ‘misconstrued’ – but can look differently than what they really are,” Taylor said.
“He’s a guy that is one of the most genuine players I’ve ever been around and honest, insightful, puts it all out there for us,” Taylor continued. “I don’t have problems with guys that work as hard as they do, speaking with emotion after the game, speaking with passion.”
Taylor didn’t say if he spoke to Chase specifically about the comments, allowing only that the two speak every week.
“He and I are very much on the same page and appreciate the work he puts in and sometimes postgame it’s emotional, and that’s the way it is,” Taylor said.
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Two games into his rookie season, Chase called out Taylor’s play calling following a 20-17 loss at Chicago.
“We waited (until the) last minute to take shots,” Chase said after the game. “We knew they were sitting the whole game. I was telling Joe (Burrow). Tee (Higgins) knew. We’ve got to capitalize on the stuff we see early in the game.”
The following day, Taylor responded to the crux of Chase’s comment but not his willingness to lob criticism to the media.
“We had some shots called. Sometimes the coverage takes that away,” he said.
Two years earlier, in Taylor’s first season as head coach, Tyler Boyd criticized him for not getting him more involved in a 17-10 loss at Oakland that dropped the Bengals to 0-10.
“I feel like I’m the go-to guy with A.J. (Green) down,” Boyd said. “I felt like (my) targets were not where they should have been. I feel that I’m a game-changer, and I could have utilized my talents in any way to move the chains, and nothing was coming my way.”
Boyd had one catch for zero yards on three targets in that game.
Taylor said the following day that Boyd’s criticism was warranted.
“I would understand that frustration,” he said. “Tyler and I talked the next day about all of that stuff. We’re all on the same page. We’re all in a good place. We’re all understanding that we’re trying to win. We’re going to do whatever it takes to get that done.”
Taylor explained Tuesday why he doesn’t take issues with those types of comments with his players.
“Because there’s not a non-relationship there with the player,” he said. “These are things that we try to be proactive about, to put these guys in the best position possible to succeed. And I feel very confident we put Ja’Marr in the best position possible to succeed. He’s first in every category there is. We make a conscious effort to involve him and make sure he’s always a big part of that.
“I always love the dialogue with him in terms of gameplan, how we’re going to use you,” Taylor continued. “I think he’s come a long way. He’s not a captain with it on his chest, but in so many ways, he acts like one. So again, I don’t ever hold against a player when they’re after a game having an emotional response.”
And he certainly doesn’t have an issue with Chase given the way he’s playing.
“Love working with him. Thankful that he’s on our team,” Taylor said. “Love everything he brings to the table. Love the energy he brings, and (he) just wants to win. We all want to win, and you put a lot of pressure on yourself. And when you don’t, it can lead to frustration. But I feel very confident we’re on the same page and we’ll be good going forward.”
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