A good set of superstitions are a staple of any successful football season, particularly when they work. And there's been one in particular that's emerged around Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase in the Bengals run to the Super Bowl.
But it has nothing to do with the players on the field, said Ja'Marr's father Jimmy, speaking on SportsTalk with Bobby Hebert and Kristian Garic.
He always has to find a way to meet up with Jimmy Burrow, Joe's father, before their sons take the field.
Listen to the full interview with Jimmy Chase in the player below. Can't see the embed? Click here.
"We found out, once we see each other before the game, we usually have a favorable outcome. … All in the playoffs we went out of the way to make sure we run into each other before the game starts, and it’s been working out pretty fine," Jimmy Chase said. "I just gotta find him for the Super Bowl."
But Jimmy Chase has a few more important traditions when it comes to watching his son play, admitting that he's still a "nervous wreck" each weekend, something that will probably never change. He doesn't want anyone asking him football questions during the game. He doesn't want selfies pregame. He's in game mode just like his son, always in the stands and there at least an hour beforehand so he can watch Ja'Marr in warmups. He can tell from that moment how his son will fare that day and what state of mind he's in. So he makes sure to see Ja'Marr, but just as importantly: Ja'Marr sees him.
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"Once he sees me, he’ll calm down and he can go and do whatever he’s gotta do," Jimmy said.
But it hasn't always been football for Ja'Marr, who grew up playing basketball before picking up football later in his prep career. And even then, football was a hobby. His son was always a speedster, but Jimmy said he wasn't completely sold on how high his son's football career could take him even after he signed with LSU following a standout career at Archbishop Rummel in Metairie. It wasn't until the Tigers' title run, with Chase setting a slew of LSU records along the way, that he was sure his son was truly as talented as everyone else had been telling him.
“It took that," he said. "That was extraordinary.”
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That extraordinary football run was put on hold for a year with Ja'Marr opting out of the 2020 season with the coronavirus pandemic. The pair started to think about what the return of the Burrow-Chase duo could mean if he landed with the Bengals at No. 5, with a text from Burrow telling Ja'Marr to "have his bags" packed leading them both to think "what if." Well, that what-if has been answered, with 1,455-yard, 13-TD season, a Rookie of the Year trophy and run to Super Bowl 56.
What's next? A whole lotta Who Deys, nervous anxiety, and unquestioned support from the home fans -- and by that, we're talking about fans from the boot.
"I’m really happy that Louisiana is supporting my son," Jimmy said. "It means the world to us and it means the world to him. Hopefully we can just pull this thing off next weekend, come home with a Super Bowl trophy.”
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