Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase clarifies comments about NFL, NCAA balls being different
Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has clarified comments he made about NFL footballs being different than NCAA footballs on Thursday.
In an interview with Bengals.com, Chase said: "The ball is different because it is bigger. It doesn't have the white stripes on the side so you can't see the ball coming from the tip point so you actually have to look for the strings on the ball at the top, which is hard to see because whole ball is brown and you have the six strings that are white. But for the most part, just have to get used to it and find out what I am comfortable with catching."
It was initially believed Chase was blaming the change in balls for his preseason struggles with dropping passes. The former LSU receiver said he was simply asked about the shift to a larger ball and wasn't making excuses for why he had so many dropped passes during the preseason.
While Chase may not have been making excuses, he still admitted that he needs to get more comfortable with the NFL ball. And, to be fair, he hasn't played since 2019 after sitting out the 2020 college season, so it's no surprise that he has some rust to shake off.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said last month he wasn't concerned with Chase's preseason drops. However, if his struggles continue into the regular season, then it might be something to be worried about.
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