The NFL needs more players like Jalen Ramsey who are so confident in themselves and their teammates that they unleash the best trash talk on the rest of the league.
I love Jalen Ramsey and wish the NFL team I root for had a player like him. I could talk about how effective he is as an elite cornerback. I could talk about all the great receivers he’s made look mortal when he defended them. I could talk about the impact he’s had changing the culture in Jacksonville and getting the Jaguars to the playoffs. But you already know that about Ramsey. In only his second year out of Florida State, the former fifth overall pick is on a path toward superstardom.
I’m here to talk about that other part of his game that is unrivaled in the sport today: Trash talking.
Ramsey is the best in the business and I don’t know if it’s even a competition at this point. Ramsey is so confident in his abilities to shut down the receiver he’s against, he won’t hesitate to make you question your own existence when you set foot on the gridiron. He’s already won the mental game and good luck beating him physically.
His bravado and swagger have clearly rubbed off on his Jaguars teammates who will play the New England Patriots in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. This team is playing with a level of confidence never before seen from this franchise.
I just wish there were more players in the NFL who were blessed with the art of the trash talk like Ramsey. Where have you gone Shannon Sharpe? Where have you gone Ray Buchanan? Those two famously staged one of the best trash talk wars when the Broncos and Falcons met in the Super Bowl two decades ago.
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While Richard Sherman and others have been effusive in their praise for themselves, there’s no one quite like Ramsey, who after the Jaguars beat the Steelers in the Divisional Round, told his home fans that they were going to beat the Patriots and win the Super Bowl.
I love that confidence that is right on the border of arrogance. The NFL needs more players like this because I’m tired of the same old boring press conferences from quarterbacks. They’re not in the
position, to say what they feel, and that’s why you get the same old cliches and non-answers.
Put a microphone in front of Ramsey and he’ll tell you why he’s going to beat you and how. I want more players like that. I want more entertainment with my NFL. I want more players unafraid to speak their truth. I want players to say they’re great and then go out on the field and prove it.
Ramsey can be the face of the league in short order if his bold prediction comes to fruition in a few short weeks. Now if only he can give some classes on how to teach others his gift in the art of the trash talk.