00:00Let's talk to our man, Jahan Dotson, who joins us here on Dukes and Bell, man.
00:03It's Sports Radio 92.9 The Game.
00:05Jahan, appreciate the time.
00:06I know you guys are getting ready to head overseas, man.
00:08I want to go back to the Tampa game.
00:10Everybody's wondering, was it as miserable as it looked on the field?
00:14Have you ever played in anything like that before as a player?
00:18Because that's really what everybody's kind of wondering with what happened Sunday.
00:22Yeah, I mean, I don't – well, first, appreciate you guys for having me again.
00:29Always.
00:30But, yeah, I truly don't think you can understand how bad it was
00:35unless you were physically there.
00:38That was probably the worst field condition, just between the rain and the mud.
00:49I mean, there was a game played on the field like the day before a whole college game.
00:53It rained that day, and then it was just downpouring the entire game.
00:58But, yeah, that was probably the – weather-wise, the craziest game I've ever played in.
01:05I played in, you know, some snow games.
01:08We had a snow game in Philly the year we won the Super Bowl in the playoffs.
01:13But the rain was just – it was crazy, and it was the entire game.
01:18So, it was wild.
01:20Yeah, brother, I was sitting behind the bench, and it was – it was.
01:24And the rain never ended until maybe the fourth quarter.
01:27And that's coincidentally when things start to happen.
01:29Talk about the play.
01:30I mean, is that just – is that where the ball is supposed to go?
01:33I mean, you're able to make some plays.
01:35We get down the field on a 76-yard completion.
01:37Yeah.
01:39Yeah, it was something, you know, Mike just saw.
01:42You know, at that point, we were just trying to get something going.
01:46And, you know, we just – we literally ran a four verticals play.
01:51And they went to cover two, and I was able to get behind the corner
01:57and get between the middle of the corner and the safety.
02:01And then, you know, Mike has a strong enough arm to get the ball there fast enough
02:05before the safety can react.
02:07And he was able to do that and just give me a chance to make a play.
02:12So, yeah, that's pretty much what it was,
02:15was just the guy trying to make a play and get something going.
02:19And I was able to do that.
02:20But, Jahan, what do you guys need to do, man?
02:22I mean, again, I look at last week, it's just weird, right?
02:25I mean, it just is.
02:26And no excuses.
02:27They played in the same conditions.
02:29But what do you think you guys need to do to get back on track
02:31as an offense against the Bengals on Sunday, man?
02:36You know, it starts by, you know, identifying, you know,
02:42what we really do well as a football team and sticking to that,
02:47making that, you know, our core.
02:51And that's running the ball.
02:53You know, we have a great offensive line,
02:56the best running back in the league,
02:59guys on the perimeter who are unselfish
03:02and want to make big blocks to spring touchdowns.
03:06So, you know, getting back to being able to run the ball successfully
03:10is it will set you up for everything you need to be in a great offense.
03:15So, you know, once we do that, and it's just a matter of time.
03:20You know, I feel like we got the right plan.
03:23It's about going out there and us executing it.
03:26And, you know, that's when it opens everything up for the offense.
03:30So, once we get to doing that, it will be pretty scary.
03:35Talking with wide receiver Jahan Dotson getting ready to go over to Madrid
03:38with the Falcons to take on the Bengals.
03:39One of the things, Jahan, is in Sports Talk Radio and for fans,
03:43it's like adjustments.
03:44Adjustments, you don't wait until halftime.
03:45Adjustments are made on the sidelines.
03:47So, talk about that process, how the coaches get with you guys
03:50and when you see things.
03:51Because that happens like in real time.
03:52It's like you wait until the locker room, right, for adjustments.
03:55No, absolutely.
03:57Anytime we come off the field, you know,
03:59we're obviously talking to our receiver coach, telling them what we see.
04:04Things are getting communicated through the headset to the OC.
04:09You know, everything you see, you try to communicate it
04:12because you don't know what can truly help you at the end of the game.
04:17So, yeah, you know, we make real-time adjustments
04:20anytime we come off the field.
04:21And that's just a matter of the game.
04:24So, Falcons wide receiver, Jahan Dotson,
04:26joining us here on Dukes and Bills, 92.9 The Game, guys.
04:28He is integrating himself, obviously, into the ATL and in the community,
04:32doing a lot of things, and he's playing his butt off on the field.
04:35We get the Bengals on Sunday.
04:37You like these overseas trips?
04:39Look, as a fan, man, I'm mixed.
04:41Like, I, you know, I'm like, eeeh.
04:43But I know it takes a toll on these guys and certainly your bodies, man,
04:47being on these long flights, short weeks.
04:50What do you think?
04:52Yeah, I mean, I've only played one other overseas game,
04:56and that was in Brazil two years ago.
04:59And I think it's a cool opportunity.
05:02It's a cool opportunity to get in front of, to expand our game
05:06and play in front of a different crowd of fans.
05:12Obviously, you know, football, their football is soccer.
05:16And that's a big thing in their country.
05:18But, you know, we're just trying to expand the game and make football worldwide
05:23and make it the number one sport in the world.
05:27But, you know, we're going over there to win a football game.
05:32At the end of the day, that's what it is.
05:35We got the Bengals.
05:36It doesn't really matter where the game is played.
05:39It could be played on Jupiter.
05:41We got to win a football game.
05:43And that's our number one goal.
05:46Yeah, for what it's worth, Bernabeu is like the Yankee stadium of soccer in Spain.
05:51I mean, not that it matters to you.
05:53A locker room is a locker room.
05:53A field is a field, right?
05:55Absolutely.
05:57Now, do they have anything planned for you guys?
05:59Are you going to get a chance to do anything?
06:01I mean, hopefully you get to eat good at least one night
06:04because there's some amazing food over there.
06:06Yeah, I've heard there's some amazing food.
06:08But, Tua, actually, he played there last year.
06:11So, you know, he's been telling the guys, you know,
06:14there's a bunch of spots we can hit up.
06:16We're definitely going to go out as an offense.
06:19Just try to get fellowship with the guys.
06:21You know, it's a great time to be with each other
06:24because we're going to be with each other all day, every day.
06:25So, it's going to be fun being able to fellowship with the guys
06:30and go out to eat and, you know, just hang out.
06:34Jahan, is it, I don't want to say possible,
06:36but how difficult is it to get better during the season?
06:40You guys work on so much in the offseason, right,
06:43to prepare yourself.
06:44And then we get into the season, you just don't have the time, right?
06:47I'm assuming to try to work on the things that maybe you feel like
06:51you might need to work on, whether it's you as an individual.
06:53But I just, I think that plays a big role.
06:55People always talk about guys have to get better.
06:57How do you get better during the season?
07:00It's your practice habits.
07:03It's the way you go about your days.
07:06Are you intentional in getting better every single day?
07:11Or are you just, like, obviously, you know,
07:13we practice, what, four or five days a week?
07:16Right.
07:17Everybody in the league practices four or five days a week.
07:19So, how are you spending that time?
07:22Are you intentional with your time trying to get better?
07:25Or are you just out there trying to complete practice
07:27and get the day over with?
07:30That's truly how you get better, in my opinion.
07:33You got to be intentional in your work.
07:36And you got to make it count.
07:38You got to work on the thing.
07:40Something didn't go right in the Buccaneers game.
07:42You know, this week in practice,
07:44it's got to be intentional on my mind every day that, you know,
07:47I want to be better.
07:48And that can't be a reoccurring thing for me.
07:51Like, that's just how I carry myself and how I try to go about my everyday,
07:59my day-to-day task and what I have to do, honing in on my craft.
08:05You know, just being very intentional about what I'm doing at practice.
08:09Like, for example, I don't know how far the catch and run was
08:15that I had last week against the Bucs.
08:19But right after the game, you know, I hit up my speed coach,
08:24who I only work with in the offseason.
08:27I'm like, no, I'm so serious.
08:30I'm like, I know how fast I am.
08:33Like, there's no reason that guys should be catching me.
08:37And, you know, and he's like, yeah, when you're in the season,
08:41you're not really running 90 yards ever.
08:47It's just not in the game of football ever.
08:49It's very rare.
08:50So when you're in practice, you know, try to take a slant 70 yards to the house.
08:56Even if it's a five-yard slant, try to take a 70.
08:59Try to take an 80 and just get that rep so that, you know,
09:02when that time comes, you're ready for that moment.
09:05And that's something I'm going to be working on this week is I catch a ball.
09:11I'm going to take it to the house.
09:13So that repetition, I had it already.
09:17I felt what it was like to do that.
09:19So, you know, that's just a little example of, you know,
09:22how you get better week to week and how you can be intentional in your work.
09:2776 yards altogether on that play.
09:29Unfortunately, we couldn't get paydirt with the touchdown.
09:31Could have been like a 98-yarder.
09:32Yeah, but we needed that.
09:33That's what he's talking about.
09:34We needed 98.
09:35We needed you to beat one more guy.
09:38Johnson is with us.
09:39And, by the way, you know, from where I was sitting behind the bench,
09:42Drake, I love Drake because he runs hot.
09:43And he was getting fired up.
09:45It seemed like it was not only was the weather, and, again,
09:48you got to throw the ball.
09:49They weren't going to just run.
09:50We said just run the ball, but they're not going to do that.
09:52But it seemed like it was chippy.
09:53It seemed like the Bucs were really trying to punk you guys.
09:56Is that safe to say?
09:59It was chippy, for sure.
10:01You know, and that's usually how division games are.
10:03And, obviously, in the weather circumstances that we had, it was, you know,
10:10it was going to be growing, man, football.
10:12We know you're running the ball.
10:14You know we're running the ball.
10:15And it is what it is.
10:17So, obviously, you know, things can get chippy.
10:21And it's fun.
10:23That's when the game is at its best.
10:26And, yeah, luckily, we see him again.
10:29Right on.
10:29That'll be good.
10:30No doubt.
10:31It will be.
10:31Well, man, let's bounce back.
10:33Jahan, enjoy your trip over there, man.
10:35Have some fun.
10:35But, as you said, it's a business trip over to Madrid.
10:39Hey, man, appreciate you, as always.
10:41We'll talk to you when you get back, brother.
10:43Yeah, appreciate you guys.
10:44Have a good one.
10:45No doubt.
10:46Jahan Dotson here on Sports Radio 92.9 The Game.
Comments