Ja’Marr Chase won’t let his intrusive thoughts win if, or perhaps when, he finds the end zone Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
“Cleveland’s got a good field,” said Chase, a four-time Pro Bowl wideout who won the NFL’s receiving triple crown last season. “I like [their] grass field. I don’t have no problem with their fans or nothing.
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“I always wanted to jump into the ‘Dawg Pound.’ I’ve never did that, but I always wanted to.”
A reporter followed up Thursday, asking if that celebration was on the table.
“No, I wouldn’t do it,” Chase said. “I heard they stab people in there.”
After getting a laugh from the media, Chase let a smile shine.
That’s when he added: “[I’m] messing with y’all, man. … I’m a troll, bro. I do stuff to troll. And I love it, though. Because they think I’m serious the whole time. It’s just funny, man. Small stuff like that, you’ve got to have fun with it. You can’t take everything we do so serious. Somebody’s gotta have some fun with stuff like this, you know?”
The Dawg Pound is synonymous with Browns fans, but it’s located in the east end zone at Huntington Bank Field, specifically in Sections 118-122.
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The Browns are honoring its 40th anniversary this season. It originated in 1985. During training camp that year, Cleveland cornerbacks Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield barked across the line of scrimmage to hype up their defensive linemen. As the story goes, fans watching the practice at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio, joined in.
Flash forward to the regular season, and Browns home games — then played at Cleveland Municipal Stadium — featured a section of barking fans wearing dog masks and other costumes.
Chase caught 127 passes for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2024, leading the NFL in all three categories to win the receiving Triple Crown. He has accrued 46 regular-season touchdown receptions through four seasons in the league.
Only one of them, though, has come in Cleveland.
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Playing against the Browns on the road for the third time in his career, Chase finally hauled in his first touchdown at Huntington Bank Stadium in Week 7 last season. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow took a three-step drop and let a back-shoulder throw fly for his longtime teammate and friend. Chase, a fellow LSU-turned-NFL standout, swung around to catch the 18-yard pass and scored a third-quarter touchdown.
Even though Chase had already crossed the plane, Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II — also a first rounder from the 2021 draft class — wrapped up the receiver and tried to bring him down in the end zone. Newsome was the one who hit the grass. Then Chase hit him with the Allen Iverson step over.
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That impromptu celebration was no joke.
