Rams CB Jalen Ramsey brings “extra juice” for Monday Night Football
While 2020 may not have been a banner year for most people, the past 12 months have been good for Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Last October, Ramsey was traded out of NFL purgatory, also known as the Jacksonville Jaguars, and shipped out west to L.A. And he signed a five-year, $105 million deal at the start of the regular season, making him the highest-paid cornerback in league history.
Ramsey recently celebrated the anniversary of his trade to the Rams on October 15. He also turned 26 years old over the weekend on Saturday.
“That was a great day,” Ramsey said about the trade. “It’s been a great year for me, just life in general. A lot of stuff has happened in my life over this year. A lot of blessings and it’s been great.”
Ramsey said he looks forward to playing against the Chicago Bears on Monday night, where he will see a couple former teammates from his days in Jacksonville, including receiver Allen Robinson and quarterback Nick Foles.
“Any prime-time game I would hope there’s a little extra juice,” Ramsey said. “Each game you should try to play the same, but just the reality of it is, yeah, you would hope that there’s extra juice.”
Specifically, Ramsey said he has a lot of admiration and respect for Foles, and understands he has to be at his best facing the veteran signal caller.
“He’s a God-fearing man, a great guy,” Ramsey said Foles. “Obviously, he’s a Super Bowl MVP. He has nothing to prove. He plays with a lot of confidence, that’s something I learned about him. And he doesn’t play with fear.
“He’s very smart. He knows the defenses and studies well. He’s always been a good leader, so I’m sure he has a good connection with his receivers -- they’re going to fight for him. So I’m excited for the challenge that he brings, along with the other guys.”
Ramsey was asked about his relationship with LeBron James. He said the two superstar athletes are friends, and that he looks to James for motivation.
“He’s an inspiration obviously to a lot of guys, and it doesn’t matter what sport they play,” Ramsey said. “So he’s definitely one of mine. You can for sure say that he’s inspired me to be great and take things to another level being out here, on and off the field.”
Asked how he’s played so far through games, Ramsey believe he’s playing at a high level, but can improve.
“I’ve been playing well, honestly,” he said. “But I’m super critical of myself, and I hold myself to an extremely high standard. And I think there’s a lot of room for growth, personally -- a lot of areas where I feel I need to step up and make more plays, get more comfortable in the roles that I’m in this year.”
