JACKSONVILLE – Jalen Ramsey hadn't said much since Sunday.
He made up for it Wednesday.
Ramsey – the Jaguars' mega-talented, mega-confident second-year cornerback – spent more than 20 minutes Wednesday speaking to the media. The primary topic: The altercation with Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green this past Sunday that resulted in the ejection of both players.
Say what you want about Ramsey – that he's cocky, arrogant, aggravating (if you're an opponent, that is). One thing:
He's not dull and he sure wasn't dull Wednesday discussing the fight with Green that dominated the Twittersphere late into Sunday night and beyond.
"I was out there doing what I do, locking that receiver up and talking that talk – like I normally do – and it just got under his skin," Ramsey said Wednesday as the Jaguars (5-3) prepared to play the Los Angeles Chargers (3-5) at EverBank Field Sunday at 1 p.m.
"People think, 'This is A.J. Green; he's never got like this before.' A.J. Green also has never played Jalen Ramsey before. He's never had nobody get under his skin like I did."
Ramsey took questions as long as reporters asked. Foremost on his mind, he said, was making sure people knew he didn't talk negatively about Green's family.
"There rumors out there that I said some deep, personal stuff," Ramsey said. "I'm going to let you know that's not true off the rip. I get out there. I do my thing. I talk. But I don't go personal. I don't talk about nobody's wife, nobody's kids, nobody's family. I don't do that. That's untrue."
What did Ramsey say?
"I told him every play that he was weak, that he was soft," Ramsey said. "Them are straight facts. He just couldn't handle the truth. I told him that his time was almost up. I told him it was easy, which it was; he had one catch for six yards. … I was telling out the stats: 'You've got one for eight right now …" That's what I kept saying. It turned out to be one for six. …"
Ramsey added with a laugh, "I was just spitting facts to him. He got mad."
What else? Well, perhaps best to get out of the way and let the man talk …
*On reports that he tried to go to the Bengals' locker room to confront Greene after the incident: "I wanted my money's worth. I got kicked out for not doing anything. I did what coaches told me to do – to not fight back … basically, to let him do whatever he was trying to do. I still got kicked out, so yeah: I wanted my money's worth." …
*On his ejection: "If I knew I was going to get kicked out, I would have fought back. … I thought I did the right thing, in the moment … I still got kicked out. If I thought I was going to get kicked out, I would have got active. But it's cool. Now, I know what to do in that situation. If I'm ever in that situation again, best believe I'll get active out there." …
*On Jaguars Executive Vice President Tom Coughlin on Tuesday issuing a statement supporting Ramsey: "It was cool. Everyone was coming to me and saying, 'You did the right thing.' I was like, 'It doesn't feel like it,' because once you get ejected you're like, 'Man, I got ejected and let my team down.'"…
*On Green throwing him to the ground: "If he was really about it, he would have tried to square up with me. He walked behind me." …
*On teammates immediately defending him during the incident: "That was cool. I would have done the same thing for them. That's how we ride around here, period." …
*On Ramsey's push that led to Green throwing him to the ground: "People try and talk about the push. I pushed him every single play. I told him to stop putting his hand on me: 'If it's a run play, don't even put your hand on me.' He put his hand on me; I pushed him again. He just fell because he's weak. He's small. You know what I'm saying?" …
*More on the push: "It wasn't a late push. It was during the whistle. The whistle hadn't blown yet. I wasn't going to get flagged for that push because it was during the play. No flag came out until he grabbed me. Y'all can go back and look at that on the tape, too. It wasn't dirty. It wasn't a cheap shot. There was none of that." …
*On whether he worries about his reputation: "My reputation is what I'm out there putting on that field, playing some good ball, taking receivers out of their game, locking receivers up, helping my team win games. I'm cool with that. I don't mind it all." …
*On whether officials will focus on him now. "That's cool if they're keying on me. I'm not playing the game dirty. I'm playing the game of football: physical, nasty, grimy … however you want to describe it. But I'm not playing the game dirty." …
*More on Green: "Some people are mentally strong. He wasn't. During the game, he wasn't mentally strong." …
*And, finally, still more on why he thought Green did what he did: "That's the quickest way off Ramsey Island. He had one catch for six yards. If I was a receiver and I had to line up across from myself, I would try to figure out the easiest route to get out. He figured it out." …
No, the Jaguars' mega-talented cornerback doesn't lack for confidence.
And on Wednesday he sure wasn't dull.
