Reader talks Mahomes, ‘zero chance’ motivation & more with Kay Adams
By: Staff Report January 27, 2023

An NFL Tiger appeared on the Up & Adams show with Kay Adams this week ahead of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.

D.J. Reader discussed a number of topics as he and his Cincinnati Bengals team get set to face the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in a rematch of the 2021 AFC title game.

The veteran defensive tackle praised Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and said the Bengals’ game plan won’t change despite the fact Mahomes likely won’t be 100 percent healthy after suffering a high ankle sprain during Saturday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“It ain’t gonna change our game plan,” Reader said. “Our gameplan is to go back there and get after him and lock them up on the back end. That’s the game plan. I don’t think it changes much of what we have going on. He’s a dog, man. … Patrick Mahomes is a dog. He’s one of the best players in this league, and he’s going to do whatever he can do to get out there and play. I think when he gets out there, even if he’s not 100%, it’s win or go home. He’s going to try to make the most plays out of everything. So, I don’t expect nothing different on our end.”

Among other things that came up during his interview with Adams, Reader also gave a heartfelt message to Bengals fans and thanked former NFL safety Eric Weddle for providing motivation by saying Cincinnati had “zero chance” to beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Playoff game last weekend.

“Appreciate the just zero chance,” Reader joked about the comment from Weddle, a current high school football coach who won Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams against the Bengals last season.

“I just appreciate that. Amazing player. Amazing career. You got us in the Super Bowl last year. I loved watching you as a kid, especially with the no gloves was crazy to me. But zero chance? You know better than that. Come on, man. We were just back here. Why would you even say that to us like that? You know those are bad takes. You know that’s bad locker room talk. You’re smarter than that. You wouldn’t do that as the head coach at your high school, I know that.”

You can check out some clips of Reader on the Up & Adams show below:

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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