AFC Notes: Ja’Marr Chase, J.C. Jackson, Bengals, Chargers, Raiders

Bengals

Bengals HC Zac Taylor told reporters that WR Ja’Marr Chase has earned the right to speak his mind off the field.

“He works as hard as anybody, which when you work as hard as anybody, you’re allowed to have some confidence and talk like that,” Taylor said, via Geoff Hobson. “I’ve got problems with people that don’t work hard. And then if you say things that are maybe on the fringe, on the line a little bit, you don’t put in the work, you’re not doing all the things Ja’Marr does. When he combines that with confidence that makes him the type of player he is, that gives him the edge he’s got. I love that about him. We ask a lot of him in practice. He runs and he doesn’t complain. He doesn’t make a mental error due to not paying attention…He’s got a great understanding because he switches positions all the time. He plays all three spots. He moves more than anybody. He lines up in the backfield, he motions to the backfield. He’s got to know everything and he does and he works his tail off in practice. Extra pre-practice. Runs like crazy during practice.”

Chargers

• NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report former Chargers CB J.C. Jackson refused to enter the game last week against the Raiders, which marked the final straw in a quickly deteriorating relationship. 
• Multiple coaches tried to talk Jackson into the game, but he declined, saying he wasn’t warmed up enough, per NFL Media. 
• They add Jackson had issues with the sports performance staff and support staff at multiple points in his short time with the team, with no one really being able to get through to Jackson. 

Raiders

• Raiders CB Amik Robertson was fined $6,297 for unnecessary roughness.
• Raiders LB Robert Spillane was fined $13,972 for unnecessary roughness.
• Raiders DT Jerry Tillery was fined $10,927 for unnecessary roughness.