Chase Brown, the NFL's hottest running back on his franchise's hottest offense, is dousing himself in his regimented post-practice routine.
On Wednesday before Paul Brown's two teams mix it up at Paycor Stadium Sunday (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) in this biannual historical reminder of some of the strongest roots of Bengals head coach Zac Taylor’s prolific offense, Chase Brown is heading to one of his extra meetings with position coach Justin Hill.
But not before he sprays himself with Night De Paris Motion cologne after immersing himself in the cold tub and a salt bath.
"I've used this my entire life. I came across it in college," Brown says. "It's super pleasant. It's not overwhelming."
His offense sure is. Only the Bills and Broncos have scored more points than the Bengals in the last four games, a stretch Brown has cobbled together the league's longest active streak of 100-yard scrimmage games.
Brown's routine is a big reason big numbers have become routine. After taking care of his body, he takes care of the mind. He heads upstairs and stays late in the running backs room while submerging himself in pass protections so he can get a jump on Thursday's third-down work, a practice he began early this season.
"I'm a better player than I was a month ago," Brown says. "I'm more confident on the field. I want them to trust me in every situation on every down so I don't come off the field. In between the tackles. On the perimeter. Picking up the big blitz."
Since Brown ripped through the Raiders for 157 yards running and receiving back on Nov. 3 with the most Bengals' touches in 15 years, only MVP candidate Saquon Barkley and Triple Crown threat teammate Ja’Marr Chase have more scrimmage yards.
No wonder the Bengals and their rich offensive legacy are on pace to set franchise records for points per game, passing yards per game, passing touchdowns and passer rating
"The Chase boys," says long-time Bengals radio analyst Dave Lapham, who played with Essex Johnson and covered James Brooks and knows when a well-rounded running back comes full circle. "You can interchange them. In the backfield. In the slot.
"Football evolves. Call it any name you want. It's just football. Sound, common sense football."
The rise of Chase Brown, their sophomore running back, mirrors the upward trend of Taylor's scheme. The speedy 5-10, 205-pound Brown, built close to the ground and born to run out of the shotgun formation, is basically the first running back he chose to carry his offense to bigger and better things.
And while Taylor shows little patience with old-school ways, he has skillfully integrated Brown into his thoroughly modern system in order to highlight the strengths of quarterback Joe Burrow in such a manner that showcases major elements of what used to be called the West Coast offense.
Or, the Lake Erie offense, which Paul Brown formed when he was leading the Browns to three NFL titles in the 1950s. He brought it to Cincinnati a decade later, where it grew into the Ohio River offense and where top assistant Bill Walsh helped him morph it into the West Coast offense that would dominate the rest of the century and lay the groundwork for whiz kids like Taylor to take offense to the next level.
"Whatever body of water you want to use," says Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher. "The main tenants of what Coach Walsh was trying to get done was efficiency, ball-control offense that didn't always involve the heavy run game. The game has changed. The shotgun is a much bigger part of it."
Burrow, along with Tua Tagovailoa, is the most accurate passer of the 2020s with a 68.1 completion percentage. Ja'Marr Chase leads the league in yards after catch. Chase Brown has the third most catches among running backs.
Lapham has seen it before and he loves how it has progressed.
"P.B. would certainly like where the offense is now," Lapham says. "I chuckle when I hear about ball-placement with Ja'Marr so he can run. It's what Kenny Anderson was doing with Isaac Curtis and Danny Ross, and I'm sure P.B. saw it with Otto Graham and Dante Lavelli in Cleveland."
And Pitcher is helping Taylor weave in elements that age like a fine wine if you've got the right ingredients.
"The central component of the West Coast … (is) a highly efficient passing attack and getting the ball into our playmakers' hands quickly and give them a chance after the catch," Pitcher says. "Smart, accurate distribution of the ball with high-percentage intermediate passes. We have that. We just also happen to have two explosive deep threats as well that can get the ball down the field."
They also have Chase Brown, whose elusiveness in space and top-end speed at the top of the league allows them to display another West Coast principle: The passing game as an extension of the run game.
Exhibit A is Brown's 19-yard touchdown on a perimeter screen in Dallas two weeks ago.
"You can argue a screen is a long handoff," Pitcher says. "Blocking in front. Not just tossing or handing it to him. He's got production on those.
"And then there are others where it's a true pass progression with five receivers out. But Chase happens to be the primary read on a short pass. And then we react off that if he's not open. Is that an extension of the run game? Or is that just an example of us being efficient short to intermediate passing attack? Either way, we get the guy the ball who is dangerous in space."
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And yet Brown has emerged as an every-down back because of what he has done without the ball. Even before Zack Moss went down for the year with a neck injury in October, Brown huddled with his position coach for extra work on protections.
"About the third or fourth week," Justin Hill says. "He knew it was an area where he needed extra help and that just shows you how hard he works. It's so important in what we do in this offense and it's not as simple as rolling out there and just blocking."
After Hill dismisses the backs for the day on Wednesday, Brown stays behind with him and starts taking notes as Hill prepares his Thursday third-down presentation. Brown won't know what pass plays they'll put in or what they'll call, but he'll have a 12-hour jump on what the pressure defenses look like and what their tendencies are.
This isn't your father's pass protection. Maybe not even your big brother's. When Burrow breaks the huddle, that's just the beginning. He may signal Brown into the A gap or the B gap. If the linebackers are bluffing, he may send Brown wide for a checkdown pass.
"You've got to know so many different things and then on top of that you've got to be able to execute," Hill says.
Hill believes a big confidence-builder for both Brown and the coaches came in the Dec. 1 game against Pittsburgh. There were moments where Brown was huge in pass protection against the Steelers' traditionally prolific and physical pressures.
On one, Brown worked in tandem with center Ted Karras and dumped blitzing linebacker Payton Wilson. On another, they fended off penetration from linebacker Patrick Queen.
"He's really been physical in that part," Hill says.
Brown doesn't mind the extra work and that's why they value him. When it comes to watching tape of other backs, he's not doing it as much as when he got drafted
"Saquon is fun to watch. He's got a different build (6-0, 233 pounds) and he's a special player," Brown says. "Coming out (in the draft), I watched (Christian) McCaffrey, (Alvin) Kamara, Gio Bernard. But I'm just trying to be Chase Brown and I'm not looking to come off the field."
Guys like Lapham have been sold.
"West Coast, East Coast, North Pole, whatever direction you want it to go," Lapham says. "He can do it all."
