"I want the smoke this summer” – Paul George calls out former Super Bowl champion for 1-on-1 football battle
Paul George has his sights set on more than just an NBA championship with Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs right around the corner. He also has another opponent in mind. After allegedly torching NFL free safety Terrell Burgess last offseason, George says that he wants all the smoke this season against Jalen Ramsey.
The way he sees things, if he's going to show off his route-running and receiving abilities, he wants to do so against the best. During a recent episode of his Podcast P show, the Clippers forward shared his thoughts on matching up against Samsey 1 on 1:
“I think I'm elite. If I’mma challenge a football player, I gotta go for the best. Jalen, Derwin [James], I want the smoke this summer, me and you, one-on-one. After that, we can play ones in basketball, but I need that football smoke.”
Derwin Jones is another player George mentioned. James is a notable NFL star and is considered one of the top players in his position. From the sounds of things, Paul George truly means what he says when it comes to wanting all the smoke from the NFL's best.
PG burned @TiTaniumT98 on the field last year and wants all the smoke with the NFL's best this summer 😤
@jalenramsey @DerwinJames https://t.co/X6SoCAM7eB
You can see his full comments in the video above beginning in the second half of the clip.
Paul George reflects on his one-on-one with Terrell Burgess
As Paul George stated in the video, he and Terrell Burgess matched up for a massive one-on-one that saw PG shock viewers. Although NBA stars LeBron James and Kevin Durant played flag football during the lockout years ago, George seemingly wants the same respect.
He recalled his one-on-one with Terrell Burgess:
"I'm literally at home watching Ochocinco, Randy Moss, I'm watching Odell, I'm watching these dudes like, 'How the f**k do they get off the line?' Fast forward so now we're on the field TB (Terrell Burgess) is like 'Alright come on P, I'll guard you.'
"So I'm like 'bet!' He get up on me, he pressing me, I'm like, 'Alright, I'm comfortable with this.' So I hit him with the huh huh, shook him a little bit on the line, first one I come back huh, catch it, he lines up on me again. I hit him with the huh huh fake out, swim move, come back in for the slant."
So far, there has been no word yet from Burgess on the matchup, and no response from either of the two NFL stars that George called out for showdowns this offseason.
(Suggested Reading: Darius Slay responds to Paul George's wild accusation)
In the meantime, George will keep his focus on trying to return to the court after going down in March with a knee injury. While the expectation is that George will miss the entirety of the team's first-round clash with the Phoenix Suns, should the team win the series, he could return.
As coach Tyronn Lue revealed ahead of Game 1 on Sunday, the team will make sure Paul George is at 100% before allowing him to return.