A.J. Green talks playoffs, daily routine, top CBs and more with The Players’ Tribune

On Monday night, A.J. Green went live on Twitter with The Players’ Tribune for their Verified Twitter show. The Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver talked about football, his personal life and answered fan questions during the 30-minute live broadcast.

“Leadership, family and community, those are the three things you need to know to achieve your dreams,” Green said while dishing out advice to his fans. He also spoke about his family, his diet, Georgia football, playing for the Bengals and more.

Here are some of the best parts of the interview...

On the Bengals making the playoffs this season:

“The first step is winning and we did that last week with Denver. So as we take one game at a time and week by week, we’ll be fine and control our own destiny.”

On the top cornerbacks he’s ever faced:

“Patrick Peterson, I think because he’s big, physical and can run. The next one is Richard Sherman. You know he’s long and played receiver. Chris Harris Jr. He’s just like a little pit bull out there. Aqib Talib. He’s long, been around the league a long time. He’s another tough one.”

On his gameday routine:

“I’m a real simple guy. I wake up like an hour before the busses leave. I eat my breakfast. I’m not a real rah-rah guy. I don’t have no ritual that I go by, just listen to my music, give me a bowl of cereal, a bagel, some fruit and then I’m ready to go for the game.

On wide receivers he looked up to as a kid:

My biggest role model with Jerry Rice and Randy Moss. I was skinny like Randy Moss and I’d try and run and get every jump ball but I also love the way Jerry worked. His route running and that’s why he played for so long.

On being a role model:

“I try to be the cleanest person on the field, cleanest person off-the-field and preach positivity through my platform. I want kids to look at me and be like “OK I want to be like A.J. because he does this and that and that. I try to keep my English clean and what I can control is the name on the back of my jersey. I don’t ever want to disappoint my mom, my dad, my family, or anyone like that. So that’s what I live by. My morals is family.

On what's harder: escaping man coverage from Richard Sherman or escaping diaper duty:

“Oh man, I think escaping diaper duty because you’ve got my wife involved, so there’s no escaping that.”

On trick-or-treating:

“We did not take him (Green’s son, Easton) trick-or-treating. Brandon LaFell had a Halloween costume party at a bowling alley, so we took him there and he was dressed up as a lion. I didn’t dress up. But we had a team party and I was supposed to be a ninja, but it rained, so I didn’t even use my costume.”

On Georgia football:

“I never miss a game. For me, as the school that got me to this position I’m in today, and especially this year, they’re playing unbelievable. Every Saturday, no matter I’m home or away, I’m always tuning in. I’ll be at the SEC Championship next week when they beat Alabama.”

On his favorite Bengals player of all time:

“Chad Johnson. I’ve looked up to Chad Johnson since I was young. He paved the way for me to put on this uniform and I’m just trying to live up to all the great things he has done for the Bengals.”

On Antonio Brown:

“He’s quick. Quick as lightening.”

On his favorite pro teams as a kid:

“I wasn’t even into sports when I was young. I was always outside, riding ATVs and getting in trouble. I didn’t really watch TV.”

On never playing for another team other than the Bengals:

“I can promise you the next two years I’ll be playing for the Bengals. That’s what I have left on my contract. I’d love to play for the Bengals for the rest of my career. It’s a great organization, they gave me the opportunity. How fun would it be to finish my career where I started? I hope I can do that. You never know. I can’t promise you that.”

On Tom Brady:

“He's one of the best to ever play this game. Personally, I think he's the best quarterback to ever play. His grit is unmatched, the fire he brings going into his 18th or 19th season. The fire he brings to the game each week is unmatched.”