Joey Bosa on Call of Duty: Mobile, His Favorite NFL Sack, His Brother Nick, and More
By Liam McKeone
To celebrate the release of Call of Duty: Mobile, Treyarch and Activision hosted a head-to-head competition with NFL athletes in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon. Afterwards, Joey Bosa took the time to chat with The Big Lead about his thoughts on the mobile version of the popular gaming franchise, how his season has gone so far, and more.
Liam McKeone: Hi Joey, thanks for taking the time today. To start with some football talk, what goals did you have in mind ahead of your fourth NFL season, and how do you feel about those goals after the first six weeks of the season?
Joey Bosa: I’ve said this a lot when people ask me this question, but I don’t really set specific goals as far as numbers and stuff like that. As lame as it is, I just say that I always take it one day at a time. Obviously, the team hasn’t been winning, and it’s hard to feel good about your own play when the team success isn’t coming with it. But I’ve been pretty satisfied with the way I’ve gone about things this season. Obviously I could be doing more to help us get the wins, but overall, I’ve felt good as far as sticking with my routine and doing what I need to to prepare for the game and get out there and play well.
McKeone: Your brother Nick up north in San Francisco has gotten off to a hot start in his rookie season, similar to how fast you came out of the gate during your rookie season with the Chargers. What are the keys to getting off to a quick start in your very first NFL season?
Bosa: You know, I don’t know if I have a good answer to that question. Nick isn’t just any rookie, obviously. I knew once he was healthy and playing that he would dominate. But I can’t really think of anything specific. It’s just getting into your routine, your diet, your workout regime, getting with your coaches and teammates.
McKeone: I expect you've been watching a lot of your alma mater, Ohio State, this season. What are your thoughts on Chase Young?
Bosa: Yeah, he’s a beast, man. It’s funny, a lot of the edge rushers [at Ohio State] all rush the same way as far as technique and that kind of stuff, we all learned from Coach [Larry] Johnson down there. He's done a great job with Chase. But he’s going to be really good.
McKeone: You have 31 sacks in your NFL career to this point. What has been your favorite one so far?
Bosa: Hmm… Taking down Tom Brady for the first time was pretty sweet. There was another sack I had against the Browns where they were driving late in the game and I just came around the edge and stripped it, that felt pretty good.
McKeone: Shifting to Call of Duty, what are your initial impressions of Call of Duty: Mobile now that it's been out for a few weeks?
Bosa: I’m really enjoying it. It doesn’t feel like you’re playing on mobile at all. It’s really smooth and feels like a regular video game, but you’re playing on your phone. I've been playing Call of Duty for a long time, all the way back to Call of Duty 4, so it's a lot of fun being able to play on my phone. It’s going to be great being on the road with all your teammates and not having to bring your Xbox or PC or whatever and still be able to play together.
McKeone: They introduced some new features for the mobile version of the game. Have any stood out to you so far?
Bosa: One thing that’s really nice is that they allow you to customize the size of the controls. Obviously, I have bigger hands than most, so that’s really good for me.
McKeone: Do you play Call of Duty with your teammates a lot?
Bosa: Not really. I actually just made the switch to PC, but there’s no cross-platform yet for Call of Duty. So it’s hard for us to play together, but like I said, the mobile version will make that a lot easier.
McKeone: The Battle Royale mode has become very popular in shooter games like Call of Duty over the last few years, and is included in Call of Duty: Mobile. Do you like Battle Royale, or do you stick with the more classic game types?
Bosa: I think it’s really good to switch it up. Battle Royale is a lot of fun and it keeps things fresh. I still like the regular modes but the option to play Battle Royale is good.
McKeone: What's your all-time favorite Call of Duty game?
Bosa: Call of Duty 4 has to be the answer. I logged a lot of hours on that game when it first came out. But I’m just a big fan in general. Call of Duty is always a must-buy for me every year, and I've bought every game since 4, but COD 4 was my first one, so that’s my favorite.