Byron Jones and Interceptions

DasSchnitzel · Feb 14, 2020

When people discuss paying Byron Jones, the strongest (and sometimes only) argument against signing him is his lack of interceptions.

I'm not saying we shouldn't hold that against him. He doesnt intercept the ball. That's a fact.

I was thinking about this, and the thing I keep coming back to is that nobody intercepts the ball on this defense, and they havent for years. Jeff Heath of all people has been our best interceptor for years. This makes me think that perhaps any corner would have lower than typical interceptions in the scheme we've played for years.

So I'm wondering what people's opinions are on this. Are we going to see Byron Jones go to another team and start pulling down interceptions? If so, then maybe he could do that for us under a new coordinator in a new scheme. Theyve already stated that turnovers are going to be a priority for once.

Or is it that Byron Jones himself is the problem? Does he just not have that aspect to his game?

This is a really important question to answer before deciding his future.

For the sake of this thread, please just focus on whether Jones should be paid, and not on whether there will be room left to pay him pending Dak, Cooper, etc. We've got enough threads about the cap space they may command.

Manster_Mash · Feb 14, 2020

The last staff stressed turnovers too. Every staff does the same.

Maybe the fans and media just over hype the roster talent and our "great" drafting?

Stash · Feb 14, 2020

DasSchnitzel said:
When people discuss paying Byron Jones, the strongest (and sometimes only) argument against signing him is his lack of interceptions.

I'm not saying we shouldn't hold that against him. He doesnt intercept the ball. That's a fact.

I was thinking about this, and the thing I keep coming back to is that nobody intercepts the ball on this defense, and they havent for years. Jeff Heath of all people has been our best interceptor for years. This makes me think that perhaps any corner would have lower than typical interceptions in the scheme we've played for years.

So I'm wondering what people's opinions are on this. Are we going to see Byron Jones go to another team and start pulling down interceptions? If so, then maybe he could do that for us under a new coordinator in a new scheme. Theyve already stated that turnovers are going to be a priority for once.

Or is it that Byron Jones himself is the problem? Does he just not have that aspect to his game?

This is a really important question to answer before deciding his future.

For the sake of this thread, please just focus on whether Jones should be paid, and not on whether there will be room left to pay him pending Dak, Cooper, etc. We've got enough threads about the cap space they may command.

I'm in the "leopard doesn't change its spots" group.

Byron Jones is who he is. A physically-gifted player who is 'good', not 'great' at playing cornerback. He has never been a big INT guy, not in college, certainly never in the pros. Even the last 2 INT's he did manage to get were gifted to him. One was a meaningless, end-of-the-half Hail Mary against the Bucs, and the other was the result of Sean Lee tipping a pass that Jones managed to corral. I've seen the player himself choose to knock down passes he saw coming, without the thought of actually trying to catch it himself. And if his instincts in the heat of the moment are telling him that, I'm out.

He's not a playmaker, and after 5 years of seeing that, I've seen enough.

DasSchnitzel · Feb 14, 2020

Manster_Mash said:
The last staff stressed turnovers too. Every staff does the same.

Maybe the fans and media just over hype the roster talent and our "great" drafting?

They stressed BBDB more than interceptions. They played it safe at the CB spot. I think this is well known by now.

stiletto · Feb 14, 2020

stasheroo said:
I'm in the "leopard doesn't change its spots" group.

Byron Jones is who he is. A physically-gifted player who is 'good', not 'great' at playing cornerback. He has never been a big INT guy, not in college, certainly never in the pros. Even the last 2 INT's he did manage to get were gifted to him. One was a meaningless, end-of-the-half Hail Mary against the Bucs, and the other was the result of Sean Lee tipping a pass that Jones managed to corral. I've seen the player himself choose to knock down passes he saw coming, without the thought of actually trying to catch it himself. And if his instincts in the heat of the moment are telling him that, I'm out.

He's not a playmaker, and after 5 years of seeing that, I've seen enough.

Especially for the money he will get. We can replace 0 interceptions fairly easily. LOL

DasSchnitzel · Feb 14, 2020

stasheroo said:
I'm in the "leopard doesn't change its spots" group.

Byron Jones is who he is. A physically-gifted player who is 'good', not 'great' at playing cornerback. He has never been a big INT guy, not in college, certainly never in the pros. Even the last 2 INT's he did manage to get were gifted to him. One was a meaningless, end-of-the-half Hail Mary against the Bucs, and the other was the result of Sean Lee tipping a pass that Jones managed to corral. I've seen the player himself choose to knock down passes he saw coming, without the thought of actually trying to catch it himself. And if his instincts in the heat of the moment are telling him that, I'm out.

He's not a playmaker, and after 5 years of seeing that, I've seen enough.

Well said, I can get behind this argument.

I really dont have an answer so I'm looking for good replies like these to make me think.

Creeper · Feb 14, 2020

I wish I had an answer to this question. I asked the same question when they decided to let Morris Claiborne walk. Claiborne was only marginally better playing for the Jets than he was for Dallas.

The one question I have is about the Cowboys technique. They all watch the receiver and turn for the ball too late to pick if off. But I am not sure if this is just poor recognition or bad coaching. The thing about Dallas is they don't even seem to be there to intercept the errant or tipped passes.

My gut tells me its the players not the coaching. The guys who get a lot of INTs seems to be able to stay with their receivers but still turn and look for the ball. Maybe the problem is the Cowboys CBs just aren't that good. But I thought Jones was supposed to be a smart guy academically. I guess we'll have to watch some Broncos games to find out. (But I still think he winds up with the Giants or Eagles next season)

Stash · Feb 14, 2020

DasSchnitzel said:
Well said, I can get behind this argument.

I really dont have an answer so I'm looking for good replies like these to make me think.

Here's some more food for thought and some quotes from our new DC Mike Nolan:

"The No. 1 thing in football is getting the ball for your offense," Nolan said.

He also said most of that comes down to a player's knack for being around the ball, although he said that skill can be improved with drills.

"I was talking to Troy Aikman probably 15 years ago, and I remember him talking about defensive backs and throwing against them," Nolan said. "And he said, 'You know, I'm not really concerned throwing at a corner that's just going to knock the ball down. I throw incompletions all the time.' We were talking about Deion [Sanders] and he said, 'But when I throw against Deion, I've got to be concerned about the ball going for 6 the other way.' And I thought that was a great point. The really good quarterbacks, I think, recognize the same things. There really is no fear in throwing the ball if it's going to be complete or on the ground, but when that guy covering him can take it the other way, that's a difference-maker."

https://www.espn.com/blog/dallas-co...ys-defense-to-have-swarming-type-of-mentality

To me, that's reads like the antithesis of Byron Jones, the opposite of the player that he's proven to be. And those comments are coming from this team's new defensive coordinator and a guy that will likely have a significant voice in who he wants to keep. Or not.

Whyjerry · Feb 14, 2020

DasSchnitzel said:
When people discuss paying Byron Jones, the strongest (and sometimes only) argument against signing him is his lack of interceptions.

I'm not saying we shouldn't hold that against him. He doesnt intercept the ball. That's a fact.

I was thinking about this, and the thing I keep coming back to is that nobody intercepts the ball on this defense, and they havent for years. Jeff Heath of all people has been our best interceptor for years. This makes me think that perhaps any corner would have lower than typical interceptions in the scheme we've played for years.

So I'm wondering what people's opinions are on this. Are we going to see Byron Jones go to another team and start pulling down interceptions? If so, then maybe he could do that for us under a new coordinator in a new scheme. Theyve already stated that turnovers are going to be a priority for once.

Or is it that Byron Jones himself is the problem? Does he just not have that aspect to his game?

This is a really important question to answer before deciding his future.

For the sake of this thread, please just focus on whether Jones should be paid, and not on whether there will be room left to pay him pending Dak, Cooper, etc. We've got enough threads about the cap space they may command.

I don't think so at all. Jones is a great athlete but not a good football player. In my opinion he gets by because he is such a great athlete but will never have natural ball skills. The scheme in Dallas was terrible but I don't think Jones turns into Sherman on a new team.

Future · Feb 14, 2020

Manster_Mash said:
The last staff stressed turnovers too. Every staff does the same.

Maybe the fans and media just over hype the roster talent and our "great" drafting?

They talked about it but they didn't scheme turnovers, at all.

snapper · Feb 14, 2020

Whyjerry said:
I don't think so at all. Jones is a great athlete but not a good football player. In my opinion he gets by because he is such a great athlete but will never have natural ball skills. The scheme in Dallas was terrible but I don't think Jones turns into Sherman on a new team.

This.

As an old-timer, I remember when there was discussion about Mel Renfro being an incredible athlete, but there were questions about his football talent. He proved very quickly he was more than a great athlete.

Byron does not appear to have the same DB instincts most great athletes like Deon and Mel Renfro displayed. Once his athleticism begins to decline, so will his ability to cover good WRs. I would not spend the money he will command in the open market.

Loso86 · Feb 14, 2020

DasSchnitzel said:
When people discuss paying Byron Jones, the strongest (and sometimes only) argument against signing him is his lack of interceptions.

I'm not saying we shouldn't hold that against him. He doesnt intercept the ball. That's a fact.

I was thinking about this, and the thing I keep coming back to is that nobody intercepts the ball on this defense, and they havent for years. Jeff Heath of all people has been our best interceptor for years. This makes me think that perhaps any corner would have lower than typical interceptions in the scheme we've played for years.

So I'm wondering what people's opinions are on this. Are we going to see Byron Jones go to another team and start pulling down interceptions? If so, then maybe he could do that for us under a new coordinator in a new scheme. Theyve already stated that turnovers are going to be a priority for once.

Or is it that Byron Jones himself is the problem? Does he just not have that aspect to his game?

This is a really important question to answer before deciding his future.

For the sake of this thread, please just focus on whether Jones should be paid, and not on whether there will be room left to pay him pending Dak, Cooper, etc. We've got enough threads about the cap space they may command.

all I know is. Theres going to be aloy of people mad at this defense without Jones and a reliable replacement. Chico wasnt good last year brown wasnt that good last year our best was Jourdan and our safety play was garbage. Pay the man he doesnt intercept but has a good amount of deflections and stats say hes not thrown at alot. Hopefully he doesnt want to be the highest paid CB

Manster_Mash · Feb 14, 2020

Future said:
They talked about it but they didn't scheme turnovers, at all.

I am sure that they tried to scheme turnovers. Trying to get turnovers is not some new, unique strategy that only the good teams use.

They didnt accomplish getting turnovers, likely because they dont have players better than the opponents they play against.

Bowdown27 · Feb 14, 2020

DasSchnitzel said:
They stressed BBDB more than interceptions. They played it safe at the CB spot. I think this is well known by now.

I agree. I honestly think we need an overhaul on db. It hasn’t worked. I understand it was a different defense but I don’t see these guys becoming all pro in this Nolan defense

Manster_Mash · Feb 14, 2020

Loso86 said:
all I know is. Theres going to be aloy of people mad at this defense without Jones and a reliable replacement. Chico wasnt good last year brown wasnt that good last year our best was Jourdan and our safety play was garbage. Pay the man he doesnt intercept but has a good amount of deflections and stats say hes not thrown at alot. Hopefully he doesnt want to be the highest paid CB

There were a lot of people mad at this defense last year too.

visionary · Feb 14, 2020

DasSchnitzel said:
When people discuss paying Byron Jones, the strongest (and sometimes only) argument against signing him is his lack of interceptions.

I'm not saying we shouldn't hold that against him. He doesnt intercept the ball. That's a fact.

I was thinking about this, and the thing I keep coming back to is that nobody intercepts the ball on this defense, and they havent for years. Jeff Heath of all people has been our best interceptor for years. This makes me think that perhaps any corner would have lower than typical interceptions in the scheme we've played for years.

So I'm wondering what people's opinions are on this. Are we going to see Byron Jones go to another team and start pulling down interceptions? If so, then maybe he could do that for us under a new coordinator in a new scheme. Theyve already stated that turnovers are going to be a priority for once.

Or is it that Byron Jones himself is the problem? Does he just not have that aspect to his game?

This is a really important question to answer before deciding his future.

For the sake of this thread, please just focus on whether Jones should be paid, and not on whether there will be room left to pay him pending Dak, Cooper, etc. We've got enough threads about the cap space they may command.

he is who is, a good CB but can’t intercept the ball to save his life

good CB who is about to get paid like top 3

I’m ready to move on

Future · Feb 14, 2020

Manster_Mash said:
I am sure that they tried to scheme turnovers. Trying to get turnovers is not some new, unique strategy that only the good teams use.

They didnt accomplish getting turnovers, likely because they dont have players better than the opponents they play against.

No they didn't. They schemed to not give up any big plays - which they were generally very good at.

Manster_Mash · Feb 14, 2020

Future said:
No they didn't. They schemed to not give up any big plays - which they were generally very good at.

I'm sure you're right. They probably didn't scheme to score points on offense either.

817Gill · Feb 14, 2020

DasSchnitzel said:
Well said, I can get behind this argument.

I really dont have an answer so I'm looking for good replies like these to make me think.

There’s also an element of him having terrible hands. I’ve seen him on the jugs machine and some casual shots of him trying to catch at practice and dude just has no hands.

J.Lew was cracking some jokes at him during an interview I saw once, making fun of his hands lol. It looks like he tries to clap the ball together with his hands. If you ever watch some missed interceptions by him it’s always the same. Tries to clap it together and it goes right though his hands. He certainly is an elite athlete playing CB, good enough to be a solid #1, not good enough to be a top 5 guy.

CouchCoach · Feb 14, 2020

DasSchnitzel said:
When people discuss paying Byron Jones, the strongest (and sometimes only) argument against signing him is his lack of interceptions.

I'm not saying we shouldn't hold that against him. He doesnt intercept the ball. That's a fact.

I was thinking about this, and the thing I keep coming back to is that nobody intercepts the ball on this defense, and they havent for years. Jeff Heath of all people has been our best interceptor for years. This makes me think that perhaps any corner would have lower than typical interceptions in the scheme we've played for years.

So I'm wondering what people's opinions are on this. Are we going to see Byron Jones go to another team and start pulling down interceptions? If so, then maybe he could do that for us under a new coordinator in a new scheme. Theyve already stated that turnovers are going to be a priority for once.

Or is it that Byron Jones himself is the problem? Does he just not have that aspect to his game?

This is a really important question to answer before deciding his future.

For the sake of this thread, please just focus on whether Jones should be paid, and not on whether there will be room left to pay him pending Dak, Cooper, etc. We've got enough threads about the cap space they may command.

We are going to see what this new D coaching staff thinks about him. Nolan has said it's all about increasing turnovers, do they think he is a player without ball skills or has the way the secondary been coached are they out of position for picks?

Of all the players the Cowboys could release, including QB and WR, Jones will be the most sought after. It's a passing league and he can cover, you pay for that.

Byron Jones and Interceptions

DasSchnitzel

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Manster_Mash

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Stash

DasSchnitzel

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stiletto

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DasSchnitzel

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Creeper

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Stash

Whyjerry

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Future

Intramural Legend

snapper

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Loso86

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Manster_Mash

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Bowdown27

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Manster_Mash

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visionary

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Future

Intramural Legend

Manster_Mash

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817Gill

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CouchCoach