Byron Jones Insight from a CT Guy

[CowboysLaw87]

I'll cut right to it. Byron grew up one town over from me in New Britain, CT. He played his high school ball at a school that I later assistant coached for (one year after he left). Needless to say, I know some people who truly know Byron... know how he operates on the day-to-day, how he carries himself, treats people, works, etc.

And I can't be any more thrilled with this pick. I've only heard the best things about him. Very respectful & hard-working. I'll tell a quick story...

I'm close with someone who coached him at UConn. One day prior to the 2013 UConn season, Byron handed this coach his playbook, saying he didn't need it anymore. Turns out Byron had made a complete hand-written copy of the notebook at home. His method for studying was to do exactly that... and every 2 weeks all throughout the year, he copied the playbook by hand to make sure it was completely committed to memory.

This is a kid who defines "Right Kind of Guy." I'm a true believer that 95% of 1st round picks have the requisite physical ability to be starters in the NFL, but many of the guys who fail do so because they don't have the work ethic, don't love football, don't make the right decisions, etc. This kid lives & breathes football. He's truly a gym rat & will bring that leadership into the secondary. I view him as the secondary's version of Sean Lee (albeit with even greater athletic potential).

Welcome, Byron Jones!

 

[dbonham]

Love it, people underestimate how far being a workaholic gets you at corner. No one would know Sherman's name if he had the work ethic of an average NFL corner.

 

[CowboyChris]

thanks for that read. I like the pick also.

 

[DBOY3141]

I'll cut right to it. Byron grew up one town over from me in New Britain, CT. He played his high school ball at a school that I later assistant coached for (one year after he left). Needless to say, I know some people who truly know Byron... know how he operates on the day-to-day, how he carries himself, treats people, works, etc.

And I can't be any more thrilled with this pick. I've only heard the best things about him. Very respectful & hard-working. I'll tell a quick story...

I'm close with someone who coached him at UConn. One day prior to the 2013 UConn season, Byron handed this coach his playbook, saying he didn't need it anymore. Turns out Byron had made a complete hand-written copy of the notebook at home. His method for studying was to do exactly that... and every 2 weeks all throughout the year, he copied the playbook by hand to make sure it was completely committed to memory.

This is a kid who defines "Right Kind of Guy." I'm a true believer that 95% of 1st round picks have the requisite physical ability to be starters in the NFL, but many of the guys who fail do so because they don't have the work ethic, don't love football, don't make the right decisions, etc. This kid lives & breathes football. He's truly a gym rat & will bring that leadership into the secondary. I view him as the secondary's version of Sean Lee (albeit with even greater athletic potential).

Welcome, Byron Jones!

thanks for sharing that.

 

[Zekeats]

great read

 

[DFWJC]

If you combine physical athletic freak with 33 wonderlic, also combined with ultra serious work-ethic....I'm liking that player's odds.

 

[Awakened]

I don't mean to be a downer, but there are plenty of hard-working, stand up guys who you'd be happy to marry your daughter but couldn't be a starting cornerback in the NFL. That takes a certain skill set that I'm not sure Byron Jones has. Like someone else said, he likely blew people away with his workout and his interview, but the film doesn't lie.

 

[texbumthelife]

I appreciate the post and I am glad we got a good young man, none of that has anything to do with his ability to play cornerback in this league.

I don't mean to be a downer, but there are plenty of hard-working, stand up guys who you'd be happy to marry your daughter but couldn't be a starting cornerback in the NFL. That takes a certain skill set that I'm not sure Byron Jones has. Like someone else said, he likely blew people away with his workout and his interview, but the film doesn't lie.

That was me. I agree the kid shows some ability and I think he'll play. I just don't think he will ever live up to his draft spot or ever be a number one guy.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

I'm close with someone who coached him at UConn. One day prior to the 2013 UConn season, Byron handed this coach his playbook, saying he didn't need it anymore. Turns out Byron had made a complete hand-written copy of the notebook at home. His method for studying was to do exactly that... and every 2 weeks all throughout the year, he copied the playbook by hand to make sure it was completely committed to memory.

This is similar to how I 'studied' for college. A friend of mine who I knew wasn't dumb, but wasn't *that* smart was coasting thru a few courses we had, particularly Economics, Biology and Accounting. He looked like he never studied much before the test and was pulling great grades. I finally had to ask him how he was doing it knowing that he wasn't a genius by any stretch of the imagination.

His mother was a teacher and taught him how to 'study.' Almost all of the stuff on the test was in the notes. So, simply write down every single note you can take in class. Then, go home each day, and in a loose left binder, using 1-side of the sheet, write down the notes again as clear and as neat as you possibly can. Cross all of the t's and dot all of the eyes. If you make a mistake, junk the sheet of paper and start over again. Then, briefly go over what you have written. Make notes of any questions you have to bring to the next class to ask the professor. Repeat the same process for the next class, but this time you go over the previous class' notes as well.

By the time the tests came, I didn't have to study at all. I could simply do this for about 30 minute to an hour each day and the night before the test, breeze thru it all in 20 minutes of 'studying.' And by then I was able to go thru the rest of my college years being able to party on nights before tests and breeze thru almost every class. The only issue is that I was too lazy to do it for the entire year, so finals were a bit of a problem.

It's too bad that teachers and coaches fail to teach students and athletes on *how* to study instead of expecting them to pick it up on their own.








YR

 

[Yakuza Rich]

I appreciate the post and I am glad we got a good young man, none of that has anything to do with his ability to play cornerback in this league.



That was me. I agree the kid shows some ability and I think he'll play. I just don't think he will ever live up to his draft spot or ever be a number one guy.

We don't need a #1 guy in a zone coverage scheme. It's nice to have if you can get one. Even Richard Sherman rarely leaves his position.

What got us into this mess in the first place was the Rob Ryan scheme where it is beneficial to have those lockdown corners and need #1 CB's. That's how we paid for what we did for Carr and traded up for Claiborne.





YR

 

[xwalker]

This is similar to how I 'studied' for college. A friend of mine who I knew wasn't dumb, but wasn't *that* smart was coasting thru a few courses we had, particularly Economics, Biology and Accounting. He looked like he never studied much before the test and was pulling great grades. I finally had to ask him how he was doing it knowing that he wasn't a genius by any stretch of the imagination.

His mother was a teacher and taught him how to 'study.' Almost all of the stuff on the test was in the notes. So, simply write down every single note you can take in class. Then, go home each day, and in a loose left binder, using 1-side of the sheet, write down the notes again as clear and as neat as you possibly can. Cross all of the t's and dot all of the eyes. If you make a mistake, junk the sheet of paper and start over again. Then, briefly go over what you have written. Make notes of any questions you have to bring to the next class to ask the professor. Repeat the same process for the next class, but this time you go over the previous class' notes as well.

By the time the tests came, I didn't have to study at all. I could simply do this for about 30 minute to an hour each day and the night before the test, breeze thru it all in 20 minutes of 'studying.' And by then I was able to go thru the rest of my college years being able to party on nights before tests and breeze thru almost every class. The only issue is that I was too lazy to do it for the entire year, so finals were a bit of a problem.

It's too bad that teachers and coaches fail to teach students and athletes on *how* to study instead of expecting them to pick it up on their own.

YR

In History, Government and those type of classes I would just memorize the notes and repeat them back on the tests. If you asked me about them a week later I wouldn't remember much.

That didn't work once I was in Engineering and advanced Mathematics classes.

IMO, the #1 thing that college does is force you to figure out how to learn. A lot of the specifics that you learn are not that important, it's more about the process and the fortitude of doing it.

I think it would be hard to teach people specifically how to learn because everybody is different. Some people really thrive in the classroom environment but struggle just learning on their own. It was the opposite for me. I preferred to just know what notes or books to study and I didn't get much from lectures.

 

[Bowdown27]

Makes me feel better and better reading things like this. Kid could really do well here

 

[JoeyBoy718]

As long as he didn't hang out with Aaron Hernandez as a kid.

 

[texbumthelife]

We don't need a #1 guy in a zone coverage scheme. It's nice to have if you can get one. Even Richard Sherman rarely leaves his position.

What got us into this mess in the first place was the Rob Ryan scheme where it is beneficial to have those lockdown corners and need #1 CB's. That's how we paid for what we did for Carr and traded up for Claiborne.





YR

Then we should have targeted the Oregon kid in the third. We just spent a premium pick on Jones.

Then again, I honestly don't know who I would have taken.

 

[sureletsrace]

Great story. In the past 14 hours, I'm starting to come around on him. I trust the spring department; they have been killing it lately.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Then we should have targeted the Oregon kid in the third. We just spent a premium pick on Jones.

Then again, I honestly don't know who I would have taken.

Late first round pick is not all that of a 'premium pick.'

I think we got everything we wanted with this pick and that's why the pick was made so quickly:

- A corner with free safety experience to play both positions in today's NFL which features more 3 safety personnel packages to defend against TE's and large WR's.

- A corner that is big enough and physical enough to tackle.

- A corner that plays well in press and can play off in coverage in zone.

- An incredible athlete that was very productive in college

- A high character type of player

If anything, this symbolizes real change in organizational philosophy. The last organizational philosophy that I can think of that has hurt us over the past 20 years that we have yet to reconcile is how we value cornerbacks and the type of corners we have looked for. We have always sought out the 'cover corner' who is small, quick and agile...but can't tackle. We'll pay a huge price for these types of corners and have to get into bidding wars (i.e. Carr) or take a pick on these cover corners (i.e. Claiborne). Meanwhile, our best corner over the past 5 years was a 4th round pick that more fit zone coverage (Scrandrick) and is a physical tackler.

I was afraid that we would try to find that cover corner and try to get him to fit the system instead of finding a legit zone coverage corner. We had every reason to take Jones except for he doesn't fit the typical mode of corner we have signed or drafted over the years. And we finally broke that cycle of going for cover corners who will underwhelm. And I couldn't be happier.






YR

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I'm close with someone who coached him at UConn. One day prior to the 2013 UConn season, Byron handed this coach his playbook, saying he didn't need it anymore. Turns out Byron had made a complete hand-written copy of the notebook at home. His method for studying was to do exactly that... and every 2 weeks all throughout the year, he copied the playbook by hand to make sure it was completely committed to memory.

Risen did the same with his grocery list.

 

[DBOY3141]

Risen did the same with his grocery list.

 

[texbumthelife]

Late first round pick is not all that of a 'premium pick.'

I think we got everything we wanted with this pick and that's why the pick was made so quickly:

- A corner with free safety experience to play both positions in today's NFL which features more 3 safety personnel packages to defend against TE's and large WR's.

- A corner that is big enough and physical enough to tackle.

- A corner that plays well in press and can play off in coverage in zone.

- An incredible athlete that was very productive in college

- A high character type of player

If anything, this symbolizes real change in organizational philosophy. The last organizational philosophy that I can think of that has hurt us over the past 20 years that we have yet to reconcile is how we value cornerbacks and the type of corners we have looked for. We have always sought out the 'cover corner' who is small, quick and agile...but can't tackle. We'll pay a huge price for these types of corners and have to get into bidding wars (i.e. Carr) or take a pick on these cover corners (i.e. Claiborne). Meanwhile, our best corner over the past 5 years was a 4th round pick that more fit zone coverage (Scrandrick) and is a physical tackler.

I was afraid that we would try to find that cover corner and try to get him to fit the system instead of finding a legit zone coverage corner. We had every reason to take Jones except for he doesn't fit the typical mode of corner we have signed or drafted over the years. And we finally broke that cycle of going for cover corners who will underwhelm. And I couldn't be happier.


YR

In other words, exactly what I am saying we should have done. I am not saying we shouldn't have taken a corner. I am not even saying we should not have taken Jones. I am saying we should not have taken a corner like Jones @27.

The kid from Oregon is an absolutely perfect fit in our zone schemes. I honestly wouldn't mind if we still looked at him later. Particularly if he slips past the third. In the fourth or fifth he would be a steal.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

In other words, exactly what I am saying we should have done. I am not saying we shouldn't have taken a corner. I am not even saying we should not have taken Jones. I am saying we should not have taken a corner like Jones @27.

The kid from Oregon is an absolutely perfect fit in our zone schemes. I honestly wouldn't mind if we still looked at him later. Particularly if he slips past the third. In the fourth or fifth he would be a steal.

I think he was the BPA for the positions we were looking at.

There's no guarantee that the 'kid from Oregon' is going to be around in the 3rd.

And financially, the 27th pick is not that premium of a pick.

I think now we need to look at S, LB, QB and RT



YR