Feeling Down on Julius Jones lately... Here's the something for you

[Yakuza Rich]

Speed: I am pretty sure Jones is faster, so he gets the advantage here. Barber is not much slower though.

Barber ran at his Pro Day and ran a 4.48 time. Julius ran at the combine and ran a 4.40 and 4.47 times. It's hard to tell since they were running on two different surfaces, but I'd say it's safe to say that Julius is faster.

Hands: Jones seems to drop half the passes thrown his way and he cannot adjust well to poorly thrown balls (When Bledsoe is about to get hit, he flips it towards Jones). Barber has much better hands than Jones.

This obviously goes to Barber. Julius seems to have really short arms and for whatever reason, doesn't have much coordination when it comes to catching. When he gets the ball cleanly in the open field, he's dynamite. But, Barber is extremely smooth catching the ball out of the backfield.

Protecting the Ball: I think Jones fumbles more than Barber. This was always a problem in college for Julius.

Remember, Barber had some difficult times holding onto the ball including giving me a heart attack in the second Philly game when Dallas was trying to run out the clock and he fumbled in Dallas territory. Somehow the ball bounced off the turf and right back to him. Still, I don't think either has a big issue with this and they'll get better as they get more experience.

Blitz pickup: Jones was much better at the start of the season, but Barber picked it up. They are pretty close now, Jones might have a slight edge.

Both are surprisingly good blockers. I used to laugh when BP wanted Eddie George and Richie Anderson in to pickup the blitz and Julius was by far better at doing that than either of them. Barber struggled early, but did a real good job at the end. I remember one play near the end of the season where Barber got sort of fooled then bowled over, so I'd say that Julius is the better blocker, but just barely.

Moves: Jones has more moves than Barber but the problem I have here is that he loses yardage making those moves. Instead of putting his head down and getting 5 more yards, he tries juking the defender and gains 1 yard. Not a big deal on 1st down necessarily, but on 2nd and 8 when you run, it's better to gain the 5 yards and be 3rd and 3 vs. 3rd and 7. This is what kills drives.

I don't think that's Jones' problem at all. A lot of times he has no choice as the blocking is really poor. Last year was a big problem as many times Johnson and Rivera were getting pushed back and when he'd get the ball, either Johnson or Rivera would be backed up to his feet.

My problem with Julius is that he doesn't have good balance and doesn't have a lot of great running power. Barber has that and that's why he was so effective in short yardage. Whereas Julius would run into the pile and fall down.

Rich............

 

[burmafrd]

Zalk, I don't know where you get this idea that JJ has a big head. He stated what his goals were, thats all. Apparently you want to find a reason not to like JJ and of course this still being a free country you can. But expect most here to laugh at you. Especially when you are clearly wrong as you were shown.

 

[zalik22]

Zalk, I don't know where you get this idea that JJ has a big head. He stated what his goals were, thats all. Apparently you want to find a reason not to like JJ and of course this still being a free country you can. But expect most here to laugh at you. Especially when you are clearly wrong as you were shown.

1. Jones rarely interacts with fans. He drives his Mercedes convertible, parks it, does not acknowledge anybody, and just has some attitude like he's the bomb. This has a lot to do with how he finished his rookie year. Fans were supporting him, cheering him, etc. and he even surpassed Roy Williams' popularity.

2. When he fumbles or makes a mistake and he's on the sideline, it never appears like he accepts the blame.

3. Young kids ask Julius for an autograph, he just smiles and points to something else.

I don't mind if you guys disagree or laugh at me, it's just my opinion. I'm not saying I am right, it's just how I feel.

Jones is more of a slugger, he might give you a home run every once in a while but strike out quite a bit, but Barber will be more consistent and give you singles and doubles. Would you rather have Emmitt or Barry (here's opening a can of worms)?

 

[burmafrd]

Wow you really have it in for him. Does the FACT that this has not been mentioned anywhere else have any impact on your OPINION. You clearly have decided he is pond scum and that is that. JJ is a very shy individual. Has been that way all his life. As A ND fan I feel pretty sure in telling you you are full of it. I watched JJ for years and nothing of what you claim was there. By the way- MB is hardly any kind of consistent threat at much of anything.

 

[WoodysGirl]

Wow you really have it in for him. Does the FACT that this has not been mentioned anywhere else have any impact on your OPINION. You clearly have decided he is pond scum and that is that. JJ is a very shy individual. Has been that way all his life. As A ND fan I feel pretty sure in telling you you are full of it. I watched JJ for years and nothing of what you claim was there. By the way- MB is hardly any kind of consistent threat at much of anything.

Getting a little sensitive burm?

Seems Zalik has obviously personally observed JJ at some point and time and came away with that opinion. He's entitled to it as you are yours. I don't think he's got it in for JJ just cuz he thinks he's a little arrogant, based on his personal observations. I imagine there are quite a few football players who may come off as arrogant.

Can't get upset with people who have legit doubts about JJ. Cuz until he can make it through a full season, they'll continue to do so. He's still gotta prove himself.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I think it is equally clear that he'll never stand up to the pounding of 35 carries per game.

Parcells said before last year that he didn't want Julius toting the rock for more than 27 times a game

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Have you noticed how many of our top draft choices (Roy Williams is another example) have come in and had a fantastic 1st year doing what they do best and then once they are harnessed into the "system" they are not as effective.

that happens to alot of 2nd year players, they think more instead of react from the coaching that has been stepped up from year 1 to 2, and that's why you usually hear the term "sophomore slump" used with some frequency, the key for 2nd year players going into their 3 year, and later, is to take the coaching as 2nd nature, so they can react instead of think, last year Julius' biggest problem was looking at 3 holes, instead of finding that 1 hole and hitting it quickly, the coaches stressed that to him, and by the Carolina game he got it, and which is why we saw him go off for his 1st 100 yard game

 

[stealth]

Moves: Jones has more moves than Barber but the problem I have here is that he loses yardage making those moves. Instead of putting his head down and getting 5 more yards, he tries juking the defender and gains 1 yard. Not a big deal on 1st down necessarily, but on 2nd and 8 when you run, it's better to gain the 5 yards and be 3rd and 3 vs. 3rd and 7. This is what kills drives.

jones has one move thats it, he has more moves than tyson thompson, but only cause thompson has none

 

[Bob Sacamano]

a lot of Julius' problems were that the defenders were hitting him behind the line as soon as the ball gets in his hands. no blocking whatsoever. if he could just get three seconds...watch out!!

 

[burmafrd]

JJ has only one move? Maybe you ought to take a look at the video.
As regards JJ being arrogant. they guy saw him once and then made a judgement. Sounds pretty dumb to me.

 

[zalik22]

JJ has only one move? Maybe you ought to take a look at the video.
As regards JJ being arrogant. they guy saw him once and then made a judgement. Sounds pretty dumb to me.

I go to all the Cowboys home games and observe most of the players on the sideline. Sometimes, I can hear conversations certain players have if I am close enough. I didn't just see him once. It's my opinion, so you don't have to agree with it, and like I have said many times, it doesn't mean I am right. You want to see how certain attitudes affect players? Marcellus "I'm going to rob Jerry Jones of signing bonus money and get 1 sack a year" Wiley didn't care about football. He came to games with a different car which he rented (Bentleys, Ferarris, etc.) and every time the doors opened, I swear there were different girls coming out. He didn't care about football, and I honestly doubt he cared whether the Cowboys won or lost. I'm not simply just stating "how I feel." I don't have anything against Julius, I thought he had a great finish to his rookie year, but he didn't even come close to meeting anybody's expectations last year. I won't be upset if he rushes for 3,000 yards and wins the MVP, or Super Bowl MVP. Geez...

 

[burmafrd]

I will flat out say the most disappointed person would be JJ himself. Maybe if you would do a little research on him you might think a little differently, like I said he is a very shy person. Very quiet. Some people mistake that for arrogance.

 

[DallasDomination]

Nice video it really pumped me up...Come on COWBOYS!.

 

[stealth]

JJ has only one move? Maybe you ought to take a look at the video.
As regards JJ being arrogant. they guy saw him once and then made a judgement. Sounds pretty dumb to me.

i have watched so much video of the kid its stupid, the guy has one move a jump stutter. He plants after jumping left fakes right and keeps goign left.
once in a while he does it to the right but literally thats once in a while.
watch the film, jump left fake right and go left almost every time. its predictable and I don't think he is nearly the back people make him out to be.

 

[burmafrd]

I watched every video available and have the Carolina and Seattle games on TIVO. He will go right or left depending on what he sees and feels. This is not basketball- all he needs to do is make the defender hesitate and he is gone.I would say he has variations on the stutter and fake move. Its clearly instinctive- you do not have time to think about itAgainst the Giants last year or actually his rookie year he faked three players in the backfield and froze them and then went around the end. I can say that I have seen about four different moves from him.

 

[Mavs Man]

Just an observation: I keep reading posts that say Julius Jones can't carry the ball 27 or 35 times a game.

Carried out over 16 games, this averages out to between 432 and 560 total carries - which would obliterate the current NFL record of 410 carries for a season, set by Jamal Anderson in 1998. The 400 carry mark has only been surpassed four times, the other running backs being James Wilder in 1984, Eric Dickerson in 1986, and Eddie George in 2000.

A more realistic number would be around 20 carries a game (320 for a season), or 23 touches a game if you factor in pass receptions (assuming 50 catches a year, which for Jones is probably a reach at this point).

And for another point, consider as some others have mentioned that Jones in his rookie season carried the load 30+ times over three consecutive games, tying an NFL record with Earl Campbell.

 

[D-Star]

THanks for sharing that video of JJ, Charles. It sure is encouraging to see JJ run like that and the thought if he could just remain healthy, wow! I was discouraged to have heard about the trade rumors , now seeing this video only gets me excited and loooking forward to the season. I live here in Southern Cal and cant wait to see the Cowboys open camp in Oxnard soon.