FWST Blog: He had his hands on it (Nate Jones)

[Angus]

He had his hands on it

It's just a preseason game, but for those who are "on the bubble", a preseason game is the difference between getting paid and looking for a job.
Defensive back Nate Jones falls into that category. He's on the edge, and a play here or there could be the difference between making the team or not. (Of course, that he's scheduled to make $850,000 this season doesn't help).
But Jones was on the wrong end of a Broncos' 90-yard touchdown pass on Saturday night. Jones was with Broncos receiver Brian Clark as the ball was coming down near mid-field on a go-route. The two jumped, but Clarke plucked it out of the sky and raced to the endzone.
"I had my hands on it. I tipped it into his hands," a discouraged Jones said.
While the rest of his teammates filed out of the Cowboys' locker room bearing little notable facial expression, Jones' face reeked of a regular season loss.
- Mac Engel


Posted at 01:32 PM

 

[DragonCowboy]

Yeah I don't blame Nate Jones so much for that. He just has to knock it away if he has his hands on it.

Miles Austin better watch for his job though.

 

[CATCH17]

Nates worked his butt off for us to improve as a player and it looks like that one play is probably going to send him packing.

Its sad but thats just how it goes sometimes.

It doesn't help when Joey Thomas is playing like he is either.

 

[sago1]

Football may seem like a glamourous life filled with financial rewards. But that life also includes a lot of hard work & pain for much of the player's working life & for some it also comes with pain afterwards. If you become a star and have a long career, the financial rewards can be enormous. Rookies just starting in the NFL earn more then most people (about $275,000) will ever make.

On the other hand there will be players who work hard to grab on to that dream giving everything then can to hang on. Yet despite their work, they may lack the physical talent or suffer varying degrees of injuries which either prevent them from achieving stardom or even prevent them on making the team. Of course those who don't make it just get on with their lives because hopefully they've also gotten the education necessary to get a good job.

But football is also a cruel life cause you can easily be replaced by somebody just a little better or simply because he's younger and cost less. When Nate Jones made the Cowboys 3-4 years ago, we probably were all thrilled because little was expected of a 6th or 7th rounder. Now he fights to hang on knowing that another player might beat him out & we fans cheer the new player hoping he will help the Cowboys more then Jones did. Jones should find another job cause he's a decent 5th CB with real good ST ability.

I'm rooting for Joey Thomas to beat out Jones & hope he has the talent to eventually step up as a #3 CB to replace Aaron Glenn (35). We all love the game of football and our Cowboys. But it is very easy to understand while football players love the game, it is also very easy to see why they regard it as a business. One mistake, a little aging, an injury and you are out the door with no salary guaranteed, etc.

 

[ddh33]

I've still got more confidence in Nate than I do Joey Thomas. I think Thomas is way more likely to make a big play for you. But he also seems more likely to let them make a big play against you. That scares me.

Quincy Butler has really hurt himself by getting injured. I thought he had a good shot. A guy like Alan Ball also has a good opportunity.

In the end, I still believe this team ends up keeping 10 DBs though, and 7 of those spots are locked up with another spot (J.Reeves) getting closer by the second.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

That was a bang bang play for sure.