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Camp tour: Former QB Jones draws comparisons to Moss -- really
Aug. 1, 2006
By Pete Prisco
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
http://www.sportsline.com/columns/writers/prisco[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- When he was 10 years old, Matt Jones was a receiver on his pee-wee football team. There was one problem. He was also the best passer on his team.
Bye-bye, receiver. Hello, quarterback. Aside from a year playing the position as a 10th grader in high school, he has been under center the rest of his football life ... until last year.
"I often wonder what would have happened if I stayed at receiver," Jones said.
Matt Jones has the speed and hands
to haul in the long ball.
That would be scary. Jones, the second-year receiver from the Jacksonville Jaguars, has the ability to be an NFL star. Some scouts and teammates are predicting it will happen this season.
Jones is tall at 6-6, has outstanding speed and good hands. Some have compared him to Randy Moss, which is flattery at its highest.
Not bad for a player who came to the Jaguars last year having spent his college days playing quarterback for the University of Arkansas, an option threat who also happened to have a decent arm.
Quarterback is now a thing of the past for Jones, aside from a taste or two in special packages. He now makes his living catching passes, but moving to a new position can sometimes be tough, particularly when it's moving from the marquee position on the field. Players have balked at that move in the past. Jones embraced it.
"I haven't even thought about it (quarterback) in a while," Jones said during a break from training camp practices. "It's behind me now."
What's in front of him is establishing himself as the Jaguars' go-to receiver. When Jimmy Smith abruptly retired this spring, Jones and a group of younger receivers were suddenly cast deep into the spotlight of scrutiny. All the preseason publications and prognosticators mention the Jaguars' receiver spot as a major trouble spot for the team.
Smith was a great player, a borderline Hall of Fame player at that. But Jones has the ability to fill that role.
Coming out of Arkansas, some scouts thought he could be the next Moss. In 2005, some wondered how that could possibly be.
Jacksonville Jaguars Out of Nowhere Man LB Brian Iwuh
Brian Iwuh signed with the team as a rookie free agent after not being drafted. He played at Colorado as a 224-pound linebacker. While he might not be able to play on a regular basis for the Jaguars at any point in his career, he has the look of a special-teams star. He's already impressed special-teams coach Pete Rodriguez and has made some big plays on defense so far. http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9580993
Jones flashed at times, but he didn’t exactly make anybody think of Moss. He caught 36 passes for 432 yards five touchdowns. He did have five catches of 20-plus yards, an indication of his big-play speed. But there wasn't enough for that superstardom talk.
The reality is Jones never got to show his explosive speed. Rookie receivers always seem to struggle with the details of the position. There's coverage to read on the run, there's the physical play of the NFL corners and there's plenty of speed in that defensive backfield to counter yours. A move from college quarterback to NFL receiver compounds the problems.
"It's tough for a first-year player, especially since I was doing some of the things that I really hadn't done," Jones said. "Part of being a good receiver is not thinking. When you have a core route, you just go. When you are reacting instead of thinking, it's so much easier to get open. I didn't break out in the open one time at full speed all year."
Some thought that actually happened during the team's playoff loss to the Patriots, when he got free for a 41-yard catch and run. But Jones said he wasn't even full speed on that play.
"I was cramping up in my calves," Jones said.
Watching him at practice this year, he now plays at full speed. Gone is trepidation of thinking on the run. He's able to show his big-play ability without wondering if he's going to the right spot, earning the confidence of his quarterback.
"It's like night and day," Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich said. "Last year at this time, he was still a quarterback. Now he understands the wide receiver position. He knows how to get open, the little things he needs to do. Last year at this time, he was just starting to learn how to run routes. For him to be where he is now is amazing."
Where he is now is in Smith's old position, the X position in the Jaguars' offense. Jones was mostly used in the slot last season, but now he will be split wider, giving him a better chance to use his speed. What sort of year will Matt Jones have?
"I don’t feel as trapped in," Jones said. "I have more field to work with."
To prepare for the move, he has studied a bunch of tapes of some of the NFL's star receivers. New assistant head coach Mike Tice, who coached the Vikings the past few years, gave him a tape of some of Moss's routes with the team. Steve Walters, the receivers coach, had him watch tape of Bengals receiver Chad Johnson.
"I watched the Moss tape two or three times and Walters had me watch Johnson since he's another tall receiver who runs really, really good routes," Jones said.
Jones also trimmed his body fat, and now has a sleeker look, more receiver-like. He also said he is stronger, which is something that will help him keep defensive backs off his body as he runs his routes.
At the Jaguars' Monday morning practice, Jones looked like a new man. He was confident and he looked like a receiver, rather than a quarterback trying to play the position. He had suddenness in his routes.
"When I ran a 12-yard-and-in route last year, I wasn't 4.3 because I was still learning how to run the route," Jones said. "I think this year I'm a little quicker because I'm not thinking."
He did tweak his ankle in the Monday evening practice, but it's not expected to be much of a problem.
For the Jags to have a big year, they have to get a 70-catch, 10-touchdown season from Jones. To help that along, Jones spent a lot of time with Leftwich in the offseason, building a strong bond that comes through on the field --- and off it.
"It's about quarterback-receiver relationships," Leftwich said. "It's the understanding of each other, the non-verbal communication that me and him have."
Jones still gets under center in the Jaguars' "Matt-Gun" package. It's a change-of-pace look that allows them to use Jones in a variety of ways. They can run the option with him or hand it to him on a reverse or let him throw a pass. He ran 12 times last season for 51 yards and completed two of his three passes for 12 yards.
When Leftwich went down against Arizona David Garrard stepped in at quarterback. Had Garrard been hurt, there was a chance that Jones would have played quarterback that day, using the Matt-Gun package.
"They told me to be ready," Jones said. "But that's about it as far as quarterback. I love the package. I like getting back there and doing stuff I like. I don't know how much we'll do it this year. It's not like we put up big numbers with it. It's up to them. I do like it."
It gives him that little taste of quarterback. But make no mistake about it: Matt Jones is now a legitimate receiver, a player ready for his breakout season.
[/FONT]
By Pete Prisco
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
http://www.sportsline.com/columns/writers/prisco[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- When he was 10 years old, Matt Jones was a receiver on his pee-wee football team. There was one problem. He was also the best passer on his team.
Bye-bye, receiver. Hello, quarterback. Aside from a year playing the position as a 10th grader in high school, he has been under center the rest of his football life ... until last year.
"I often wonder what would have happened if I stayed at receiver," Jones said.
Matt Jones has the speed and hands
to haul in the long ball.
That would be scary. Jones, the second-year receiver from the Jacksonville Jaguars, has the ability to be an NFL star. Some scouts and teammates are predicting it will happen this season.
Jones is tall at 6-6, has outstanding speed and good hands. Some have compared him to Randy Moss, which is flattery at its highest.
Not bad for a player who came to the Jaguars last year having spent his college days playing quarterback for the University of Arkansas, an option threat who also happened to have a decent arm.
Quarterback is now a thing of the past for Jones, aside from a taste or two in special packages. He now makes his living catching passes, but moving to a new position can sometimes be tough, particularly when it's moving from the marquee position on the field. Players have balked at that move in the past. Jones embraced it.
"I haven't even thought about it (quarterback) in a while," Jones said during a break from training camp practices. "It's behind me now."
What's in front of him is establishing himself as the Jaguars' go-to receiver. When Jimmy Smith abruptly retired this spring, Jones and a group of younger receivers were suddenly cast deep into the spotlight of scrutiny. All the preseason publications and prognosticators mention the Jaguars' receiver spot as a major trouble spot for the team.
Smith was a great player, a borderline Hall of Fame player at that. But Jones has the ability to fill that role.
Coming out of Arkansas, some scouts thought he could be the next Moss. In 2005, some wondered how that could possibly be.
Jacksonville Jaguars Out of Nowhere Man LB Brian Iwuh
Brian Iwuh signed with the team as a rookie free agent after not being drafted. He played at Colorado as a 224-pound linebacker. While he might not be able to play on a regular basis for the Jaguars at any point in his career, he has the look of a special-teams star. He's already impressed special-teams coach Pete Rodriguez and has made some big plays on defense so far. http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9580993
Jones flashed at times, but he didn’t exactly make anybody think of Moss. He caught 36 passes for 432 yards five touchdowns. He did have five catches of 20-plus yards, an indication of his big-play speed. But there wasn't enough for that superstardom talk.
The reality is Jones never got to show his explosive speed. Rookie receivers always seem to struggle with the details of the position. There's coverage to read on the run, there's the physical play of the NFL corners and there's plenty of speed in that defensive backfield to counter yours. A move from college quarterback to NFL receiver compounds the problems.
"It's tough for a first-year player, especially since I was doing some of the things that I really hadn't done," Jones said. "Part of being a good receiver is not thinking. When you have a core route, you just go. When you are reacting instead of thinking, it's so much easier to get open. I didn't break out in the open one time at full speed all year."
Some thought that actually happened during the team's playoff loss to the Patriots, when he got free for a 41-yard catch and run. But Jones said he wasn't even full speed on that play.
"I was cramping up in my calves," Jones said.
Watching him at practice this year, he now plays at full speed. Gone is trepidation of thinking on the run. He's able to show his big-play ability without wondering if he's going to the right spot, earning the confidence of his quarterback.
"It's like night and day," Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich said. "Last year at this time, he was still a quarterback. Now he understands the wide receiver position. He knows how to get open, the little things he needs to do. Last year at this time, he was just starting to learn how to run routes. For him to be where he is now is amazing."
Where he is now is in Smith's old position, the X position in the Jaguars' offense. Jones was mostly used in the slot last season, but now he will be split wider, giving him a better chance to use his speed. What sort of year will Matt Jones have?
"I don’t feel as trapped in," Jones said. "I have more field to work with."
To prepare for the move, he has studied a bunch of tapes of some of the NFL's star receivers. New assistant head coach Mike Tice, who coached the Vikings the past few years, gave him a tape of some of Moss's routes with the team. Steve Walters, the receivers coach, had him watch tape of Bengals receiver Chad Johnson.
"I watched the Moss tape two or three times and Walters had me watch Johnson since he's another tall receiver who runs really, really good routes," Jones said.
Jones also trimmed his body fat, and now has a sleeker look, more receiver-like. He also said he is stronger, which is something that will help him keep defensive backs off his body as he runs his routes.
At the Jaguars' Monday morning practice, Jones looked like a new man. He was confident and he looked like a receiver, rather than a quarterback trying to play the position. He had suddenness in his routes.
"When I ran a 12-yard-and-in route last year, I wasn't 4.3 because I was still learning how to run the route," Jones said. "I think this year I'm a little quicker because I'm not thinking."
He did tweak his ankle in the Monday evening practice, but it's not expected to be much of a problem.
For the Jags to have a big year, they have to get a 70-catch, 10-touchdown season from Jones. To help that along, Jones spent a lot of time with Leftwich in the offseason, building a strong bond that comes through on the field --- and off it.
"It's about quarterback-receiver relationships," Leftwich said. "It's the understanding of each other, the non-verbal communication that me and him have."
Jones still gets under center in the Jaguars' "Matt-Gun" package. It's a change-of-pace look that allows them to use Jones in a variety of ways. They can run the option with him or hand it to him on a reverse or let him throw a pass. He ran 12 times last season for 51 yards and completed two of his three passes for 12 yards.
When Leftwich went down against Arizona David Garrard stepped in at quarterback. Had Garrard been hurt, there was a chance that Jones would have played quarterback that day, using the Matt-Gun package.
"They told me to be ready," Jones said. "But that's about it as far as quarterback. I love the package. I like getting back there and doing stuff I like. I don't know how much we'll do it this year. It's not like we put up big numbers with it. It's up to them. I do like it."
It gives him that little taste of quarterback. But make no mistake about it: Matt Jones is now a legitimate receiver, a player ready for his breakout season.
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