MATT JONES: AN ANALYSIS
By The Times-Union
THE NUMBERS
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Matt Jones' pass-to-completion ratio might not be befitting of a first-round draft pick, but the truth is that he makes plays 52.1 percent of the time when the ball is thrown his way.
The Jaguars have targeted Jones in the passing game on 165 plays in three seasons. Of those plays, Jones has come down with the ball 86 times.
The problem this season, it seems, is that the Jaguars haven't targeted Jones enough. The team has thrown Jones' direction on 20 plays this season, and he has made the catch nine times (45 percent). Compare that to last season, when Jones caught 41 of the 76 balls (53.9 percent) thrown his way, or his rookie season, when he caught 36 of 69 passes (52.2 percent) thrown to him.
Jones has averaged 13.5 yards per catch in his three seasons and has 20 plays of longer than 20 yards. Interestingly, Jones' statistics are comparable to those of Reggie Williams and Ernest Wilford.
In 57 games apiece, Wilford and Williams have 117 and 135 catches, respectively (Jones has 86, despite playing in 21 fewer games) for 1,722 and 1,651 yards (Jones has 1,157). Wilford and Williams average 14.7 and 12.2 yards, respectively, per reception. Wilford has 28 plays of longer than 20 yards, Williams 21.
"My rookie year, I didn't have a clue of what I was doing out there," Jones said. "I was learning a lot, learning on the run. Last year, I thought I had gotten better, but nagging injuries held me back a lot. This year, I think I've also gotten better compared to my first two years here."
THE PROBLEMS
Unlike Wilford and Williams, Jones doesn't possess that extra element that makes onlookers forget about his shortcomings as a pure receiver.
Williams lays bone-crushing blocks. Coaches laud Wilford's work ethic. Jones is just ... Jones, synonymous with talk of being too soft, not passionate enough and too inconsistent at catching even routine balls.
"He's exactly what he was in college," said an AFC East personnel-department member, who asked not to be identified because of NFL rules concerning comments about players on other teams. "He didn't really like football in college. He liked it, but didn't love it. He came to the [NFL] combine [in 2004] saying he wanted to do other things, like play basketball or start a band. His mind was on everything other than football. He made a lot of big plays at the Senior Bowl like there was nothing to it. You can't deny his physical talent, but the mental talent isn't there. He never wanted to be a great football player."
Reluctant to publicly bash players, Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio even joined in the criticism in September by expressing concern about Jones' lackadaisical body language. The incident was the latest in a laundry list of disappointing moments that include:
-The tackle that Jones didn't appear to attempt on a Tennessee Titans fumble return last season.
-The two passes he dropped, resulting in two interceptions against the Houston Texans earlier that season.
-His track record of dropped passes and one-armed attempts at catches (especially in traffic), to go with a penchant for shying away from contact.
Some inside the Jaguars' organization have privately said that earlier this season, a group of players marched into Del Rio's office after a game to complain about Jones' lack of effort.
Del Rio and vice president of player personnel Shack Harris didn't return calls seeking comment.
THE FUTURE
Jones definitely hasn't secured a future beyond this season in Jacksonville. The team appears to be losing patience with his slow development. Of the three games in which Jones has been inactive - against Denver, Indianapolis and Tennessee - Del Rio provided a clear-cut explanation for just one of them.
Del Rio said the Jaguars needed nine active defensive linemen for the Oct. 22 loss to the Colts. Of Jones' inactivity for the Sept. 23 game at Denver, Del Rio offered no explanation other than to say: "My thoughts are that first and foremost, my responsibility is to make decisions based on what I think is best for this football team." Del Rio was never asked about Jones' inactivity for the Nov. 11 game at Tennessee.
Further jeopardizing Jones' status with the Jaguars is the presence of talented youngsters such as rookies John Broussard and Mike Walker (injured reserve) and second-year pro Charles Sharon. During training camp, Sharon and Walker were listed above Jones on the depth chart.
Jones is scheduled to earn base salaries of $575,000 in 2007 and $625,000 in 2008, but his production might not merit the pay, especially when considering that he - like Williams - is a former first-round draft pick.
Still, Jones insists that he wants to stay in Jacksonville.
"I love Jacksonville. I love the guys here and the talent on this team - the selfless attitude of everybody," Jones said. "We'll see how it goes. You just have to keep a good attitude. You have to keep your head up and move on [if things don't work out]."
