Jones one good development in limited passing offense

Discussion in 'Tennessee Titans and NFL Talk' started by NewsGrabber, Sep 22, 2008.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. NewsGrabber

    NewsGrabber Guest

    Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky
    Matt Jones still faces a felony drug charge that could throw his season off, and even before that incident this summer there was talk he might not make it out of camp.
    But for an offense that lacks big play threats in the pass game, he's been pretty solid this season and made a big contribution in the win in Indianapolis with converting four third downs with catches in the second half.
    "He made a lot of crucial third-down catches for us, so that was good to see," Jack Del Rio said. "Right now he's done a nice job starting the first three weeks giving us a chance, making some plays."
    Said Jones: "We knew we were going to run the ball a lot and it was just whenever your number got called, make a play. Just keep your head up. Go out there and when we do throw it, catch it and try to get the first."
    Jones has underachieved since he was the 21st overall pick in 2005 out of Arkansas, a college quarterback in line to become a receiver.
    I wasn't covering the team his first three years, when many were frustrated by his work ethic, desire and body language.
    If he's getting it more now, he's hardly the first player who's needed several years at the start of his career to round into shape. It doesn't look like reclamation project Tory Williamson is going to be a huge help to a team that tried to improve at the receiver spot in the offseason. We've yet to see Jerry Porter, who had hamstring surgery late in the summer.
    "We're not waiting for any savior player to come in and all of a sudden take us to new heights," Del Rio said. "We're going to keep working at it. We had our struggles early last year finding our timing in the passing game. I believe we're going to find that timing. I believe we're going to make plays in the passing game, so we'll keep working at it. Certainly it would be a lift to get them back. They're both guys we think can play, so it'll help to get them back."
    For now, Jones is clearly the best the Jaguars have got and if they are to continue to climb out of the hole they dug with a 0-2 start, I think he's going to have to be a big part of it.
    It sounds very much like Del Rio thinks that too.
    Asked if his improved play was a result of the team better figuring out how to use him or improved dedication in his part, the coach said it's a bit of both.
    "I think it's a combination," Del Rio said. "Matt first of all has had a great start to the year and I think that has carried over from a great camp and a great preseason. So he's continuing along those lines. He's worked hard at it. He's become a more complete player, somebody that David [Garrard] has come to count on and lean on there and he's shown the ability to catch the ball in traffic and make a couple tough catches there that were very timely yesterday. So we want to build on that."


    More...
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  • Welcome to goTitans.com

    Established in 2000, goTitans.com is the place for Tennessee Titans fans to talk Titans. Our roots go back to the Tennessee Oilers Fan Page in 1997 and we currently have 4,000 diehard members with 1.5 million messages. To find out about advertising opportunities, contact TitanJeff.
  • The Tip Jar

    For those of you interested in helping the cause, we offer The Tip Jar. For $2 a month, you can become a subscriber and enjoy goTitans.com without ads.

    Hit the Tip Jar