JSO article on James Jones

[jramsey495]

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=645789

talks about his childhood growing up in homeless shelters with his mom and sister.
this might be my new favorite player and i really hope he makes it... and i hope all the other players read the article and stop whining (you have to read the article)...

[Bretsky]

Great article; thanks for posting

It's easy to cheer for this guy

[GrnBay007]

** JJ ** :clap:


:P

[The Leaper]

I like the kid...but he's hardly the kind of player that can stretch the field, which is what we need.

We just keep loading up on guys with mediocre speed that are mostly possession receivers...but sooner or later you have to have a guy who is fast enough to just fly past a DB, especially when they are rolling up and playing tight coverage. Clowney seems to be the only guy we would have that is capable of doing that consistently in terms of speed...but he's light years away from having the other necessary skills as a WR. Holiday has shown some signs though...I'd like to see more of him.

However, Jones does seem to be a grounded kid with a good work ethic. Hopefully, he can put together a successful career in Green Bay.

[Carolina_Packer]

The key will be establishing some kinf of respectability in the running game. If we can't run, we can't really go for many home runs. Of course, how many home runs do the Packers try and throw anyway? Isn't the WCO predicated on the short passing game? Even the short passing game is going to suffer if we can't run the ball. We would be down to a last dimension on offense, IF 1) no respectable run 2) no verticle threat 3) short to intermediate passing game might get that much easier to defend. What esle would we have?

[RashanGary]

Jones is good but he showed is extreme limitations on that long run. He looked very slow. I'm pretty sure he's going to be more of a #2, #3 possession type unless he turns out to be a true possession reciever extraordinare like Bolden. In that case he'll need a speedster next to him.

I still like Jennings a lot more. Jennings had an extra gear that makes him a homerun threat. They both have great hands though and both should be very reliable targets for Rodgers for many years to come.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I like the kid...but he's hardly the kind of player that can stretch the field, which is what we need.

We just keep loading up on guys with mediocre speed that are mostly possession receivers...but sooner or later you have to have a guy who is fast enough to just fly past a DB, especially when they are rolling up and playing tight coverage. Clowney seems to be the only guy we would have that is capable of doing that consistently in terms of speed...but he's light years away from having the other necessary skills as a WR. Holiday has shown some signs though...I'd like to see more of him.

However, Jones does seem to be a grounded kid with a good work ethic. Hopefully, he can put together a successful career in Green Bay.

I agree on Jones. I think Driver is more than a possession receiver though, and I think Jennings has the potential to be a complete receiver like Driver.

[woodbuck27]

I like the kid...but he's hardly the kind of player that can stretch the field, which is what we need.

We just keep loading up on guys with mediocre speed that are mostly possession receivers...but sooner or later you have to have a guy who is fast enough to just fly past a DB, especially when they are rolling up and playing tight coverage. Clowney seems to be the only guy we would have that is capable of doing that consistently in terms of speed...but he's light years away from having the other necessary skills as a WR. Holiday has shown some signs though...I'd like to see more of him.

However, Jones does seem to be a grounded kid with a good work ethic. Hopefully, he can put together a successful career in Green Bay.

I agree on Jones. I think Driver is more than a possession receiver though, and I think Jennings has the potential to be a complete receiver like Driver.

When I think of a solid WR I think of the acronym:

NCCS

N= nimble hands and using the hands extended away fr. the body to secure the ball.

C = Concentration to run the correct routes and then to get open or to the ball and secure or otherwise protect it.

C = Courage the courage to play wellas a WR under fire. The courage to make the big catch and play.

finally:

S = STRENGTH or the strength to lay down the block to flatten a CB and to in an elightist sense, be extraordinarily fast to beat a DB deep.

before we concern ourselves with a deep threat (or a very quick WR) lets first look for at least 4 dependable WR's along the lines of Donald Driver, that at least show some talent to make reeptions regularly. To be able to catch the ball.

[The Leaper]

I agree on Jones. I think Driver is more than a possession receiver though, and I think Jennings has the potential to be a complete receiver like Driver.

Driver occasionally shows flashes of more...but it isn't consistent, and it typically is flashed against lesser talent.

Look at last season...only three 100 yard games, and they were all considerably higher than 100 (153, 191, 160) against mediocre to bad pass defenses (NO, MIN, SF). That is almost 40% of his total yardage production for 2006 in just three games.

Listen, I love Driver. He's a great worker and leader for the offense. His playmaking ability mostly comes from elusiveness once he has the ball...not from his ability to get open deep and present numerous challenges to a defense.

Driver is an effort guy...Jennings seems to be the same. Combine that with the raw talent of Favre, and you'll have a receiver that can post some numbers. You NEED those guys on your team. I love them. However, for this offense to become potent, it needs some athleticism that really challenges the defense to cover more of the field. What Driver and Jennings do really aren't forcing teams to respect the deep pass...which is why you see teams consistently roll up their coverage and try to force Green Bay to throw the ball quickly. If you have four of them, it isn't going to help much against solid secondaries that are fast and physical.

[Spaulding]

Speed is overrated. Drivers is underrated when it comes to speed and Jennings is deceptively fast.

In the WCO I don't understand the constant hammering on the supposed Packers shortfall to put a burner on the outside. The 49ers of the 80's (Rice/Taylor/Brent Jones at TE) didn't have it nor did the Cowboys and Packers of the 90's (Irvin/Harper) - (Brooks/Freeman) or the Seahawks or Patriots of this decade.

A good running game, sure handed receivers and good route running should do more than fine to keep the chains moving.

I honestly see a good group of WR's in camp this year, maybe the deepest we had in a long time. Driver/Jennings make for good starters and Jones/Martin/Holiday make me quickly forget the pain of the Chapman at #3 just a few years back.

[Cheesehead Craig]

Speed is overrated. Drivers is underrated when it comes to speed and Jennings is deceptively fast.

In the WCO I don't understand the constant hammering on the supposed Packers shortfall to put a burner on the outside. The 49ers of the 80's (Rice/Taylor/Brent Jones at TE) didn't have it nor did the Cowboys and Packers of the 90's (Irvin/Harper) - (Brooks/Freeman) or the Seahawks or Patriots of this decade.

A good running game, sure handed receivers and good route running should do more than fine to keep the chains moving.

I honestly see a good group of WR's in camp this year, maybe the deepest we had in a long time. Driver/Jennings make for good starters and Jones/Martin/Holiday make me quickly forget the pain of the Chapman at #3 just a few years back.
+1 Well said sir.

[HarveyWallbangers]

I just don't agree on Driver. He can run any pattern. He's shown the ability go deep. Last year, we just didn't have the protection or a playmaker on the other side to draw attention away from him (especially after Jennings got hurt). Guys don't get deep that often (except Randy Moss in his prime), but you can be sure that teams respect his deep speed. He's not a possession receiver. There are things that open up the deep ball. If you don't have those things (protection and a guy opposite that can draw coverage), you aren't going to be able to throw deep.

As far as him dominating poor pass defenses, you can say that about every WR. Torry Holt had four 100 yards games last year. One against Detroit, one against Seattle, and two against Arizona. He only had 3 games in which he had a catch over 27 yards.

In 2005, Driver had 1200+ yards, had five 100 yards games, yet never had a game where he had over 118 yards.

That's the nice thing about Driver. He can do it all. If he has a speed receiver next to him, he can be a possession receiver. If he has a good possesion receiver next to him, he can get deep. If you need a slant on 3rd and 8, he can do that. If you need a guy to run after the catch, he can do that.

[Rastak]

You'll never hear me bad mouthing Driver. He's starting to get up there in age so a drop off can happen but he's in great shape, he's tough and he's quick. Is he the best reciever in the NFL? Nope, but he'd be #1 on many teams.

[Deputy Nutz]

I for one didn't think Jones looked anything but athletic on that run after the catch. Speed isn't the only thing a receiver needs to be successful, the game is about angles, and if a receiver can master the angles of the game he will be successful.

Sterling Sharpe on most peoples stopwatches was slower than dog shit from a constipated bulldog, but the fact was he impossible to jam at the line of scrimmage, pushed off and never got called for it, but most importantly he found the areas on the field that busted the double coverage, and beat the zone, he used other physical skills like strength and aggression to break long runs.

Jones has the possibility to paint a similar picture. He showed in the first preseason game the ability to catch the ball in tight space and move forward.

This was a great article on a great person, a lot of emotions ran through me when I read this article. His love and respect for his momma gave him strength to make right decisions in desperate situations.

[Deputy Nutz]

Just to mention, Favre compared Jones favorably to Sterling Sharpe in his afternoon press conference today.

[vince]

Great article; thanks for posting

It's easy to cheer for this guyQFT

Here's my favorite passage from the article...


"Every young kid growing up wants a father, whether he is good or bad," Jones said. "I was 7 years old when I first met my father. I wanted to meet him. I gave him a hug and let him know that I loved him and all that.

"I knew (about the substance abuse). My mom and I are very close and she would tell me. Once I grew up he was still kind of doing (drugs) but I guess he slowed down. He's off it now and me and him are real close. I love him very much. I would do anything for him. I am a big forgiver."
It's inspiring to see that kind of maturity out of a 7-year old kid. I bet his Dad has learned a lot from him over the years since they reconnected.