Why does every NFL coach believe that an athlete playing
quarterback with a scud missile launcher for an arm (great velocity
with absolutely no concept of where it will land) will become the next
Jerry Rice at wide receiver?
By Bill Smith
There are rumors that the Jags will cut Matt Jones after June
1. They signed WR Jerry Porter, an UFA from the Raiders, to a 6 year
$30 million dollar contract. I really like Jack DelRio as both a player
and a coach. But nothing in Jones' background would lead one to believe
that he would ever become a receiver.
A wide receiver must be disciplined. One look at Jones' hair
would tell even the most casual observer that Jones had no idea what
discipline was let alone that it had anything to do with his life. In
fact, the thing that made Jones a good college quarterback was his lack
of discipline. It was his ability to ad lib when things were falling
apart around him (and that happened frequently) that made him so
effective.
A wide receiver must have proven hands. Nothing in Jones'
experience at Arkansas except catching shotgun snaps would lead you to
believe that he had proven hands.
So what would you do with a running quarterback? Let him
run! While Jones has has been a below average receiver, he could be an
above average runner. With 4.3 speed and 232 pound frame, he has the
ability to be a better running back than he was a receiver. At
Arkansas, he was elusive and played at his clock speed. He had the
vision and anticipation that is required to be a good RB.
Being 6-6, he tends to run a little upright, but has some
power in his legs and should have a chance to do what he does best
before he is released.
Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams and has
scouted talent. He is a senior writer for http://BrutusReport.com. He has also published
several novels on
http://ebooks-library.com/index.cfm and edits
http://fryingpanpolitics.blog.com