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Lifelong Saints fan Jones hoping to make mark with Texans

Wolf

100% Texan
By KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer
HOUSTON
Jacoby Jones was such a big Saints fan growing up in New Orleans that his favorite thing to wear as a 3-year-old was his Archie Manning replica uniform.

Twenty years later the rookie receiver has traded in that gear for a Houston Texans uniform. And though the Texans are less than a week into camp, he's already looking ahead to Nov. 18 when they host the Saints for the first time in franchise history.

But don't think for a second that Jones will have any mixed emotions when that day comes.

"I'm a Texan now, don't get confused on that," he said. "I take that game as a chip on the shoulder. We're going to play football."

Jones is so excited about the game that he's already planned to rent a bus to bring his family and friends from New Orleans to the game.
http://www.theledger.com/article/20070730/APS/707300864

Jones said the speed of the NFL has been a difficult adjustment after playing at such a small school.

"It is a totally different step," he said. "Two-a-days everyday right now, just getting used to putting those pads back on. The practices are much smoother and faster, so it is pretty different."

The Texans love his size and speed, but haven't been happy with the number of passes he's dropped in the early days of camp.

"The thing that's been disappointing with him is he's not clean catching the ball all the time, and we've got to clean that up," coach Gary Kubiak said. "If he does, there's no doubt that there's a player there that can help our team as a returner and a receiver."
 

Carr Bombed

Hall of Fame
I guess Jones wasn't just having a bad day at the practice I went to. I guess he's been dropping passes every practice.

When I watched Jones he's silky smooth, he even sets up his defender nicely with decent routes and he's quick enough to make a cut and break off of him and cause some seperation, but when its time to catch the ball.....he flat out drops it. Watching him drop pass after pass frustrated the hell out of me.

Kubes needs to take the kid and just have him catch golf balls for a week........needs serious work on the hands.
 

TexansSeminole

Hall of Fame
I guess Jones wasn't just having a bad day at the practice I went to. I guess he's been dropping passes every practice.

When I watched Jones he's silky smooth, he even sets up his defender nicely with decent routes and he's quick enough to make a cut and break off of him and cause some seperation, but when its time to catch the ball.....he flat out drops it. Watching him drop pass after pass frustrated the hell out of me.

Kubes needs to take the kid and just have him catch golf balls for a week........needs serious work on the hands.
That's rough. Maybe he isnt used to having the ball thrown to him so fast. Alot of guys watch the QB throw the ball to them in college. He is going to have to get used to the ball being on the way by the time he turns to make the catch.
 

threetoedpete

Hall of Fame
Well I'm sure the 9ers fans pitched fits about J. Rice when he first started also.
We had no two. They took the best prosect, with RS ablity and upside they could get their hands on in the third round. You can pick at the warts if you wanna. All the guy needs is some time and reps. He'll come around. You weren't going to get John Taylor right out of the box locked and loaded in the third round. The heat and humility is a factor. The game speed jump is a factor. New guys palying with each other is a factor. Nerves are a factor. Got to remember this is a twenty two year old kid. Gonna take a lot of reps. Don't rip the guy's heart out because he isn't out of the blocks locked and loaded.
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
You can pick at the warts if you wanna.
I think dropping passes is a little more than just warts to a receiver. :whistle:

But I think he'll be alright in the long run. I don't expect him to be our no. 2 right now, but rather learn the system and contribute on special teams. Nobody should expect this kid to be a big impact his first year, though.
 

V3rm0nt3r

Rookie
You can't blame him for dropping balls in his first TC. After all he came from a D2 school that wasn't competitive enough for him to have to make split second reactions. Look for him to shape up by the end of training camp and have the #2 job by week 12.:fans:
 

The Pencil Neck

Hall of Fame
I think dropping passes is a little more than just warts to a receiver. :whistle:

But I think he'll be alright in the long run. I don't expect him to be our no. 2 right now, but rather learn the system and contribute on special teams. Nobody should expect this kid to be a big impact his first year, though.
Going back to TTP's example, the knock on Jerry Rice his rookie year was that he dropped a lot of passes. He fixed that problem. Hopefully, JJ will, too. But it's still really early. He's nervous. He's trying to prove he belongs. He's probably trying too hard.

Let's give him a li'l time.
 

Double Barrel

Texans Talk Admin
Staff member
Contributor's Club
Let's give him a li'l time.
yep, I say give him a couple of years to develop.

But I'd shy away from the Jerry Rice comparisons. There is only one JR, and it might not be doing JJ any justice by setting a standard established by the game's greatest receiver.

I think we should keep our expectations real, though, and don't be disappointed if Jones doesn't lock in the #2 spot his rookie year.
 

The Pencil Neck

Hall of Fame
yep, I say give him a couple of years to develop.

But I'd shy away from the Jerry Rice comparisons. There is only one JR, and it might not be doing JJ any justice by setting a standard established by the game's greatest receiver.

I think we should keep our expectations real, though, and don't be disappointed if Jones doesn't lock in the #2 spot his rookie year.
The point wasn't to say that JJ is going to be the next Jerry Rice but to show that even Rice had warts when he was a rookie. If RICE had warts as a rook, why expect Jones not to?
 

Vinny

shiny happy fan
The point wasn't to say that JJ is going to be the next Jerry Rice but to show that even Rice had warts when he was a rookie. If RICE had warts as a rook, why expect Jones not to?
I know it isn't your point but Jerry Rice was the 16th overall pick in his draft...Jones is more comparable to the 49er WR2 of his same Rice era, John Taylor - 3rd round pick of tiny Delaware State. Like Jones, he was a prospect/kick returner from a small college taken late on the first day of the draft. Teams generally expect more sooner from the 16th overall pick...one reason they get paid so much more.
 

eriadoc

Texan-American
I really hope he works on that a lot. For some reason, a WR that drops passes irritates the living daylights out of me. I know they have lots of things to concentrate on for the job, but the #1 job is catch the damn ball. He's a rook though, and WRs don't typically do much their first couple of years, so I don't expect too much from him this season.
 

Goldensilence

hipster elite
I guess Jones wasn't just having a bad day at the practice I went to. I guess he's been dropping passes every practice.

When I watched Jones he's silky smooth, he even sets up his defender nicely with decent routes and he's quick enough to make a cut and break off of him and cause some seperation, but when its time to catch the ball.....he flat out drops it. Watching him drop pass after pass frustrated the hell out of me.

Kubes needs to take the kid and just have him catch golf balls for a week........needs serious work on the hands.
I like hearing this part. He's got good sizze and if he can create a little seperation we could have gotten a steal in the third. Far as dropping the catches tells me nerves and adjustment to game speed from a D2 school. I think as he settles in over TC and preseason he'll look better and be more comfortable. I'm not expecting HUGE things from JJ this year but i am thinking we'll see more then enough to justify using a third on him.
 

infantrycak

Hall of Fame
Not to mention first regular season game. I attended the game at the Super Dome in NO (I was on business in Gulfport) - that was a pre-season game....
Nope--Seth Payne blew his knee out in the 2nd game of the 2003 regular season in New Orleans.

FYI--the NFL is now set up for every team to play every other team at least once every four years--2003, 2007 for example.
 

gtexan02

Working?
The dropping of passes should definately be a huge area of concern.

if he's dropping passes now, imagine how short his arms/hands will be once he starts taking hits from NFL safeties.
 

Carr Bombed

Hall of Fame
Well I'm sure the 9ers fans pitched fits about J. Rice when he first started also.
We had no two. They took the best prosect, with RS ablity and upside they could get their hands on in the third round. You can pick at the warts if you wanna. All the guy needs is some time and reps. He'll come around. You weren't going to get John Taylor right out of the box locked and loaded in the third round. The heat and humility is a factor. The game speed jump is a factor. New guys palying with each other is a factor. Nerves are a factor. Got to remember this is a twenty two year old kid. Gonna take a lot of reps. Don't rip the guy's heart out because he isn't out of the blocks locked and loaded.
I'm not "picking at warts" and I'm not "ripping anybodies hear out" either. I'm simply commenting on things I saw that concured with the qoute from the article. This is training camp, its the time of the year fans get to see which players worked their butt off during the offseason (Mario). A chance to see the new rooks and comment on their strengths and weaknesses, which is what I did with Jones.

Just because I was critical of Jones, doesn't mean I think the kid is going to be a bust, or think he's never going to catch a pass in the NFL. The first step to fix any problem is first you have to identify the problem and it seems like Kubiak and comp. have done that, but that doesn't mean if I see something that makes me nervous I'm not going to come on here and comment on it. Thats a fault I had during the first 4 years of this franchise........... I always turned a blind eye, expecting everything to work out, and all our young players with potential to just prosper and grow into pro bowlers........... So far I was only right on one (AJ).
 
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