Jones hoping for brighter days ahead with Rams/PD

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RamBill

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Jones hoping for brighter days ahead with Rams
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_6b75335c-fde7-54c4-a19f-fba46a35d736.html

There was a time, however fleeting, at the start of Rams training camp when it looked like Barrett Jones might compete for a staring job at either center or guard.

But as his second NFL season winds down, the former Alabama star has yet to make an impact on the pro level. Back issues led to surgery in early August this summer, with Jones missing all of the preseason schedule as well as the first five games of the regular season.

Since then, Jones has played in seven of nine Rams games but in a cameo role. Entering Sunday’s home finale against the New York Giants, Jones has participated in 33 special teams plays and just 23 plays on offense.

Those 23 plays at center all came in the Oct. 26 game at Kansas City when starter Scott Wells went out with an elbow injury. They represent Jones’ only plays from scrimmage since being drafted in the fourth round (No. 113 overall) out of Alabama.

As a rookie in 2013, foot surgery stemming from an Alabama injury limited him to three games at the end of the season and 11 special teams snaps on the extra point/field goal team.

Even so, Jones is wrapping up this season in good spirits and with high hopes for the 2015 campaign.

“I’ve learned a lot, grown a lot as a player,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll finish up this year strong and have a great season next year.”

Jones didn’t miss much time at Alabama because of injury, so he’s hoping the back surgery on the heels of the foot surgery was merely bad luck and not a trend.

“It’s a miserable, miserable feeling not practicing,” Jones said. “Especially when you’re an active guy. A lot of us are. You want to be out there with your

teammates sweating, so it’s tough to stand there on the sidelines and watch and get stiff.”

For rookies and younger players, missing any kind of offseason or training camp time can derail a season. It’s simply too hard to catch up once you miss that much valuable practice time.

As a rookie, Jones volunteered to work out with the practice squad on Saturdays most of the year in an effort to counter some of that inactivity.

“I just figured, I’m inactive anyway on game day, so I might as well show up on Saturdays and work out. I just wanted to get better.”

One of his main goals going into last offseason was to get bigger and stronger. The results showed, and as he entered the 2014 training camp he was getting positive feedback from the coaches about the improvement he had made.

But then came the back issue, the origin of which was unclear to Jones.

“It wasn’t really a specific thing,” he said. “Just kind of something that developed over time.”

The injury and resulting surgery, “definitely set me back a lot,” Jones said.

He couldn’t do any weight training for a couple of months following the surgery, so he lost some of the weight and strength he had worked hard to add over the offseason.

“So that was frustrating,” Jones said. “I feel like I lost some ground there. I’m definitely starting to get it back; starting to get close to feeling like I was.”

When the regular season ends in 12 days, Jones will return to his hometown in Memphis and attack the offseason with his personal trainer.

“Hopefully I can have that same kind of offseason and training camp next year where I can be noticed as a player that’s really improved,” he said. “Hopefully that’s the case, and hopefully I can start next year. That’s my goal.

“This is obviously a huge offseason for me. This is a big kind of defining moment. So I’m gonna just really tear it up this offseason. Work extremely hard. And just kinda make it a goal to just get better in every area. Get stronger. Get faster. Get my body back to where it needs to be.”

Exactly where that potential starting position is on the offensive line remains a mystery. Remember, Jones started two years at right guard, one year at left tackle, and one year at center at Alabama.

He’s been thought of as more of a center/guard prospect in the NFL, but for much of the second half of this season he has been working out at right tackle with the second-team offense and the scout team.

“I think after Jake (Long) went down, we realized that we really didn’t have another tackle,” Jones said. “Obviously, Mike Person is a guy that can play both guard and tackle.

“Rodger (Saffold)’s played tackle before. But we have a lot of inside guys, and they wanted to kind of try me at tackle just in case we had another situation where a lot of guys got hurt in games like Kansas City.”

Jones said he likes playing center the most. But adds: “I’ll play wherever they put me. Wherever I can get on the field — that’s my favorite.”

A three-time All-American at Alabama, Jones won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center as a senior in 2012. After his junior season, he won the Outland Trophy, which recognizes the nation’s top interior lineman.

With that kind of résumé and experience Jones is the first to admit he expected to be further along in his pro career at this point.

“I did,” he said. “But there was a little curveball here and there. But God’s got a plan for my life. I feel really good about where I am in this organization. I really like it here and love the coaching staff. I really, really want to have success here.”
 

jrry32

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Not surprising. That's what was mentioned in the Jones thread by another poster...back injury set him back in retaining functional strength and bulk. I want him to stay healthy next year and show up with the extra size and strength. Because if he does, he can be a solid starting Center for us. Mentally, it's all there. And technically, he's pretty polished. Not perfect but polished for a young guy. If he can get the strength up and improve his anchor, he could be a rock in the middle for us.

I really hope he goes out there and kills it this off-season. I think he can. Like I said in the other thread, I definitely saw starting Center qualities out of him against KC.
 

Alan

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Jrry32 with this:
Not surprising. That's what was mentioned in the Jones thread by another poster...back injury set him back in retaining functional strength and bulk. I want him to stay healthy next year and show up with the extra size and strength. Because if he does, he can be a solid starting Center for us. Mentally, it's all there. And technically, he's pretty polished. Not perfect but polished for a young guy. If he can get the strength up and improve his anchor, he could be a rock in the middle for us.

I really hope he goes out there and kills it this off-season. I think he can. Like I said in the other thread, I definitely saw starting Center qualities out of him against KC.

I sort of moved your post jrry cause Rambill already posted this and I missed it.
 

TheDYVKX

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Not surprising. That's what was mentioned in the Jones thread by another poster...back injury set him back in retaining functional strength and bulk. I want him to stay healthy next year and show up with the extra size and strength. Because if he does, he can be a solid starting Center for us. Mentally, it's all there. And technically, he's pretty polished. Not perfect but polished for a young guy. If he can get the strength up and improve his anchor, he could be a rock in the middle for us.

I really hope he goes out there and kills it this off-season. I think he can. Like I said in the other thread, I definitely saw starting Center qualities out of him against KC.

He's a real smart guy who was already pretty good technically, but now has been working with Boudreau and learning the offense for two years, and should be physically ready to play next season. I say give him a chance at center, he could be a really great player for us, he was very highly thought of out of Alabama. He looked great against KC, against Poe no less, and if he can play C for us that would make our draft and offseason easier.
 

jrry32

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He's a real smart guy who was already pretty good technically, but now has been working with Boudreau and learning the offense for two years, and should be physically ready to play next season. I say give him a chance at center, he could be a really great player for us, he was very highly thought of out of Alabama. He looked great against KC, against Poe no less, and if he can play C for us that would make our draft and offseason easier.

He didn't really face Poe in that game. They took Poe out due to the lead. He might have played a couple snaps at most with Poe in.
 

Alan

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TheDYVKX wanting to time travel:
if he can play C for us that would make our draft and off season easier.
The draft and FA will be here long before we find out the answers to all the questions that are Jones.
 

blue4

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Much like Sam at QB, you hope for the best but you can't afford not to look for other options. Even if he can't win the center job, his ability to play all across the line would ease a lot of minds. Hopefully he can get over the injuries.
 

Merlin

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I think if the Rams saw his ceiling as a backup he would have been cut and an injury settlement after his most recent setback.

The fact that they decided to eat the roster spot speaks to me at least that they think he can play in this league, not just be a depth guy. Everyone puts these crazy expectations on him, but he was a fourth round pick for a reason: injury and he needed to develop some more strength. But the dude is driven, super intelligent, and dedicated to this team.

IMO fans need to climb off his back a bit. He's gonna be fine, provided he can stay healthy moving forward.
 

Rmfnlt

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If he's not physically ready yet, I hope he can be a real contributor next season.

If he is physically ready, I'd love to see him in for some of these last two games.

I want the Rams to win from here on out, but I also want to see some of these youngsters get real playing time (like Barnes as well).
 

blackbart

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Great to see some feedback from and about Jones. I had high hopes that we had gotten a steal with his resume coming out of college, still think he can be a valuable piece to the puzzle here if he can continue to progress. Looking forward to see what happens this spring, God it will be good to look forward to the playoffs :cautious:
 

BuffaloRam

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Jones invokes all the traits you like in a 4th round pick: talent, devotion, work ethic - but with the injuries, lack of strength and size that makes the pick risky. I hope he gets on the field and kills it next season.
 

BigRamFan

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A little off topic here, but does anyone know if D. Rhaney can be viewed as an option at OG? He seems to have a better build for it, 6'2", 300#, than does Jones. What a blessing it would be to this team if we already have replacements at OG and C on the roster. Even if the coaching staff thinks they are legitimate starters I still hope we draft OL with 2 of our first 3 picks.