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Hubbard: Cowboys running back Jones a fast asset, if he stays healthy
Cowboys running back Jones a fast asset, if he stays healthy
By Jan Hubbard
jhubbard@star-telegram.com
SAN ANTONIO -- With the embers of ShoulderPadGate flickering weakly, a new Dallas Cowboys fixation was desperately needed -- something to excite the masses and feed the media monster.
Enter Felix Jones, who, you might have heard, went from Frail Felix to the Incredible Hulk in off-season workouts. Jones was surrounded by media after a recent practice and was pummeled with questions about his newfound bulk.
He gained four pounds in the off-season.
That's correct. Four pounds. He weighed 216 last season and now weighs 220. Judging by the interest, it's the most significant four pounds in NFL history.
Jones was surrounded by cameras, notepads and voice recorders after a recent practice and asked question after question about bulking up. When the crowd began thinning out, Jones was asked if he'd ever seen so much interest in four pounds.
"Absolutely not," he said with a big smile. "You're the first group of folks that made a big deal of it."
However, a larger issue than weight is Jones' ability to stay healthy. In his two seasons, he has missed 12 of the Cowboys' 32 games with an assortment of injuries to his hamstring, left knee and big toe.
Then after only five practices in training camp, the same left knee was sore and Dallas coach Wade Phillips said Jones would sit out the afternoon practice Tuesday.
Jones got to the Alamodome early Tuesday afternoon, however, to get treatment on the knee. He was healthy enough to practice, although he was held out for part of the workout.
"I just felt good," Jones said. "I felt like I could practice so I practiced."
The injury issue tempers the enthusiasm of what Jones can add to the offense. On a team of playmakers -- and with all due respect to Miles Austin -- Jones might be the most exciting.
He was at his electrifying best in the playoff victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, breaking a 73-yard touchdown run and setting a Cowboys playoff record with 148 yards rushing.
But if he can't stay healthy, his potential is moot.
Phillips has tried to look at the bright side.
"I can't worry about if a guy might get hurt," Phillips said. "I don't think there's anything that points towards that [with] Felix. He had some injuries here but he also was not injured [at] all at college."
That's true. In his three years at Arkansas, Jones played in 38 games and perhaps his statistics were telling. Jones had only 386 rushes in college, or about 10 a game. Even more interesting is that in 38 games, he caught only 39 passes.
So for those who have a fantasy of seeing Jones carry the ball 30 times a game, forget it. He'd welcome the opportunity, but he knows it's unlikely.
"If I get that opportunity, yeah," he said. "But I don't think I've ever carried it 30 times. Not even in high school."
Cowboys running backs coach Skip Peete has a dream, however. He knows that with Marion Barber as the starter and Tashard Choice handling many of the third downs -- and also with a receiving corps that should be prolific -- it will be a challenge to spread the ball around.
"But a lot of times, it's not necessarily the number of carries you get," Peete said, "it's the touches. If you get 15 carries and 10 catches, that's your 25 touches."
The receiving possibilities are what intrigue the Cowboys. Although Jones was seldom utilized as a receiver in college, he has good receiving skills. During the off-season, he worked on his technique, footwork and put in a lot of time catching the ball.
"I'm just working on different ways coming out of breaks," Jones said, "just running routes. That type of repetition kind of helps me catch the ball a little better."
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones lights up at the possibility of Felix Jones catching a swing pass and isolating against a linebacker or defensive back. So does Peete.
"I love that," Peete said. "There's nothing like having a running back in open space. You get big yardage."
Felix Jones in the open space is certainly an exciting prospect for the Cowboys.
And it seems that even more than opponents, the primary obstacles that might prevent that from happening are toes, hamstrings and knees.
Cowboys running back Jones a fast asset, if he stays healthy
By Jan Hubbard
jhubbard@star-telegram.com
SAN ANTONIO -- With the embers of ShoulderPadGate flickering weakly, a new Dallas Cowboys fixation was desperately needed -- something to excite the masses and feed the media monster.
Enter Felix Jones, who, you might have heard, went from Frail Felix to the Incredible Hulk in off-season workouts. Jones was surrounded by media after a recent practice and was pummeled with questions about his newfound bulk.
He gained four pounds in the off-season.
That's correct. Four pounds. He weighed 216 last season and now weighs 220. Judging by the interest, it's the most significant four pounds in NFL history.
Jones was surrounded by cameras, notepads and voice recorders after a recent practice and asked question after question about bulking up. When the crowd began thinning out, Jones was asked if he'd ever seen so much interest in four pounds.
"Absolutely not," he said with a big smile. "You're the first group of folks that made a big deal of it."
However, a larger issue than weight is Jones' ability to stay healthy. In his two seasons, he has missed 12 of the Cowboys' 32 games with an assortment of injuries to his hamstring, left knee and big toe.
Then after only five practices in training camp, the same left knee was sore and Dallas coach Wade Phillips said Jones would sit out the afternoon practice Tuesday.
Jones got to the Alamodome early Tuesday afternoon, however, to get treatment on the knee. He was healthy enough to practice, although he was held out for part of the workout.
"I just felt good," Jones said. "I felt like I could practice so I practiced."
The injury issue tempers the enthusiasm of what Jones can add to the offense. On a team of playmakers -- and with all due respect to Miles Austin -- Jones might be the most exciting.
He was at his electrifying best in the playoff victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, breaking a 73-yard touchdown run and setting a Cowboys playoff record with 148 yards rushing.
But if he can't stay healthy, his potential is moot.
Phillips has tried to look at the bright side.
"I can't worry about if a guy might get hurt," Phillips said. "I don't think there's anything that points towards that [with] Felix. He had some injuries here but he also was not injured [at] all at college."
That's true. In his three years at Arkansas, Jones played in 38 games and perhaps his statistics were telling. Jones had only 386 rushes in college, or about 10 a game. Even more interesting is that in 38 games, he caught only 39 passes.
So for those who have a fantasy of seeing Jones carry the ball 30 times a game, forget it. He'd welcome the opportunity, but he knows it's unlikely.
"If I get that opportunity, yeah," he said. "But I don't think I've ever carried it 30 times. Not even in high school."
Cowboys running backs coach Skip Peete has a dream, however. He knows that with Marion Barber as the starter and Tashard Choice handling many of the third downs -- and also with a receiving corps that should be prolific -- it will be a challenge to spread the ball around.
"But a lot of times, it's not necessarily the number of carries you get," Peete said, "it's the touches. If you get 15 carries and 10 catches, that's your 25 touches."
The receiving possibilities are what intrigue the Cowboys. Although Jones was seldom utilized as a receiver in college, he has good receiving skills. During the off-season, he worked on his technique, footwork and put in a lot of time catching the ball.
"I'm just working on different ways coming out of breaks," Jones said, "just running routes. That type of repetition kind of helps me catch the ball a little better."
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones lights up at the possibility of Felix Jones catching a swing pass and isolating against a linebacker or defensive back. So does Peete.
"I love that," Peete said. "There's nothing like having a running back in open space. You get big yardage."
Felix Jones in the open space is certainly an exciting prospect for the Cowboys.
And it seems that even more than opponents, the primary obstacles that might prevent that from happening are toes, hamstrings and knees.