Matt Jones blows last chance with Jaguars
In the least surprising drug arrest since Nate Newton was pulled over crossing state lines, Matt Jones was reportedly caught with cocaine and marijuana early Thursday. (Bad combination. Jones' play on and off the field lacks some intelligence).
After I saw the news, I frantically went to our magazine outlooks to change Jones' blurb before we went to print. Then I realized Jones wasn't even in my top-100 receivers, so his profile already wasn't making the cut.
That's how far Jones had fallen on the Jacksonville depth chart. He was unlikely to make the team this season, and should be released shortly. This arrest, and the mug shot that comes with it, makes it less likely, although hardly impossible, that a team like the Eagles will take a flier on him at a later point.
I've watched Jones had some fantastic moments in the pros, which makes his lack of passion for the sport more frustrating. I saw him take over Jacksonville's Week 1 game in 2006 for a quarter against Dallas. In two of Jacksonville's three playoff games under Jack Del Rio, Jones led the team's wideouts in receiving. It was telling that Del Rio went back to him when they needed production against the Patriots last January. The talent is there. The maturity is not.
Comments
This is really sad. He was a decent sleeper pick up until now. Huge talent unfulfilled.
Posted by: b roo | July 11, 2008 12:10 AM
that mug shot should be listed in the fantasy dictionary under 'bust'. what a loser
Posted by: scott c | July 11, 2008 11:21 AM
I wonder, what is the success rate of converting players in the NFL? Jones was a QB coming out of college, so maybe he doesn't like getting hit or not playing the position he's always played. I think it'd be tough to play a position for most of your life and then be drafted only to be told you're going to be a WR simply because you're an athlete. Regardless, he's squandered his chances.
Posted by: StevenG | July 11, 2008 03:51 PM