CATCHING THEIR ATTENTION
WR jones making strong impression despite signing latee
T.J. Jones understands the importance of making a f irst impression.
So when he went out in the Giants’ preseason opener against the Jets on Thursday night and caught all six of his targets for 72 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kyle Lauletta, Jones kicked off his career in New York on the right foot.
“I don’t even know [what I felt],” Jones told The Post following practice Sunday. “I kind of blacked out a little bit. It was a good feeling, because it’s the first touchdown I’ve had with a different team.
“It was, probably my most exciting touchdown I’ve had — even though it’s preseason — it was still my most exciting one. Because you never know, coming to a new team, coming in late, playing catch-up, if you’ll score or you never know at the end of preseason if they’re going to keep you or not.”
The Giants brought Jones into training camp at the end of July in the wake of a slew of misfortune to their wide receivers, including a broken thumb for Sterling Shepard, a torn ACL for Corey Coleman and a PED violation from Golden Tate.
Coach Pat Shurmur said he liked what he saw in the Giants’ scouting report on Jones, but admitted that at the time there was just a desperate need for depth at wide receiver.
For Jones, after five years with the Lions, for whom he made 64 receptions for 814 yards and four touchdowns in 42 games, it is just a new opportunity.
Though his performance in the Giants’ 31-22 victory over the Jets was a leap in the right direction, Jones has impressed his coaches and teammates since he f irst began participating in camp.
“This is a guy stepping in with no [organized team activity] experience,” fellow wide receiver Russell Shepard said. “Really, he missed the first week or two of training camp, and just to see him come in, make his plays, and just be able to play all receiver positions — be able to be tough.
“From a receiver standpoint, he had the best performance in my opinion this past Thursday. I’m just excited to see him build off of it. You can tell he’s a vet.”
Shepard considers Jones to be the most consistent player on the field. The 27-year-old has tremendous speed, which has earned him the nickname “fresh legs,” as an added dig to his late arrival.
Still, Jones has his work cut out for him to the final roster. Even if Tate’s suspension holds up and he misses the first four games of the season, Jones still sits low on the depth chart. Sterling Shepard isn’t expected to miss any regular-season time with his thumb injury, leaving Jones in a competitive mix with players like Cody Latimer, Bennie Fowler, Darius Slayton and Russell Shepard.
Integrating into the team and settling into New York has been a lot easier for Jones with Tate, a former Lions teammate, as a familiar face. They’re both also Notre Dame products, though Jones started out as a freshman in 2010 a year after Tate skipped his senior season and entered the draft.
Tate has taken it upon himself to give Jones pointers and to help him get up to speed. Jones says his short tenure with the Giants has been filled with extra meetings and a lot of long nights studying to make up for what he’s missed.
Heading into the preseason opener, Jones knew the ‘late arrival’ excuse would not be tolerated. He also thought about how he wouldn’t get to make another first impression.
“I’m just keeping my head down, right now the only goal is to make the team. That’s it. It’s not a number of catches, number of touchdowns. ... Don’t mess up and play fast,” Jones said. “It’s great to have a good first game, but if you have three poor games following it, that f irst game doesn’t mean anything.”