‘The D.J. Jones Workout’ is working for lineman
Last year, before the 49ers drafted Mississippi nose tackle D.J. Jones in the sixth round, an unnamed SEC offensive assistant told NFL.com that Jones had resembled a “different player” as his senior season progressed.
“I just thought,” the coach said, “he looked like he kind of ran out of gas later in the year.”
Then, as a rookie, Jones played in nine of the 49ers’ first 10 games (missing one with an injury) before the team chose not to dress him for the final six games.
So why was Jones making a habit of sputtering down the stretch? It appears the chronic condition was tied to his conditioning.
On Saturday night, after Jones’ standout performance in a preseason loss at Houston, he joked that the south Texas heat the 49ers endured during joint practices with the Texans earlier in the week was nothing compared to
what he experienced this offseason in Greenville, S.C.
Jones said he’d wait until midday, when the temperature spiked, to begin three-hour workouts at his high school that included lifting and running around the track and up and down the bleachers. Jones, who is listed at 6 feet and 321 pounds, said he hadn’t run so much before and shed 20 pounds while following what he termed “The D.J. Jones Workout, man.”
“I feel way better,” Jones said. “A lot better. I feel faster, stronger. I can breathe better, actually.”
And it seems Jones can exhale if his rookie-season finish made him wonder about his chances of making the 53-man roster. On Saturday, two days after finishing a strong training camp, he had three tackles and forced a fumble, while earning the highest grade among 49ers defenders, according to Pro Football Focus.
It appears Jones is in line to eventually replace Earl Mitchell, who will turn 31 in September, and cement himself as one of the 49ers’ recent lateround finds. In their past two drafts, the 49ers also have selected tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Trent Taylor, safety Adrian Colbert and promising rookie defensive tackle Jullian Taylor in the fifth round or later.
For his part, Jones concedes it wasn’t until months after he was drafted — when he was observing the 49ers’ final six games as a healthy scratch — that he understood his work ethic needed upgrading.
“I took that as a signal that I needed to work,” Jones said. “If I was inactive, that means someone else was better than me. So I felt like I needed to work that much harder. Nothing against anyone I’m going against, but when I’m on the field, I feel like I’m the best one out there. So I need to show that to these coaches so they can put me on the field.”
Jones is a big man with a big personality. Last year, he had a guest spot as a weatherman for Fox Carolina News and advised viewers to “get some fluids in you” as he outlined the steamy forecast. His dad, Dave, also known as “Big Dave,” owns a catering business that is headlined by his barbecue sauces (“Big Dave’s All-American Hawaiian Bold Gold” is one). D.J. is a big fan, but notes he didn’t enjoy any sauce this offseason while he was slimming his body.
“It’s still good,” he said, careful to not hurt Big Dave’s sales, “but I cut it out.”
Jones, whose mammoth weight-room numbers include a 440-pound bench press, has the strength to perform the primary duty of most nose tackles: take on the blocks of two offensive linemen, freeing up the linebackers behind him to amass the tackles and glory.
On Saturday, though, Jones had a modest moment in the spotlight when his tackle helped force a fumble by running back Lavon Coleman. It actually appeared a hit by linebacker Mark Nzeocha did more to jar the ball loose, and even Jones was initially clueless.
“I didn’t even know I forced the fumble,” he said. “I had to get to the sideline and people had to let me know I did it.”
So perhaps Jones was fortunate in that case. But after he ran, and ran, to avoid running out of gas, he might say this: Good things come to those who work.