Jones stands out in high- risk business
Poly cornerback aims to make receivers fail, fans smile
Itwas the best going against the best at a summer football camp, and cornerback Jack Jones of Long Beach Poly High kept volunteering to face one top receiver after another in one- on- one duels.
Even those whowere just standing around and not competing were smiling and giggling as they watched the intense competition unfold.
“If I’m going to play [ defensive back], I’m going to put my hands on you,” Jones declared. “I’m going to let you know I’m there every play.”
He batted down one pass, deflected another and got tangled up in a duel that, during a game, might have resulted in a passinterference penalty.
It’s clear that Jones doesn’t back down. He’ll gladly introduce himself to a receiver— tall or small, fast or slow, strong or weak — by giving him a stare and showing off his hands.
Jamming a receiver at the line of scrimmage is what Jones learned from former Poly All-American Iman Marshall, who now plays for USC. He aggressively uses his hands tomake sure receivers face an immediate obstacle fromthe moment the ball is snapped.
He fears no one, takes risks and isn’t shy about letting everyone knowwhen he succeeds. In simple terms, he patterns his game after former NFL standout Deion Sanders, whowas knownfor his flash and brilliance.
“I’m not ever going to say, ‘ I’m Deion Sanders,’ ” Jones said. “I’m not ever going to say I’m better than that man. I was watching a documentary on him and Jerry Rice. Jerry Rice was always a serious guy. Deion Sanders brought a different game. He brought excitement, he brought joy, he brought a smile on people’s faces. That’s what Iwant to do— put a smile on people’s faces.”
Cornerbacks have one of the toughest jobs in football. They are sometimes left alone to try to cover a receiver who knows where he’s going. It can be embarrassing when the receiver is headed for a touch down after the cornerback has been badly beaten.
“That’s what the gameof football is about,” Jones said. “I haven’t seen one person in football who hasn’t gotten beat. Everybody is going to get beat. It’s about if you get beat, do youwant to get better?
“And if youwant to get better, you’ll keep going with that guy because you know he’s good.”
Jones keeps getting better. As a sophomore, he learned from Marshall and another former Poly standout, JuJu Smith- Schuster, who is also at USC.
“When I played against him, he was young and asking a lot of questions,” Smith- Schuster said. “He’s a lot more aggressive, more confident. He likes going against the best.”
Poly has plans to use the 5foot- 10,170- pound Jones seemingly everywhere on the field— catching passes, returning punts and kickoffs, covering receivers. He had a 60- yard touchdown reception lastweek in Poly’s 13- 12 seasonopening win over Peoria ( Ariz.) Centennial.
That means Jones will have numerous opportunities tomake plays and entertain.
“Every time I touch the field, I’m going to put on a show,” he said.
After making an interception during a summer passing competition, he returned the ball and did a backflip to celebrate. If he tries that during a game, it will result in a 15- yard penalty, but he’s plotting his nextmove.
“I can’t do it during a game, but I have something else inmy pocket,” he said.
‘ Everybody is going to get beat. It’s about if you get beat, do you want to get better?’ — Jack Jones, on the challenges facing defensive backs