Jones-ing to McAdoo it again
He called it a “great room.’’ And now, James Jones gets to see where he fits within the room and, more importantly, on the field alongside Victor Cruz, Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle.
“Lots of talented guys,’’ Jones, the newest Giant, said Saturday before his first practice wearing blue. “So this whole situation could go either way.’’
Figure it goes the right way for Jones. There did not seem to be a dire need for another wide receiver, but that did not stop the Giants from signing Jones to a oneyear contract on the first day of training camp.
Make no mistake, this is not a bringhiminand-hope-for-the-best move. The Giants fully expect Jones to make the team, make an impression and make Eli Manning’s passing game more dangerous, deep and versatile.
It might not be a match made in heaven, but it is close. Jones spent the first seven years of his NFL career in Green Bay, where Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo was an assistant coach. Before choosing the Giants, Jones first sat down with McAdoo and that conversation, he said, helped him decide to become Manning’s new toy after years of getting open for the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers.
Jones calls McAdoo “an unbelievable coach, an unbelievable guy,’’ and says what the Giants are doing under McAdoo is “very similar’’ to what the Packers did running coach Mike McCarthy’s offense. Even the terminology is familiar.
“Second nature to me,’’ Jones said.
So, the typical growing pains should be rather painless as Jones joins an already deep arsenal. What Jones, 31, adds is experience. He has more career catches (383), receiving yards (4,971) and touchdowns (43) than any other receiver on the Giants roster. He may not be the bigplay target he was when he caught an NFLhigh 14 touchdown passes in 2012 but last season, his one and only year in Oakland, Jones played in all 16 games, caught a careerhigh 73 passes for 666 yards and six TDs. The Raiders went younger, drafted Amari Cooper and released Jones.
Figure it will not take Jones long to rise up the depth chart and fit in snugly as the No. 4 receiver, behind Cruz, Beckham and Randle. Dwayne Harris, a special teams and return ace from the Cowboys, will hold down the No. 5 or 6 spot. That means there is one receiver job available, with Corey Washington, rookie Geremy Davis and Preston Parker all in the mix.
All provide something a little different. Washington is the tallest and, in the view of the coaching staff, has the greatest upside as a receiver. But he is still a bit raw and needs to significantly upgrade his effort and skill on special teams. The Giants envision Davis to be a special teams stud in the David Tyree mold, although Davis didn’t do much of that at UConn, in addition to being a muscular possession receiver. Parker, 28, caught 36 passes for 418 yards and two TDs in 2014, his first year with the Giants, and could be the oddman out.
“Can you have too many? Never too many weapons,’’ said Washington, last year’s summer sensation. “That’ll put a smile on Eli’s face.’’
Will the addition of Jones put a smile on the faces of the other receivers trying to make the team?
“I grew up watching him,’’ Washington said. “I was in high school when he was playing.’’
It all will come quickly for Jones, who at 6foot1 and 200 pounds adds a strength dimension to the receiver corps. He met with Manning for the first time and noticed “he seems passionate about the game.’’ Jones also noticed “he wants everything to be perfect, he’s already going through plays with me in there.’’
Joining a club that includes Cruz and Beckham could be intimidating to some, but not to Jones.
“For me, I come from Green Bay, where we had Donald Driver, we had James Jones, we had Jordy Nelson, we had Randall Cobb, we had Greg Jennings and also we had Jermichael Finley all in the same offense,’’ Jones said, “Yeah, some people caught more balls than others, but we all had a chance to make some plays.
“So when I look in a room like that I get excited. When you put a bunch of receivers like we have in that room on the field, it’s tough to stop.’’