For any fans who remember how former Patriots safety Tebucky Jones started out here in New England, it was definitely an interesting start to what would be quite a journey with the Patriots.
 Former New England Patriots safety Tebucky Jones. (FILE:Icon/SMI) |
Jones was drafted by former head coach Pete Carroll, who took him at 22 overall in the 1998 draft in hopes of turning the former University of Syracuse safety into a cornerback. At the time Carroll was an experienced defensive backs coach who believed he could turn Jones into a shutdown cornerback, and it's a transition that never quite worked out.
Fortunately for Jones he thrived once Bill Belichick took over as head coach two seasons later in 2000, and went on to become an important part of a Patriots defense that surprised everyone during New England's first championship run in 2001, before being franchised in 2003 and shipped off to New Orleans for multiple draft picks.
Now Jones' son, Tebucky Jones Jr., is following in his dad's footsteps on the offensive side of the ball as a part of the University of Connecticut's football team. Jones Jr. was a freshman redshirt receiver last season, and never played a game for the University last year. Instead he was a spectator, watching the Huskies win the Big East and also play in the Fiesta Bowl.
His goal for this year is to take the next step and crack the line-up. Matt McDonough of The Daily Campus - a publication for the University of Connecticut - has an article this morning on the son of the former Patriot, who is working hard to have a breakout season down on the Storrs campus.
"Preparation this summer has been very demanding with the training camp schedule," Jones told McDonough. "It was very honoring to be part of the Big East championship team and to help give a good look to the starting defense when I was on the scout team, but this year I have demanded more from myself since I will be playing on the field and not just be watching from the sidelines."
You can read more on Jones Jr. here in 'The Daily Campus' via this link.
As for his dad, his career after leaving New England the first time around didn't last long. Jones spent two season in New Orleans before joining the Dolphins in 2005, where a chest injury ended his season.
He rejoined the Patriots in 2006, but never had the chance to contribute after suffering what ended up being a career ending knee injury against the Washington Redskins on August 26th, 2006. It ended up being a subject of a lawsuit against his former team after Jones claimed the doctors failed to inform him he suffered a severe tear to his knee ligament.
He is currently the head coach for the New Britain Golden Hurricanes, his former high school team.
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