Schefter: Pats meet with RB Kevin Jones

[Deus Irae]

Agreed and some of it was in spot duty but I don't think I'm the only one that thinks he played a hell of a lot better than Lo Mo in the beginning. He was certainly more productive than our starter. Talent isn't everything. Nothing against Maroney, he played a lot better down the stretch.

In week one, Maroney averaged 3.6 ypc. In week 2, he averaged 5.1 ypc. In week 3, he averaged 5.4 ypc. He got injured and didn't play the next 3 weeks.

For Morris, weeks 1-3 averages were 4.9, 5.1 and 3.8 ypc.

 

[BPF]

Jones is 6-0, 228 and is only 25 yrs old. If fully recovered he brings an excellent combination of power and speed. He is a hard-nosed runner who has great lateral quickness and speed to create big plays. He has good vision and change of direction skills, he is a solid cutback runner which would be a perfect fit for the Pats' scheme. He displayes good leverage on blitz pickups as well which is also very important in the Pats' offense. He runs crisp routes and has good hands and is excellent after the catch.

We brought him in and had the doctors take a look and if satisfied he would be a cheap and solid signing.

 

[bradmahn]

I agree with everyone who thinks he could be a better 'Sammy Morris.' I see absolutely no harm in bringing him in to replace Morris (if he proves he is better in training camp). Considering Jones's age and potential, it would be a perfect example of a low risk, high reward signing.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Right now, I'm chalking it up as due diligence--if a potential upgrade is available, it generally doesn't hurt to kick the tires and take it for a test drive. Doesn't mean you will (or won't) buy the car, though. [In other words: maybe they sign him, maybe they don't; no skin off my nose either way.]

 

[LoganMankinsPancakeBlocks]

I'd definitely be interested. He's young, good receiving back and I think he's better than he showed as a runner behind a poor Lions offensive line.

Morris is on the 2nd year of a 2 year deal, correct? If so, they could really use Jones for the '09 season.

 

[primetime]

Jones is 6-0, 228 and is only 25 yrs old. If fully recovered he brings an excellent combination of power and speed. He is a hard-nosed runner who has great lateral quickness and speed to create big plays. He has good vision and change of direction skills, he is a solid cutback runner which would be a perfect fit for the Pats' scheme. He displayes good leverage on blitz pickups as well which is also very important in the Pats' offense. He runs crisp routes and has good hands and is excellent after the catch.

We brought him in and had the doctors take a look and if satisfied he would be a cheap and solid signing.

Even though I liked Jones alot with the Lions, I'm cautious about applying "fully recovered" to any back who has torn his ACL. Yeah, he had great lateral quickness, cutback speed, and change of direction skills before suffering that major injury, but who knows how his reconstructed knee will hold up?

 

[satz]

Let me post this again. Under BB we have only carried 4 RB/FB.Kyle eckel is pretty good as he does not fumble the ball and he is still can be moved to pratice squad and back if we need a roster spot. If we add k.J. we need to loose another player from a spot or cut one of faulk,morris or maroney .

 

[dryheat44]

Re: RB Kevin Jones Met w/ Patriots (NFL Network)

Considering they didn't pick up a blocking TE this offseason why not throw more talent into the pool at RB? They could sign him to a minimal contract, put him on PUP to begin the season and he would be able to replace any of the 3 RBs (Maroney, Morris, or Faulk) if the injury bug hits.

You've hit on the key thing here, IMO: Jones is a versatile, complete back. You need a guy to take the ball between the tackles 20 times a game? He's your guy. You need a guy to be a screen/draw threat on third downs and on those 2nd and 12s? He's your guy. You need a battering ram to hammer the ball in from the two? He's your guy.

Even last year, when he was no better than average while recovering from a lis franc injury, he was able to score 8 touchdowns in limited action. Towards the end of the season, he was looking really good behind an O-line that could charitably be called well below average. The ACL was unfortunate, but without it he would've signed a big-money contract elsewhere. I really hope the Pats sign him and just be patient with him until December.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I'd definitely be interested. He's young, good receiving back and I think he's better than he showed as a runner behind a poor Lions offensive line.

Morris is on the 2nd year of a 2 year deal, correct? If so, they could really use Jones for the '09 season.

Nope. Second of four years, through 2010. That said, they could cut him and free up ~$550K of cap space.

 

[sebman2112]

Agreed and some of it was in spot duty but I don't think I'm the only one that thinks he played a hell of a lot better than Lo Mo in the beginning. He was certainly more productive than our starter. Talent isn't everything. Nothing against Maroney, he played a lot better down the stretch.

The people who keep saying Morris "put Maroney to shame" during the early going aren't being accurate. Before Maroney sustained injury he was averaging 4.66 ypc, and totaled 252 yards in the first three games. During those first three games Morris averaged 4.57 ypc, and totaled 151 yards rushing. So, they both ran well, while sharing the load.

Morris then had two back to back 100 yard games against the Bengals and Browns, before playing the Cowboys and getting injured. The Cowboys completely shut him down before the injury as well. It will be nice to see what they can do together again this year.

Maroney came back the following week, but didn't receive many carries. Against Washington he put up 112 yards of offense, but wasn't used correctly in other games. Laurence did some damage (both rushing and receiving) when they gave him more playing time, and was a key part of the offense during some of their most important games.

I don't know how many people remember this, but last year I complained that during a number of games the Patriots were only using Maroney on obvious running situations, and the majority of the times he was in the game you knew they were giving him the ball (I would call out the running play before the snap). Now, they were trying to set up play action passing in some of those situations, but it can be pretty tough going for a RB when the other team absolutely knows you're getting the ball almost every time you come into the game.

 

[NE39]

The other thing about Morris is he has been a very good ST player throughout his career, which is important for a backup. Kevin Jones isn't going to be playing ST if he were signed, so I doubt Morris would be the one to go if Jones were signed. Heck, Eckel is a good ST player as well.

I like Jones. He is a hard-running guy who is good in both the running and passing game. If healthy, he would add another weapon to an already potent offense. That said, he has struggled with injuries throughout his career (he has never played a full season in the NFL) and is coming off an ACL. He is a luxury, a guy who might be signed because of his great potential. However, he is available because of his injury history, and good players shouldn't be tossed to the curb because of him.

If they sign him, I would think he would be a PUP candidate to save a roster spot. Then, he would give them insurance against an injury like Morris suffered last year, a mid-season return to provide additional depth and protection from injury.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

If they sign him, I would think he would be a PUP candidate to save a roster spot. Then, he would give them insurance against an injury like Morris suffered last year, a mid-season return to provide additional depth and protection from injury.

I think, because of how PUP works, this is almost literally impossible; a player has to pass a physical in order to be signed (this is apparently one reason why Colvin hasn't received any offers yet), but a player cannot be put on PUP if he practices at any point. So, in order to do this, you'd have to find a way for the player to be healthy enough to practice now, but not healthy enough for mini-camps or TC.

 

[bradmahn]

I think, because of how PUP works, this is almost literally impossible; a player has to pass a physical in order to be signed (this is apparently one reason why Colvin hasn't received any offers yet), but a player cannot be put on PUP if he practices at any point. So, in order to do this, you'd have to find a way for the player to be healthy enough to practice now, but not healthy enough for mini-camps or TC.

I don't think you'd want to PUP Jones anyway, considering he would have to win a roster spot in training camp by showing he's a better backup than Morris.

If they sign Jones he isn't guaranteed a spot on the team and the 'PUP him for the first six weeks' scenario assumes he is.

 

[Real World]

I love Jones. He'd be a terrific addition to this offense if healthy. He's got speed, good hands, and can play all 3 downs if needed. Terrific screen reciever too. He's only 25 year old. With Faulk getting a little long in the tooth, Jones could be a sweet fit. With his injury history, he'd be better off playing in a system where he's not the featured option.

 

[bostonia3333]

This meeting with Jones probably means that Sammy Morris might not be ready opening day. Ughhh, I hope that's not the case, I have heard very little regarding Morris and his recovery. Oh well, it seems like everyone on this board says Jones is pretty darn good, so I'll drink the koolaid.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

This meeting with Jones probably means that Sammy Morris might not be ready opening day. Ughhh, I hope that's not the case, I have heard very little regarding Morris and his recovery. Oh well, it seems like everyone on this board says Jones is pretty darn good, so I'll drink the koolaid.

There was an article in the Globe a few weeks back saying that Morris was taking part in the offseason training program.

 

[MKats31]

this wouldn't be that bad of a pick up

 

[BPF]

Up the ante and sign this kid, he will certainly be motivated: http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/05/29/kevin-jones-motivated-to-prove-lions-wrong/

 

[jmt57]

If the Pats do decide to sign Kevin Jones, then it would be to compete with Kevin Faulk for that roster spot in my opinion. I don't see him replacing Sammy Morris.

 

[RayClay]

If the Pats do decide to sign Kevin Jones, then it would be to compete with Kevin Faulk for that roster spot in my opinion. I don't see him replacing Sammy Morris.

Why do people assume we keep the same number at each position each year? We only carried three RBs and it hurt us (multiple years). We could go lighter at other positions to carry one more RB.

The bottom of the PFT column might reveal the real problem.

I’m not about to go anywhere just to go, just because there’s a team out there and I haven’t gotten picked up yet,” Jones said. “I know my worth. A lot of the teams know my worth, but they figure, ‘OK, you’re hurt right now. We’ll bring you in.’ They’re just going to lowball you. But that’s not happening with me.”