azdad1978
Championship!!!!
By Darren Urban, Tribune
He spent his time in Arizona losing his job twice, first to Michael Pittman and then Marcel Shipp. He blamed his shortcomings on rib injuries and breathing problems, on bad blocking and on being underutilized.
Then Thomas Jones solidified his bust status as a No. 1 pick when his final season as a Cardinal ended with a mysterious broken hand, hurt either on a marble-top table or on the face of a male hairdresser, depending on whose story you believed.
But Jones, who was traded to Tampa Bay before the 2003 season and signed with Chicago as a free agent this offseason, has been reborn — joining the long list of Cardinals who flourished after leaving Arizona.
As the feature back in the Kansas City-style offense the Bears now use, Jones ran for 152 yards last week against Green Bay in the Bears’ upset win. In two games, Jones has 219 yards rushing (5.0 yards per carry) with three touchdowns, and has caught a touchdown pass.
"The man is a helluva back," center Olin Kreutz told the Chicago Sun-Times. "Sometimes it just takes getting in the right system to get those guys going."
Jones, who never averaged better than 3.7 yards per carry in Arizona, got up to 4.6 last season as a backup in Tampa, and gained almost 100 yards a game starting the final three of the season. Now he looks like a Bears star.
"I’m just trying to come in," Jones said, "and make a name for myself."
MEMORY LANE
Two of the most intriguing matchups this week are Tampa Bay traveling to Oakland, where Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden returns to the place where he got his head coaching start, and Dallas going to Washington, where Cowboys coach Bill Parcells can relive his many 1980s matchups (as Giants coach) with retro-Redskins coach Joe Gibbs.
Animosity is palpable in the Bucs-Raiders game. Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp is bitter Gruden didn’t bring him back to Tampa this season after Sapp helped build the Bucs into a playoff team. Meanwhile, Gruden, who was a folk hero in Oakland when he coached there from 1998-2001, now is the enemy after beating Oakland in the Super Bowl.
"I’m sure I’ll get booed like hell," Gruden said. "I don’t worry about it. I’ve got a lot of friends who will be sitting in the stands, the Terminator and the Axe-Grinder, whatever those guys’ names were. Those are guys I had a relationship with. Hopefully, they don’t forget that."
There’s less personal tension between Parcells and Gibbs. Parcells owns 11 wins in the 17 meetings between the coaches, which all came prior to 1991. Asked of what accounted for the discrepancy, Redskins offensive line coach Joe Bugel said simply, "Lawrence Taylor, Lawrence Taylor, Lawrence Taylor."
FOSTERING GOOD PLAY
The Panthers avoided an 0-2 start when backup running back DeShaun Foster ripped off a 174-yard day against Kansas City last week in place of Stephen Davis, who underwent surprise surgery on knee cartilage. It was a good sign from the back whom the Panthers consider their future.
But the future isn’t now. The Panthers are off today, and by the time they play again, Davis may return to the lineup.
"If Steve’s in there, I know what my role’s going to be," Foster said. "If he’s not there, I know what my role’s going to be."
Davis might not even be in Carolina had Foster not gotten a knee injury in his rookie season. Davis was signed because the Panthers weren’t sure if Foster could carry the load. Then Davis ran for 1,444 yards and Carolina made the Super Bowl.
This report includes information
from league sources, wire services and
writers from around the country.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=28720
He spent his time in Arizona losing his job twice, first to Michael Pittman and then Marcel Shipp. He blamed his shortcomings on rib injuries and breathing problems, on bad blocking and on being underutilized.
Then Thomas Jones solidified his bust status as a No. 1 pick when his final season as a Cardinal ended with a mysterious broken hand, hurt either on a marble-top table or on the face of a male hairdresser, depending on whose story you believed.
But Jones, who was traded to Tampa Bay before the 2003 season and signed with Chicago as a free agent this offseason, has been reborn — joining the long list of Cardinals who flourished after leaving Arizona.
As the feature back in the Kansas City-style offense the Bears now use, Jones ran for 152 yards last week against Green Bay in the Bears’ upset win. In two games, Jones has 219 yards rushing (5.0 yards per carry) with three touchdowns, and has caught a touchdown pass.
"The man is a helluva back," center Olin Kreutz told the Chicago Sun-Times. "Sometimes it just takes getting in the right system to get those guys going."
Jones, who never averaged better than 3.7 yards per carry in Arizona, got up to 4.6 last season as a backup in Tampa, and gained almost 100 yards a game starting the final three of the season. Now he looks like a Bears star.
"I’m just trying to come in," Jones said, "and make a name for myself."
MEMORY LANE
Two of the most intriguing matchups this week are Tampa Bay traveling to Oakland, where Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden returns to the place where he got his head coaching start, and Dallas going to Washington, where Cowboys coach Bill Parcells can relive his many 1980s matchups (as Giants coach) with retro-Redskins coach Joe Gibbs.
Animosity is palpable in the Bucs-Raiders game. Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp is bitter Gruden didn’t bring him back to Tampa this season after Sapp helped build the Bucs into a playoff team. Meanwhile, Gruden, who was a folk hero in Oakland when he coached there from 1998-2001, now is the enemy after beating Oakland in the Super Bowl.
"I’m sure I’ll get booed like hell," Gruden said. "I don’t worry about it. I’ve got a lot of friends who will be sitting in the stands, the Terminator and the Axe-Grinder, whatever those guys’ names were. Those are guys I had a relationship with. Hopefully, they don’t forget that."
There’s less personal tension between Parcells and Gibbs. Parcells owns 11 wins in the 17 meetings between the coaches, which all came prior to 1991. Asked of what accounted for the discrepancy, Redskins offensive line coach Joe Bugel said simply, "Lawrence Taylor, Lawrence Taylor, Lawrence Taylor."
FOSTERING GOOD PLAY
The Panthers avoided an 0-2 start when backup running back DeShaun Foster ripped off a 174-yard day against Kansas City last week in place of Stephen Davis, who underwent surprise surgery on knee cartilage. It was a good sign from the back whom the Panthers consider their future.
But the future isn’t now. The Panthers are off today, and by the time they play again, Davis may return to the lineup.
"If Steve’s in there, I know what my role’s going to be," Foster said. "If he’s not there, I know what my role’s going to be."
Davis might not even be in Carolina had Foster not gotten a knee injury in his rookie season. Davis was signed because the Panthers weren’t sure if Foster could carry the load. Then Davis ran for 1,444 yards and Carolina made the Super Bowl.
This report includes information
from league sources, wire services and
writers from around the country.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=28720
