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Welcome to the Redskins: Matt Jones RB Florida

TSO

By TSO
in The Stadium

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Larry

Larry

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Welcome, Matt. 

 

We do love us some RBs, here. 

 

Unfortunately, we have Alfred Morris, who has a red S on his chest and a red cape.  So unless somebody brings kryptonite to the stadium, I guess you're just SOL. 

 

(Yes, I'm joking with you.  Welcome.) 

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DC9

DC9

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Seahawks Running Backs (they're big, too):

 

Marshawn Lynch - 5-11 - 230lbs

Robert Turbin - 5-10 - 222lbs

Christian Michael - 5-10 -220lbs

 

 

Really wanted to draft this kid from the jump.  So I'm glad we got him.

 

Also, keep in mind that any film that you watch on him from last year - the Florida offense was terrible and teams would stack up on the run game.  Still got his, though.

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TSO

TSO

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Watching the video posted early my first thought is he runs upright for a big back. Like to see him get behind his pads a bit more.

 

That's interesting, I didn't notice that, but after you mention it I see what you're saying. The good news is, it'll make him even tougher to bring down if that gets coached into him properly. 

 

The thing I really like about him is that he still managed to play well when pretty much every single play I saw had at least one or two guys on his Oline get beat badly almost immediately. It was actually ridiculous. I don't think there was a single play where they blocked it up nice for him. Might be why he showed a lack of patience as well and just ran into whatever gap he was angled at.

 

Very interesting pick to me. If this guy pans out, Scot's brilliance is highlighted since it'd mean so much in terms of scouting acumen. I mean, Scot would have managed to sift through the negative impact his surroundings had on him as well as properly project him with the right coaching to become worthy of that pick. 

 

For me, he provides a lot of intrigue. 

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Larry

Larry

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I know that we all were hoping for a skinny speedster HR threat.  (Including me.) 

 

But this guy sounds like he's a third down back, who's also possibly a backup, if Morris misses some games. 

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ZRagone

ZRagone

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As I said in GHH's reaction thread. There's two main types of "3rd down running back".

 

The first is the modern style...the Gio Bernard/Darren Sproles type. Quick, good hands, shifty guys who can run excellent routes from the backfield or even split out. Guys who on third down are 75% recieving / 25% blocking.

 

This is the type of 3rd down back everyone seemed to THINK we wanted and needed. And for that style, Matt Jones was in no way the best option.

 

HOWEVER, that's not the only two of third down running back.

 

There's also the more classic brusier type. The personal protector for the QB. The offensive lineman in the backfield. A big punishing back who can take on LB's and occasionally surprise by going out for a pass. Also a guy you can put in whether it's 3rd and 1 or 3rd and 9 and have full faith in passing or running.

 

For that style, Matt Jones was arguably one of the best 3RB's in the draft. And in hindsight, looking at the things Clou said, that style of 3RB makes all the sense in the world for us.

 

I was down on the pick originally, and still don't know how great of a value it was in the 3rd...but the more I'm seeing the vision Clou has for this team and how he wants it built, the more I'm growing to really like the Jones selection.

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gortiz

gortiz

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McC knocked it out of the park with Gore ... 5 Pro Bowls, over 10K yards, getting a contract at 30, still grinding. 

 

The GM saw something, heard something, maybe both, something that no tape, no scout or no combine can tell us.  Something that was real damn important to him ... and that's why he reached for Jones, just like he reached for Gore. 

 

"Just looking at my career from college to here, they wrote me off," Gore told Eric Branch last week. "When Scot McCloughan drafted me, they said he reached on me."

 

http://www.ninersnation.com/2014/12/27/7451455/the-legend-of-frank-gore-how-he-became-the-greatest-against-all-odds

 

 

I'm sure that the GM likes Alfred, we love him. But he drafted Jones to replace him, no doubt about it. I also think he feels Redd, Thompson, whoever,  can walk and its ok.  

 

I don't buy this 3rd down back stuff ... Jones is here to be the man.  I feel this because McC did reach for him, you don't reach for a supplement/stop gap/compliment type player, you reach for a player that you think will contribute and get touches, lots of them. 

 

We'll see how Alfred responds, I bet  he meets the challenge, he's that type of guy. But, it still stands, our backfield, has a ton of potential and the stage is set for Alfred and Jones to fight, and fight hard to be the lead dog. 

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gortiz

gortiz

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I don't think this pick says a word about Alf.

A couple of us (DC9,LB) I think were just talking about really wanting to draft this kid. I was thinking 4rth, but I'm cool with it.

He plays a major role for us.

 

You don't think where he got picked says something about what he means to Scot and what his perceived impact can be?  I just think there are much bigger plans in the works for Jones - and much bigger expectations than just being a 3rd down back, or a handcuff for Alfred. 

 

The NFL scouts were optimistic that Jones possessed what i took to play football on the professional level but was not  to sold on his in game production up to this point. Jones was given a fifth or sixth round draft grade by NFL scouts which meant most teams would be looking to draft him to help out mostly with special teams.  The Washington Redskins had a different agenda for the running back as they took him with their third round draft pick.

 

http://isportsweb.com/2015/05/03/former-gator-matt-jones-proves-nfl-wrong-and-gets-drafted-in-the-third-round/

 

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Reaper Skins

Reaper Skins

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He reminds me of Steven Jackson.  Agree with folks that he seems to have been drafted mainly due to his ability to block and to overpower people in order to get short yardage.  Also see him making an impact on special teams as well early on.  Remember SM said he wants teams to remember that they played us at the end of the game.  were not trying to outrun or slip around teams, were knocking them on their butts strainght up the middle into the endzone.

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Larry

Larry

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I don't think I'd be quite so quick to announce our third round pick as knocking a Pro Bowler off the team, quite so quickly. 

 

Although yes, I do think it's something the team probably considered. 

 

I'm a huge AlMo fan.  It's broken my heart how I don't think the team really helped him much, last two years.  (I think AlMo has done a much better job, than his stats suggest.) 

 

But. . . . . 

 

It's pretty likely that, a year from now, Alfred is going to be

 

A four year NFL starting RB.

Age 25?

With maybe 5,000 yards rushing.

Who's been to what, four Pro Bowls?

And never missed a game. 

 

It's at least possible that we lose him. 

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ZRagone

ZRagone

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You don't think where he got picked says something about what he means to Scot and what his perceived impact can be? I just think there are much bigger plans in the works for Jones - and much bigger expectations than just being a 3rd down back, or a handcuff for Alfred.

 

No, I don't really think "where" he got picked says much about that.

 

Yeah, many media pundits had him as a 5th or 6th round talent. Most of them had someone like Joe Cordona going undrafted or late 7th, and he got picked in the 5th. Many people had Eli Harrold and Diggy going late 1st early second...they went in the mid rounds. Or perhaps you want a Running back example...

 

TJ Yeldon was looked at as anywhere from a late 2nd to early 4th round grade by many of the media sites I looked at. Many sites had him as the 7th or 8th best running back in this class. Yet hes the third back off the board.

 

Let's say we waited till the 5th round instead. Here's all the RB's picked between that time...

 

Jeremy Langford

Javorius Allen

Mike Davis

David Cobb

 

There's no certainty Matt Jones lasts until our 5th round pick no matter what pundits say. Similarly, 3rd round is not a "reach" when it comes to a 3rd down running back. It's a pretty normal place in the draft for a team to go after that type of back. I just go back to what I previously said...the issue is that we valued a DIFFERENT type of 3rd down running back.

 

We drafted at a reasonable spot for the position, and we likely drafted at a reasonable spot based on Jone's value FOR THAT POSITION, it just didn't fit well with his value as an over all every down style running back.

 

But that's not what he's likely hear to be.

 

Insurance IF we lose Morris and someone in the conversation on who to replace him at that point IF it comes? Sure, maybe. But some one specifically here with the intent to let Morris walk and use him as our new bell cow? Yeah, I don't buy that at all.

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gortiz

gortiz

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No, I don't really think "where" he got picked says much about that.

 

Yeah, many media pundits had him as a 5th or 6th round talent. Most of them had someone like Joe Cordona going undrafted or late 7th, and he got picked in the 5th. Many people had Eli Harrold and Diggy going late 1st early second...they went in the mid rounds. Or perhaps you want a Running back example...

 

Yeah good points by you and Larry ... looking at the draft as a whole you do see a bunch of guys getting picked before where most draft boards had them, so not a big tell for Jones. 

 

I'm still sold on the idea that Scot sees more for Jones than just a 3rd round draft pick, and now that's more of a hunch than an opinion with a lot of validity, which means i'm talking out of my arse! 

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