Titans Sign Returner Mark Jones

He has a track record for being of little value outside of punt returns. And that for just 2 seasons.

He has kicked around the NFL with no role but returner. 3 teams in 5 years. 2 career receptions. 1 career tackle (not much use on coverage teams I guess).

What more homework is there to do?

He may make the team, but it's not Fisher's MO to keep a guy around who can't do anything but return. He'll have to contribute elsewhere to give himself a good chance to make the roster.

 

So why did they sign him? Why are you trying to convince me he is not a multidimensional player? I already know he is not. MR knows this also. Fisher knows this also.

Yet despite knowing this they sign him to a multiyear deal. Why? Bcause he fills a need.

That is not true either. He had more KRs last year than PRs and his career average per return(24.0) is similar to what carr had when he came here. I assume he was signed to do both.

Can we ask a simple question? Who else is there to return punts that is better? Are we going to use our pro bowl caliber safet on KRs?

 

maybe they will use him as a wr or back up rb. who knows...but we will see what he can do very soon

 

Why are you clinging to the fact he has a multi-year deal? We could sign him to a 10-year deal and still cut him easily with no significant penalty.

The only question is how much guaranteed money he got. And as his agent hasn't announced how much he got, it isn't much. And it shows a sign of negotiating weakness to have to give the team the right to keep you more than 1 year if you become worth anything the first year.

Carolina thought he wasn't worth keeping. He probably picked us based on the fact we needed a new return man and our WRs are weak.

So what if he had more kick returns than punt returns? That has nothing to do with him.

And his career average may be better than Carr's was with Oakland, but that still doesn't make him better than average.

That's why they signed him in the first place. He's a hedge. But he will have to win the job outright in camp to have a chance if that's all he can do. They can draft someone to do it. Rafael Little could return. Lavelle Hawkins could return. Chris Davis could return. There are many possibilities...

 

Little and Hawkins have shown nothing to prove they are going to be quality return guys. Davis fumbles the ball way too often, or he simply can't catch the ball too often to be considered a possibility. The Titans lost Carr and they replaced him with Jones.

Quick question: Does anyone know how many receptions Justin Gage had the year before he signed with the Titans: 4. And now, he is the Titans number 1 receiver. Perhaps the coaches feel that Jones has the potential to be more than just a return man. Either way, he was brought in to be the return man, if he can contribute in other ways, even better.

 

Little was injured, so how would he have shown anything? He returned at UK. And Hawkins presumably isn't as good a returner as Jones, but he can do it. As for Davis, I don't love him either but he can do it. Either way, they'll all compete for it in camp.

As for Gage, he had 64 receptions his first 4 years in Chicago. Jones had 2 catches in 5 years with 3 teams.

 

Yes, Little was injured so he was not able to show anything. So, in your world, the Titans should just go with what they have and hope that Little will be a good return man? Or they could go with Hawkins who has done nothing to prove he can fill that position? Or maybe Davis? - the guy dropped numerous punts and he fumbled a few others. The Titans signed Jones because he has proven that he can be effective in this role.

Yes, Gage had 64 career receptions before signing with the Titans. I wasn't saying that Jones will turn out to be a starting receiver on this team. But who thought Gage would turn out to be the Titans' number one when he signed? No one. Maybe they feel he can fill two roles on this team: Return man and WR depth.

 

I compared Gage to Drew Bennett when we signed him (size, athleticism, hands). I certainly didn't predict he'd be our #1 WR, but it was clear he could contribute. The same can't be said of Jones.

As for Jones himself, I didn't say we shouldn't have signed him. I said he's a hedge. We probably aren't out anything significant if we cut him. I'm just saying I think there's a good chance he won't make the roster.

 

The reason the multi year deal matters is that we normally don't do that for fringe players who may not make the team. Wade-gage-moulds-jmac-carr all had one year deals to start.

Our #1 and #2 PRs are gone. Mark jones is a very accomplished PR guy in fact the best PR guy we could have signed.

Yes we have guys just as good and maybe even better to return kick offs like CJ, griffin or maybe little. But do we want to risk CJ or griffen that way?

 

The team gains the advantage by giving him a multi-year deal. If Jones had any negotiating leverage at all, he could have gotten a 1-year deal and become a free agent in 2010. Now the Titans have the right to keep him of let him walk a year from now (if they even keep him in 2009).

I'm not proposing letting Johnson or Griffin return kicks. But that doesn't change the fact that we'll have other options come training camp. And Jones won't just be handed the job.