Jarvis Jones

[steel50]

Jones is going to be a star at OLB

[Oviedo]

Jones is going to be a star at OLB

That is far from a certainty. He has a high motor but he is lacking in strength and I'm not sure he has the frame to get much bigger. His only rish move right now is to beat an OT around the end. He will need much more than that to be a star.

[Shawn]

Jones is going to be a star at OLB

I agree. I believe he has what it takes to be great in this league. He needs an offseason weight training program and a bit more experience. JJ will be just fine.

[bostonsteeler]

Its a sad world when being 245 lbs is considered undersized.. My SO would fit twice in that weight..

[D Rock]

That is far from a certainty. He has a high motor but he is lacking in strength and I'm not sure he has the frame to get much bigger. His only rish move right now is to beat an OT around the end. He will need much more than that to be a star.

people always throw that wording around - either a guy has the frame to get bigger or does not - but do any of us really have the ability to make that determination sitting around watching on tv and not personally knowing these guys and working with them?

Sure, sometimes its possible - James Harrison didn't have the frame to get bigger - because he was clearly already huge and probably maxed out before he would lose flexibility and functionality.

but JJ? The dude has almost no muscle definition. If I was going to attempt to make a determination about someone's ability to get stronger, he would be the poster child for someone who I would try to say has room to grow in that department. Not at all sure where you are coming from saying he doesn't have the frame to get bigger.

[squidkid]

people always throw that wording around - either a guy has the frame to get bigger or does not - but do any of us really have the ability to make that determination sitting around watching on tv and not personally knowing these guys and working with them?

Sure, sometimes its possible - James Harrison didn't have the frame to get bigger - because he was clearly already huge and probably maxed out before he would lose flexibility and functionality.

but JJ? The dude has almost no muscle definition. If I was going to attempt to make a determination about someone's ability to get stronger, he would be the poster child for someone who I would try to say has room to grow in that department. Not at all sure where you are coming from saying he doesn't have the frame to get bigger.

i too agree that he has the ability to put on weight, he has to. hes so damn scrawny.
that being said, its an opinion. kinda like the ones that say hes gonna be a star and how they can tell he has 'it'.

[papillon]

If you go around the league and look at the rookie class, did any one that was drafted this year step in and provide that "wow" factor? I'm sure there were some that had really solid years, but there wasn't one rookie on the starting Pro Bowl team and, in fact, the majority seemed to be around the 3rd, 4th or 5th year in the league with some veterans like Polamalu. It's not that easy folks, thinking that Jarvis Jones has somehow peaked as a player is crazy. If he stays healthy, I believe that next year we can expect close to double digit sacks and 5-7 turnovers created, and some passes defensed. NFL scouts do get players wrong in the first round, but not nearly as often as you think. This guy was rated extremely high last year by nearly every team, give him a chance.

Pappy

[ikestops85]

If you go around the league and look at the rookie class, did any one that was drafted this year step in and provide that "wow" factor? I'm sure there were some that had really solid years, but there wasn't one rookie on the starting Pro Bowl team and, in fact, the majority seemed to be around the 3rd, 4th or 5th year in the league with some veterans like Polamalu. It's not that easy folks, thinking that Jarvis Jones has somehow peaked as a player is crazy. If he stays healthy, I believe that next year we can expect close to double digit sacks and 5-7 turnovers created, and some passes defensed. NFL scouts do get players wrong in the first round, but not nearly as often as you think. This guy was rated extremely high last year by nearly every team, give him a chance.

Pappy

I agree Pappy. Fans are too quick to write off players if they don't produce immediately. JJ will be a baller for us for years to come. He will learn how to make those "splash" plays without being out of position. I think his improvement will be dramatic next year.

[papillon]

I agree Pappy. Fans are too quick to write off players if they don't produce immediately. JJ will be a baller for us for years to come. He will learn how to make those "splash" plays without being out of position. I think his improvement will be dramatic next year.

"Out of position" seemed to be his biggest problem and early on it seemed he would aid the opponent's offense by taking himself out of position, but as the year went along he seemed to not be out of position as much and was handling his responsibilities quite nicely, all that was lacking were splash plays, which come with off season work and training camp. I think we'll see a completely different player in September of 2014 than we saw in December of 2013, contrary to popular belief the coaches aren't dolts or idiots.

Pappy

[phillyesq]

If you go around the league and look at the rookie class, did any one that was drafted this year step in and provide that "wow" factor? I'm sure there were some that had really solid years, but there wasn't one rookie on the starting Pro Bowl team and, in fact, the majority seemed to be around the 3rd, 4th or 5th year in the league with some veterans like Polamalu. It's not that easy folks, thinking that Jarvis Jones has somehow peaked as a player is crazy. If he stays healthy, I believe that next year we can expect close to double digit sacks and 5-7 turnovers created, and some passes defensed. NFL scouts do get players wrong in the first round, but not nearly as often as you think. This guy was rated extremely high last year by nearly every team, give him a chance.

Pappy

Great post, Pappy.

For all the posting we see here about how the "complicated" defense holds back young players, there is absolutely no evidence suggesting that rookies are entering the league in other systems and tearing things up, with only a few exceptions. And those exceptions (I'm thinking Alden Smith last year) are typically very high picks.

[sick beats]

That is far from a certainty. He has a high motor but he is lacking in strength and I'm not sure he has the frame to get much bigger. His only rish move right now is to beat an OT around the end. He will need much more than that to be a star.

He also can stunt and go up the middle. Wait until he gets juiced up and he will be a different player.

[sick beats]

Great post, Pappy.

For all the posting we see here about how the "complicated" defense holds back young players, there is absolutely no evidence suggesting that rookies are entering the league in other systems and tearing things up, with only a few exceptions. And those exceptions (I'm thinking Alden Smith last year) are typically very high picks.

Yea, but other teams don't have players from other teams saying things like "We are told we have zero chance of seeing the field no matter what we do, as rookies" either. I find LeBoo's hatred of rookies to be extreme and off target in the modern era of the NFL.

[papillon]

Yea, but other teams don't have players from other teams saying things like "We are told we have zero chance of seeing the field no matter what we do, as rookies" either. I find LeBoo's hatred of rookies to be extreme and off target in the modern era of the NFL.

He doesn't hate rookies and I'd be willing to bet to a man that the defensive players have a greater respect for Dick Lebeau as a coordinator and teacher of the game than we will ever know. What Dick Lebeau does do and it seems to have worked for him for quite some time is insist on players knowing their assignments before they will get significant playing time. Which means that rookies by and large are going to sit and learn the assignments (much to the chagrin of some). Even Ike as recently as 3 or 4 years ago was benched because he was playing poorly and not handling his assignments in the defense. It has absolutely nothing to do with age, that's a perception promoted by those that don't care for Lebeau's style of defense and would like to see him retire.

Lebeau's record speaks for itself over the years. A couple of down years doesn't mean that Lebeau has forgotten how to coach football or that football has passed him by, there are other factors in play that seem to be conveniently overlooked.

Pappy

[SteelCrazy]

JJ needs to gain strength and the good news is he knows it:

PITTSBURGH -- What must happen for Jarvis Jones over the next eight months can be distilled into about as many words -- something the rookie outside linebacker did earlier this week.

“I’ve got to get big and strong, man,” Jones said.

A significant part of the Steelers’ 2014 pass rush depends on it.

Coach Mike Tomlin says players make the most improvement from the first to their second NFL season, and the Steelers especially need for that to happen with Jones given the potential moving parts they have at outside linebacker.

Jason Worilds is going to be an unrestricted free agent. LaMarr Woodley makes too much money relative to his recent production to return at the current rate. He will at least have to accept a pay cut to be back in 2014, and the offseason uncertainty at outside linebacker is such that there is a chance, albeit a remote one, that Jones could be among the most experienced players at his position when the Steelers convene training camp.

Jones didn’t bite when asked about that possibility, and that is because he knows how important this offseason is for him regardless of what happens with Worilds and Woodley, who has a salary-cap hit of $13,6 million in 2014 and is a candidate to get released.

“I’ve got to work harder than I ever did before, physically and mentally,” said Jones, who had just one of the Steeles' 34 sacks this season. “Get in the best shape I’ve ever been and I’ve got to continue to try and learn and grasp this game of football the best way I can.”

Jones is listed at 6-foot-2, 245 pounds, and he said he isn’t as concerned with bulking up as much as he is simply getting stronger. Just as significant for Jones is strengthening his grasp on the defense.

He learned enough to become the first rookie outside linebacker to start for the Steelers since they went to a 3-4 defense in 1982.

But Jones had to cram, like most rookies, and his goal during the offseason will be gaining a better understanding of the nuances of his position.

Perhaps most encouraging about Jones is he has already exhibited plenty of growth.

The former Georgia All-American started eight of the 14 games he played in this season, missing two of them because of a concussion and an illness. He played his best game of the season last Sunday, leading the Steelers with nine tackles in a 20-7 win over the Browns and looking a lot more comfortable at right outside linebacker than he had earlier in the season.

When asked to assess his rookie campaign, Jones said, “I think things went well, could have been a whole lot better for me.”

That last statement is among that reasons why the Steelers are so high on Jones.

He doesn’t assume his success is preordained simply because he is a first-round draft pick – one that the Steelers were elated to make last April.

“There’s nothing given in this league, and I understood that from Day 1,” Jones said. “So whatever you want in this league, you’ve got to go take it.”

[url]http://espn.go.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/post/_/id/4014/jarvis-jones-looking-to-get-big-and-strong[/url]

[BURGH86STEEL]

If you go around the league and look at the rookie class, did any one that was drafted this year step in and provide that "wow" factor? I'm sure there were some that had really solid years, but there wasn't one rookie on the starting Pro Bowl team and, in fact, the majority seemed to be around the 3rd, 4th or 5th year in the league with some veterans like Polamalu. It's not that easy folks, thinking that Jarvis Jones has somehow peaked as a player is crazy. If he stays healthy, I believe that next year we can expect close to double digit sacks and 5-7 turnovers created, and some passes defensed. NFL scouts do get players wrong in the first round, but not nearly as often as you think. This guy was rated extremely high last year by nearly every team, give him a chance.

Pappy

I agree. It basically boils down to fan's unrealistic expectations. I don't think people realize how difficult it is to jump from the college level to the professional level and have success.