What made former Houston Texans wide receiver Jacoby Jones get into coaching?
Money wasn’t the backing. Neither is the fame since he’s already got a Lombardi Trophy and an iconic play that will live on in league history beyond 2024.
No, for Jones, the newest head coach of the National Arena League Beaumont Renegades, coaching is something he’s coveted for years. Much like Texans’ coach and breakout play-caller DeMeco Ryans, it’s in his DNA.
And given the age gap between him and his players, there’s a sense of relatability between the two sides.
“They’re grown men,” Jones told Texans Wire earlier this month. “They have to hold themselves accountable and I have to hold myself accountable. We give each other respect. I’m going to let them play ball and not try to put them on a hanger.”
Ryans, one of the essential factors in helping Houston’s turnaround last season from the league’s laughing stock into a legitimate AFC contender, has time on his side. He’s less than a decade removed from playing the game and only spent one season in retirement mode before getting into coaching.
Countless players, including newly signed linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, have credited Ryans’ demeanor and reliability to his timeline in retirement. Jones, who haul in his last played for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015, offers a similar sentiment.
He also believes that the on-field play is only a fraction of what defines success for a player’s persona in the league.
“It’s what you do behind closed doors when nobody’s watching you. What are you doing? When are you in here watching the film? Stuff like that,” said Jones. “The little things will take you far and beyond the norm. That’s what most people don’t understand. It’s the little things.
Little things aren’t necessarily waking up at 5 a.m. for workouts or spending a few extra hours in the gym. It’s stepping up to contribute on special teams. It’s finding a role in the huddle as a niche player.
Jones, a former third-round pick out of Lane College, wasn’t just a No. 3 receiver in Gary Kubiak’s offense. He returned punts, averaging nearly 10 yards a return.
He served as Houston’s kickoff lead en route to the franchise’s first postseason win over Cincinnati in 2011. Two years later, he made Super Bowl history with a 108-yard touchdown for the longest play in league history.
Joe Flacco won the MVP, but fans still talk about No. 12 running down the sideline to extend the Ravens’ lead by 22 points. It was the little things that stood out to John Harbaugh.
It’s the little things that matter to Ryans when building a roster.
It’s the little things that matter to Jones as a coach, and the small details are a reason why he can envision a title returning to NRG Stadium within five years.
“Right now? I can see them making the AFC Championship,” Jones said of the upcoming season. “Kansas City, they’ve had it already. I feel like it’s going to be the Ravens and the Texans fighting for the AFC Championship.”