Tag: Jack Jones

Jack Jones brings just the kind of energy Raiders want in their DBs

Jack Jones has just the kind of energy Raiders want in DBs

There was a time when many of the league’s best defensive backs were known for being the cockiest players on the field. At the same time, they were often criticized for it. Even though, for many of them, their confidence and competitive spirit were a crucial part of what made them great.

The Raiders seem to have at least one guy like that on their team in Jack Jones. 

“I believe I’m a premier corner already myself,” Jones said this week. “I’m not really worried about what y’all say respectively. I’m not really worried about what y’all say. I just go out there and play ball. My goal this year is to be the number one defense and make the playoffs and go farther in the playoffs than we did last year.”

Despite some solid play by Jones in New England, he was cut by the team midway through last season, seemingly because his attitude wasn’t a fit with his coaches. The moment he became available, his former college and high school coach Antonio Pierce – who happened to have replaced a former Patriots coach in Josh McDaniels – scooped him up.

Jones quickly stepped in and took the starting cornerback spot from the tackle-allergic Marcus Peters. And Jones has been thriving ever since with no sign he is anything but a perfect fit with the new energy.

The offseason brought another former player into the Raiders’ coaching ranks, with Ricky Manning Jr. taking over as cornerbacks coach. Manning played six seasons in the NFL and in that time became known for his on-field confidence. So you can bet he appreciates it when he sees it.

“Jack, man. Jack’s a character,” Manning said of Jones. “Everybody loves him. He’s a good character guy, he’s hungry. But also, he believes in second chances and being able to be here and have people that care about you. So, I think it’s going to be a big year for him because of those things.”

Manning came over from the Jets, where he worked with 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowler Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. And you simply won’t find a more confident player than a guy who refers to himself as Sauce. He backed it up, though. Manning wants his new cornerback room to embody that too. Guys like Jones and Nate Hobbs bring that swagger every day.

“You know, we just hotheads, we think we the best and we smooth. It’s OK, it’s what we are,” Manning said of the cornerback room. 

“I want those guys to believe that they’re the baddest in the world. And those two believe that, and they’ll let you know. And that’s just a start, so now you got to go out there and do it each and every day.”

WATCH: Jack Jones arrival for Raiders offseason workouts is a VIBE

WATCH: Jack Jones arrival for Raiders offseason workouts is a VIBE

There was a new energy the latter half of last season for the Raiders. Everything flipped when Josh McDaniels was fired and Antonio Pierce took over as interim head coach.

The change was led by veteran leaders like Maxx Crosby and Robert Spillane. But they weren’t alone. Joining them as a late season waiver pickup was Jack Jones, who was cut by the Patriots for what was viewed as attitude problems.

Pierce coached Jones in high school and college and was quick to snap him up and within a couple weeks, thrust him into action, replacing Marcus Peters as the starting right corner.

Whatever attitude Jones may have had that rubbed the Patriots wrong, it meshed perfectly with the new vibe in Las Vegas.

And based on Jones’s unbridled enthusiasm upon arrival for the start of Raiders offseason workouts today, he hasn’t lost any of that vibe.

Jones’s arrival is at the :34 mark of the video.

“Yes sir! We back!” Jones said with a laugh while literally jumping and running for the entrance.

This is what one might call downright giddy. You simply won’t see anyone happier than him to be returning to the Raiders facility to start his second season with the team.

Since he was last here, Pierce had the interim tag removed to be named the Raiders head coach. And no question Jones feels like he is right where he belongs, and in a place where he has his best shot at having success in this league.

Jack Jones unleashes on Patriots fans over the weekend in slew of tweets

Jack Jones called out Patriots fans over the weekend

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jack Jones obviously had time over the weekend.

The former New England Patriots defensive back unleashed on Patriots fans in a slew of tweets over the weekend. He criticized the fans for being fair-weather and even used former quarterback Mac Jones as an example.

“One day yall love mac the next day yall hate him.. one day yall love Jacc but the next day im a criminal that walk around wit guns.. raiders nation stand tall thru it all ups and downs from the time I been here fans had nothing but good things to say,” Jones posted on X.

Jack Jones also commented on how he believes Mac Jones looks happier with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He was seemingly referring to a recent video of the former Patriots quarterback opening up about his enjoyment for rapping, which is something he claimed he’s more forthcoming about now that he’s not in New England.

Jack Jones then told angry Patriots fans and reporters to “cry me a river” before shutting down the conversation altogether.

The Patriots waived Jones during the season last November. He was initially benched after reportedly missing curfew and had his snap count reduced significantly.

Last summer, before the start of the season, he was arrested at a security checkpoint at Logan International Airport after allegedly attempting to board a flight with firearms. He was released on $30,000 bail, and the charges were ultimately dropped as part of a plea deal.

Since joining the Raiders and reuniting with his former high school coach, Antonio Pierce, Jones has flashed signs of the same burgeoning playmaker that emerged onto the scene in New England in 2022.

Watch: Antonio Pierce talks how he went to bat for CB Jack Jones to get Raiders to sign him

Antonio Pierce staked his reputation on CB Jack Jones and convinced Raiders brass to sign him

With Josh McDaniels in charge, the Raiders had a swagger problem. They got plenty of it when Antonio Pierce took over as head coach. But he needed all the players on board with that. He had a few who were created their own including Maxx Crosby and Robert Spillane, and was looking for more.

That’s when Jack Jones hit the waiver wire. Pierce had coached Jones in high school and in college. Jones had become known for having some off field issues including getting caught with a firearm in the airport of all places.

So, when he was cut by the Patriots late last season, many teams would shy away from him. But not Pierce. he wanted Jones on his team right away.

Here he talks about how Raiders GM Champ Kelly and owner Mark Davis were hesitant to add Jones, but Pierce staked his reputation on his former player.

 

“As soon as [Jack Jones] hit that wire, and I saw it come across, I ran right upstairs to our interim GM Champ Kelly and said ‘Champ, he can help us,” said Pierce. “He said ‘Oh, AP, I don’t know, he got a lot of baggage.’ I go ‘I know, trust me, I’ve been there for all of them.’ Then I went to Mark Davis ‘I don’t know, AP, ahh. Right now you want to do that?'”

Pierce said he wouldn’t let it go and soon he was insisting the team make this happen. “I said, ‘you know what, I believe in him so much, if we eff this up, get rid of both of us at the end of the season. Because I know what I’m getting with Jack Jones.”

Jones has a coach in Pierce who believes in him. Something we all need at one point or another. Or perhaps more than one point. And Jones, at least over the final seven weeks of the season, justified his coach’s belief in him.

By Week 14, Pierce had had it with Marcus Peters dogging it and giving poor effort on tackling and he yanked him in favor of Jones. And Jones immediately paid dividends with a pick six and another one the following week.

He fit right in with the energy Pierce was trying to get from his group. Or as Pierce put it “Our swag level went out the roof when we put him in our secondary.”

As if now, Jones is the favorite to be the outside starter entering his third season. And Pierce enters his first season as the full time head coach. The gambit paid off for both of them.

Patriots’ 7 most disappointing players in 2023

Here are the Patriots’ seven most disappointing players in 2023.

There is enough blame to go around for the New England Patriots’ failures in 2023. So it wouldn’t be fair to point the finger at one or two people for the team’s worst season in the Bill Belichick era.

With that said, there were multiple players that failed to live up to expectations in a year when the team desperately needed a turnaround to rid themselves of the stench from the 2022 season.

Unfortunately, things didn’t get better for the Patriots. They got much worse, despite clear efforts to turn things around.

The team sunk to 4-13 on the year and finished dead last in the AFC East division. Belichick’s 24-year run as head coach came to an end, and the team is now on the journey to rebuild with a new regime in place.

Here are the seven most disappointing players for the Patriots in 2023:

Raiders CB Jack Jones takes jab at Patriots organization

Jack Jones praises the Raiders and calls out the Patriots organization in a social media post

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jack Jones, who was released by the New England Patriots during the 2023 season, praised his current team on Thursday night, while also taking a not-so-subtle shot at his former organization.

Jones was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft. He looked to be a promising player on the field, but off-the-field issues marred his tenure in New England. He was waived by the Patriots on November 13.

He has had success in his limited time with the Raiders. He tallied two interceptions with the organization, both of which were returned for touchdowns.

It’s clear that Jones has no regrets about no longer being a member of the Patriots organization. The Patriots still have promising young talent at the cornerback position, and Jones played his best football of the season in Las Vegas.

Perhaps both sides are better off from the break-up.

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No more striking example of Antonio Pierce impact on Raiders than Malcolm Koonce emergence

No more striking example of Antonio Pierce impact on Raiders than Malcolm Koonce emergence

Two months ago Malcolm Koonce was not in a great place. The former third round pick was entering the latter half of his third NFL season seemingly going nowhere fast. Spinning his wheels.

Over 25 games — a season and a half — with Josh McDaniels as head coach, Koonce had not notched a single sack. He looked closer to being on the roster bubble than the starting lineup.

That all changed in an instant when Antonio Pierce took over as head coach. The first game under Pierce, Koonce has a career game, not only notching his first sack since 2021, but adding a career-best four tackles. And he did this without seeing his snap count go up from the first eight games of the season.

This wasn’t a one-off either. Each week it was another career best for Koonce. The following week he had another sack, a career-best two QB hits, and his first every forced fumble.

Five games into the AP era, Koonce had already matched or surpassed his entire career totals in sacks (2.0) and QB hits (six). Again, while not seeing his snaps counts jump up from earlier in the season.

Koonce would add six more sacks (!) over the final four games to finish with eight sacks — all in the nine games under Pierce as head coach — while adding 14 QB hits and three forced fumbles.

I asked Koonce whether Pierce had anything to do with his sudden development.

“He definitely had something to do with it,” Koonce said of Pierce. “The whole atmosphere of practice changed, the overall be yourself and just play how you play.”

“It definitely is a whole different vibe. It feels way more enjoyable to be here. Kind of don’t want to leave the locker room.”

Several Raiders players have talked about how much Pierce allowing them to be themselves on the field helped them to play better and made the game more fun. For Koonce it was a boost of confidence that did the trick.

“I’m definitely more confident now. Not thinking so much,” Koonce continued. “My first two years, every play I was hyper focused on everything. I think that’s what messed me up.”

This is a stark contrast to Josh McDaniels who was seen at practice ripping into Koonce for daring to get near the quarterback on a rollout. Kinda hard to be your best when your success is admonished rather than praised.

In many cases, players just respond better to certain coaches. And you could say that for this instance, but Koonce isn’t an isolated situation. Several other players on the Raiders have had similar experiences.

Let’s take three players in particular — Koonce, Maxx Crosby, and Jack Jones. Three players who are all in very different places in their careers and their development.

Crosby is an established veteran who has succeeded under four different coaches in his five seasons with the Raiders. Even still, he put up 9.5 of his 14.5 sacks this seasons in the final nine games under Pierce.

Jones is a clearly talented player just joined the Raiders midseason after being cut by the Patriots in just his second season for alleged attitude problems. He had two pick-sixes and four pass breakups in the last five games.

And Koonce was struggling to develop over his first 2.5 seasons in the NFL only to breakout in a big way over the last nine games.

All three are saying the same thing, with Crosby being the most vocal, because, well, he’s a vocal guy, but also because he’s the star of this team and he’s earned it.

For Jones it’s clearly about Pierce’s ability to channel his attitude to the playing field. Which is vintage Raiders to take players who other teams have dumped for being ‘misfits’ or having ‘attitude problems’ and putting them in the right environment where they can thrive being themselves.

Koonce is a soft spoken guy. Very different from Crosby and Jones or Antonio Pierce. And yet Koonce’s turnaround on the field perfectly encapsulates the overall impact Pierce had on this Raiders squad.

Pierce may or may not have his interim tag removed and take over as Raiders head coach. There are other strong candidates out there. But the effect Pierce has had on these players and this team is undeniable.

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 18 win over Broncos

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 18 win over Broncos

For the fourth straight season, the Raiders complete the sweep of the Broncos. That’s right, the Las Vegas Raiders have never lost to the Broncos.

Raiders players, fans make their case for Antonio Pierce to keep job after strong finish to season

Raiders players, fans make their case for Antonio Pierce to keep job after strong finish to season

Antonio Pierce made it clear he had no intention of his team giving anything less than everything they had in the season finale. Even with nothing to play for but pride.

They never trailed in the game. They scored first and never looked back.

As the clock ticked away on their 27-14 win over the Broncos, the scene was electric at Allegiant Stadium. The crowd began to chant “AP! AP! AP!” and Pierce gave them love right back on his way off the field.

“I wanted to show them how much I appreciated them. Love ’em up because I may not be here next year.”

Several Raiders veterans said it was like nothing they’ve ever seen before.

“You hear the fans, you hear the crowd and the way they respond to it and it’s clear that he’s changed the culture. Definitely deserves it,” said Davante Adams .

“That’s the first time I’ve seen that. I’ve heard them boo coaches before, but I’ve never heard it like that before.”

Pierce was a shot of adrenaline for a Raiders squad that was lost under previous head coach Josh McDaniels. He was given the last nine games to show what he could do. The fans have seen enough; they want him to keep the job. The players have experienced it firsthand and they all feel the same.

“He changed our team,” said Josh Jacobs. “I know at the end he may not always look like it on the stat sheet, but in the locker room, the mentality, the feel, the love, the joy, he changed all that.”

“He embodies what it means to be a Raider,” Davante Adams added. “He’s got that same swagger, that aura. The way he talks, the way he’s done it, all of the things that represent being a Raider, he’s the guy.”

Adams added that this is the best morale of any team he’s been on, which is saying a lot considering they finished with an 8-9 record and out of the playoffs.

“It’s AP. Him being himself,” said Jack Jones. “He has that ‘it’ factor to bring that out of players, so I just give all the credit to him.”

Jones was picked up midseason and has played under Pierce at every level from high school to college to now in the pros.

But Maxx Crosby has played well no matter who is the head coach. And no one has been more outspoken about wanting Pierce to have the interim label come off than him. Because under Pierce was the first time he saw a coach who can come close to his passion and brought up the rest of the team with him.

“We’ve just built something beautiful in a short period of time and for us we want to keep riding that momentum not start from ground zero again,” said Crosby. “We’ve been doing that s–t for five years and it’s been the same result, so they need to make the right decision and do what we need to do.”

No one really knows at this point if Pierce will be the guy going forward. Especially with the rumors that Mark Davis is making a play to lure Jim Harbaugh away from Michigan and to Las Vegas.

Will this game change anything? Will the chants from the fans? The words of the players? Only Davis knows that now.

Report: CB Jack Jones ‘blew up’ on Patriots assistant after benching

Former Patriots CB Jack Jones reportedly “blew up” on assistant coach in Week 10 loss to the Colts

Former New England Patriots cornerback Jack Jones reportedly “blew up” during halftime of New England’s game against the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, according to a report from the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed.

Per Callahan and Kyed, Jones was upset with position coach Mike Pellegrino about not starting in the game, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Zack Cox. Jones was reportedly benched at the time for missing curfew the week prior. He was also benched one quarter into the team’s game against the Washington Commanders.

His tenure in New England would not last much longer following these incidents. He was waived the day after the Colts game on November 13. He was then picked up by the Las Vegas Raiders the following day.

When asked about the incidents by the media, Jones did not comment on the situation.

Since joining the Raiders, he has quickly made an impact, returning interceptions for touchdowns in back-to-back games in Weeks 15 and 16. If anything, this is just another example of the multiple layers of dysfunction the Patriots suffered in the 2023 season.

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