Tag: Ricky Manning Jr

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.”

Raiders CB coach calls nickel Nate Hobbs ‘key to unlock our defense’

Nate Hobbs ‘key to unlock [Raiders] defense’ according to his CB coach.

One of the hardest and perhaps most underrated positions in football is that of nickel cornerback. They typically line up in the slot and are responsible for covering the slot receiver as well as any other receiver who comes over the middle.

For a number of years the Raiders struggled to find a cornerback who could handle those duties. That was until they drafted Nate Hobbs. And since then he has proven to be invaluable in that role.

At times over the past two seasons, he’s also been asked to play the boundary. Mostly this was for lack of overall talent at the cornerback position. Which only serves to prove how valuable he has been to this defense.

“Nate is the key to unlock our defense,” said cornerbacks coach Ricky Manning Jr. “That nickel spot is very special. That star spot is very special. Being able to play inside and outside is a unique characteristic to have. Just like Michael Carter with the Jets last year, a pivotal piece of that defense, that’s what Nate Hobbs is. That’s what the star position has become. He’s the key to unlock our defense and he’s great at it. He’s going to continue to ascend and with his growth our defense grows. And it allows PG [Patrick Graham] our coordinator to call certain things because he can trust that Nate can get it done and get it communicated to everybody and we can work well together.”

Hobbs is entering his fourth season in the NFL. He came on strong from his first game as a rookie as the answer in the slot. His second season, he took a step back, in part due to injury, but also because they relied on him so heavily, that he played much of his snaps on the outside.

Last season, he was back in the slot the bulk of the time and led to career highs in pass breakups (7), tackles (86), and tackles for loss (six). The latter two led all Raiders defensive backs.

Ricky Manning Jr. joins Raiders as cornerbacks coach

Ricky Manning Jr joins Raiders as cornerbacks coach

While we await the filling out of the offensive staff for the Raiders, the defensive staff is mostly still intact. And today added a position coach.

Today reports have the Raiders bringing on Ricky Manning Jr as their new cornerbacks coach.

Like head coach Antonio Pierce, Manning is a former NFL player. The UCLA alum was a third round pick by the Panthers in 2003 and played six NFL seasons for the Panthers, Bears, and Rams.

Manning also spent the 2009 offseason with the Raiders which was his final NFL stop.

Manning broke into the NFL as a coach with the Seahawks in 2016. He spent two years in Seattle, then seven years with the Jets, all as an assistant DB coach. Which means if the report is correct, this is Manning’s first shot at being a CB coach.