Jones Wants To Put It Together In Third Year
OXNARD, Calif. - Bill Parcells has established a popular credo about third-year players during his time as Cowboys head coach.
In most cases, those third-year guys are fringe players simply fighting to keep a roster spot. After two years, Parcells wants to see tangible proof that they will develop into reliable contributors.
The expectations are a bit higher for Julius Jones, however.
In two seasons, Jones has walked a not-so-thin line between cusp-of-stardom and injury-prone. The perception of his football ceiling has wafted back and forth like the cool Oxnard breeze.
This time last year, Jones proclaimed goals of 1,700 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in 2005 following a brilliant second half in his rookie season, when he returned from a fractured shoulder blade to gain 803 yards in the final seven games.
But a high ankle sprain sidelined Jones for three games and parts of another last season. He appeared to lack his trademark home-run burst when he returned for the last eight games, yet still finished with 993 yards and five touchdowns.
"No, no, I'm not doing that this year," Jones said when asked for a statistical prediction this year. "Sixteen - that's my number. I want to play 16 games."
Injuries have prevented Jones from reaching the 1,000-yard mark in each of his first two seasons. Now healthy once again, he still has high expectations for himself.
"If you're asking me individually, it's a big year for me," he said. "Coach Parcells likes to see what his players can do in their third year. He gives you three years to prove something, and I've still got something to prove."
But just how much does Jones need to prove?
"Everything," the 24-year-old back said. "That I can stay on the field, that I can be an all-down back. I've got that to prove every year, and that's how I'm going to go about it."
Parcells knows Jones can change a game's tone with his speed and quickness. Parcells needs him on the field for 16 games this season, but not necessarily as an every-down back.
"I just hope I see an improved player, a guy that has a little bit better sense of timing and what we're doing," Parcells said of Jones. "He's a well-conditioned athlete. He trains very hard. We have a little depth at that position now, I think, so we ought to not be totally reliant on one back or one player to play the spot. But I'm hoping he can be a key guy for us in that respect."
Parcells now has another productive runner in second-year veteran Marion Barber, whose physical style and versatility offers a nice complement to Jones. As a rookie last year, Barber started two games in Jones' place and finished the season with 538 rushing yards (3.9 avg.) and five touchdowns. He also was the Cowboys' best blocking back.
Barber had a smoother transition to the NFL than most running backs because of his football pedigree. His father, Marion Barber, Jr., played running back for 10 years with the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets.
Parcells said he wants to increase the younger Barber's role this season, particularly as a third-down weapon. But he isn't sure how he'll balance carries between Jones and Barber yet.
"I think we're going to bring the best out of each other," Jones said of Barber. "You always have competition. That's with every position. So it's not a big deal. He's doing his thing and I'm doing mine. I think we'll make each other better."
Parcells endorses the two-back system, which has become popular in college programs and eventually has seeped into the NFL's offensive framework.
"It's not because you wouldn't prefer it," Parcells said of using an every-down back, "but I don't think the colleges are producing those guys on a consistent basis anymore. I think it's a little different era than the Earl Campbell days."
Parcells also is hopeful Tyson Thompson can become more reliable in his second season. Unlike Barber, who was NFL-ready when he arrived at Valley Ranch, Thompson entered the league with one year of Division I experience at San Jose State. Second-year veteran Lousaka Polite also could get some carries in a hybrid running back/fullback role providing he makes the team since the fullback position is being de-emphasized.
But most of the touches will go to Jones and Barber. The addition of wide receiver Terrell Owens should draw more double teams in the secondary, allowing both to find some running room.
Parcells just doesn't want either to get overloaded. A two-back system conceivably would help both players' longevity.
"At 205 or 207 pounds, playing running back in the NFL is a very hazardous occupation," Parcells said. "You get tackled 30 times a game and then you've got to block another 20, that's a lot of collisions for a 205-pound back with the size of the guys that are playing now."
Parcells says he doesn't believe Jones is injury-prone. He branded Jones' shoulder injury in 2004 as "bad luck," though last year's ankle injury lingered throughout the season and really didn't heal fully until a month or two afterward, Jones admitted this spring.
But after pondering the "injury-prone" question in Saturday's news conference, the head coach added, "We'll see." Clearly, Parcells wants to see it on the field, just like the credo says.
Jones is ready to prove it to him.
"Just need to have some good luck," he said. "I hadn't a lot of luck the last two years - staying healthy. That's really all I can ask for. I've been working hard.
"I just have to stay on the field."
