Julius Jones likes the Seattle Seahawks. He had the best night of his young pro career in Seattle four years ago. Now he's signing with the team he helped torch.
Jones has just signed with the Seattle Seahawks. It’s a four-year deal for about $3 million a year. This move says more about how the Seahawks feel about Shaun Alexander than anything else. This was a foregone conclusion on our end. We have only so much money under the cap. Just wasn't in the cards with the emergence of MB3.
Sometimes I wish I had a De Loerean, a flux capacitor and 1.21 gigawatts of power so I could go back in time. The 2004 Tuna Helper would’ve never seen this coming. The 2004 Tuna Helper knew Jones was the next. Next in line to Dorsett and Emmitt. Next in line for the Ring of Honor. Next in line to Curtis Martin as a great player who Billy P would transform into a Hall-of-Fame player. How could we ever let go of this?
Jones had vision and speed. He was a good guy. A solid NFL citizen. He came from a hardworking family. He got into a good school. Nothing was ever given to him. He worked hard and it paid off. He was the epitome of everything the new Cowboys stood for. Talented, young, smart and hungry. The anti-thug.
But the 2008 Tuna Helper saw this move coming. We all did. The 2008 Tuna Helper is a MB3 fanatic. While the 2004 Tuna Helper wondered why we had plays that didn’t involve Jones, the 2008 Tuna Helper wondered why Jones was in the game at all.
As rich as Jerry Jones is he can’t pay everybody. And he certainly was not going to pay someone who couldn’t even keep his job. Every girl looks good at 2 a.m. when you’re drunk and a little lonely. Free agency is the ultimate pick-up bar and you could do worse than Jones. He’s got three years of more than 800 yards. He’s got top-notch speed. He’s a team guy and he’s not afraid to put a linebacker on his rump for his quarterback.
Good luck and godspeed to Jones. Who would’ve known that those eight games in 2004 would be the highlight of his career in Dallas? The Thanksgiving Chicago game. The epic Monday Night Game against the Seahawks. How ironic is that? He’s going to the team he ran circles around that night.
Hat tip for Deke for posting the diary about the Jones signing here.
Tom Orsborn says we should draft Desean Jackson. Alright. I'll bite. I'm interested.
It's what I like to call a homer piece because it's basically a one-source story. He talks to Gil Brandt who thinks he's something special and his opinion dominates the article. Not a bad endorsement though. Brandt is definitely someone who knows what he's talking about. Oh yeah. He also talks to Jackson's coach. So let's just say both give him rave reviews.
Dallas needs a receiver that can stretch the field, and Jackson has that ability in abundance. In Indianapolis, he ran a blistering 4.35-second 40. But that's no surprise to those who watched Jackson electrify the Pac-10 the last three seasons.
"There are times when you see him catch a ball and split people and you just shake your head," Cal coach Jeff Tedford told USA Today last year. "He’s playing at a different speed than everybody else."
That was particularly evident when Jackson returned punts for the Golden Bears. He took back six for touchdowns, a school and Pac-10 record that's two shy of the NCAA mark of eight scores shared by Texas Tech's Wes Welker (2000-2003) and Oklahoma's Antonio Perkins (2001-2004).
Gil Brandt gushes over Jackson's speed while Orsborn lists his collegiate accomplishments. Key quote.
"As a punt returner, he's Hesteresque," Brandt says.
That's Hesteresque as in the Bears' Devin Hester, whose seven career punt returns for TDs in two seasons are six more than the Cowboys have had in the past six seasons.
As a sophomore, Jackson led the nation with 18.2 yards per punt return, earning him All-America honors and making him a YouTube favorite.
He's a burner. Just check here. He's kinda small at 6 feet. He's also a little light in the pants at 169 but I'll take him if he's available in the later rounds. Maybe the second or third. He'd be a great addition if we've already drafted Felix Jones and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from the first round. Doubt it will happen but I'm game if it does. Jackson was a big-game guy at Cal. Being here on the West Coast I got to see some of his games. He's an electric returner and he seemed to have pretty decent hands.
Of course you could insert the name Teddy Ginn Jr. into this story last year and I would've said the same thing.