courtesy of The Denver Post
As I sat here today, tossing column ideas back and forth in my mind like a game of hot potato, nothing seemed to grab me. I couldn’t land on one particular topic or a unique angle to commit to. But then, like a pink-slip shaped gift from the Ravens brass, news broke of the release of Jacoby Jones. Don’t get me wrong; I’m sad to see Jacoby leave. His personality was typically a breath of fresh air a midst the thick smog that hung over many NFL locker rooms the past several years. The reason for my interest however, was that a question popped into my head immediately upon hearing the news: how will Jacoby Jones be remembered for his time in Baltimore?
Jones came to Ravens from Houston in 2012; so while his tenure may have been fairly short, he spent more than a cup of coffee in the purple in black. It will be easy to go back and look at his stat lines over the course of his three full seasons in Baltimore and make judgments about his role and his production. However, before you pull up his playercard on ESPN or NFL.com, think for a moment about how you’ll remember his time here. For me, Jacoby Jones will always be remembered in moments; not in years. In plays; not games.
It will be impossible for Ravens fans to recall the team’s 2012 Super Bowl season without thinking about Jacoby. It would be equally as daunting to recall any particular game during that season and adequately break down his performance over 60 minutes of football. This is because despite his boisterous persona off the field, Jones had a tendency to disappear during games. Whether by design or lack of execution Jones’ speed was rarely used in the passing game during his entire career with the Ravens, as he tallied just 76 receptions in 44 regular season games. He was, however, the headliner of a solid return game for Baltimore; recording at least 1 kick or punt return TD in each season.
These statistics are underwhelming, there is no getting around that. But they’re also not surprising either. In his entire career, Jones has only posted one season with over 50 catches and two with over 500 yards. What Jones brought to the table was not his ability to run routes and rack up catches; but rather his knack for making “the big play”. In the 2012 playoffs, that knack was on display for the world to see on more than one occasion.
In the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs that year, the Ravens traveled to Denver and gave Peyton Manning and the Broncos all they could handle. Even so, they still found themselves down late in the 4th quarter with nothing left in the playbook but a Joe Flacco hail mary. It was the moment that Ravens fans all started to believe that something special was happening and it was a moment owned by Jacoby Jones. If Jones doesn’t make that catch; I’m probably not writing this article today. Three weeks later, on the biggest stage in sports, he did it again; twice. Jones had one catch in the Super Bowl and it went for 56 yards and a TD. He added to his stat line that day with a 108 yard kickoff return TD that opened the second half. If not for the otherworldly play of Joe Flacco during that year’s playoff run, we might be referring to the Dancing with the Stars contestant as Jacoby Jones; Super Bowl MVP.
That sums up the three year Ravens’ career of Jacoby Jones. Moments of magic dotting the otherwise pedestrian landscape of a veteran wide receiver. But that’s not a bad thing. It is those moments that Ravens fans will remember and it is those moments that will become his legacy now that he’s gone. Jacoby Jones did not come to Baltimore to become a #1 wide receiver and he isn’t leaving here that way either. But in between, he provided memories that won’t soon be forgotten and for that, all Ravens fans should be thankful. I certainly am.
