New Giants wide receiver James Jones excited by Giants' talented group
New York Giants wide receiver James Jones speaks to the media during training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, NJ, on Saturday, Aug 1, 2015. Credit: Brad Penner
James Jones has been in locker rooms filled with talented wide receivers before.
"I come from Green Bay where we had Donald Driver, we had James Jones, we had Jordy Nelson, we had Randall Cobb, we had Greg Jennings, and also we had Jermichael Finley," he said. "All in the same offense."
On Friday, after signing a one-year deal with the Giants, he walked into a room that included Victor Cruz and Odell Beckham Jr. -- two of the NFL's biggest stars -- and joined an offense that also includes Rueben Randle plus a cadre of running backs and tight ends who are expected to make an impact in 2015. He knows what can happen with groups like that.
"When I look in a room like that, I get excited," Jones said Saturday before his first practice with his new team. "When you put a bunch of receivers in a room like we have, it's tough to stop. I've been a part of offenses like that where defenses have big problems stopping a lot of weapons, especially when we are rolling them in and out. When I look in the room, I'm excited. A lot of talented guys in there. It's going to be a tough offense to stop."
Jones is unlikely to be the focal point of that offense, but he should be able to contribute -- just as he did in Green Bay, where the Packers were perennially among the most explosive groups in the league and won a Super Bowl title.
"We all were involved," he said of his Packers days. "Yeah, some people caught more balls than others, but we all had a chance to make some plays."
His addition adds to an already impressive depth chart at receiver for the Giants. Besides the top three names, they have Corey Washington, Preston Parker, Dwayne Harris and rookie Geremy Davis competing for reps and, eventually, roster spots.
But the Giants know how precarious that kind of preseason situation can be. Last year their secondary appeared stacked at this point in the summer with what some were calling the best trio of cornerbacks in the NFL. None of them made it through the season healthy and only one was active by the end of the year.
That's why Washington -- one of the players whose roster spot and playing time have been jeopardized because of Jones' signing -- agreed that a team cannot have too many options at this point in the season.
"I try not to worry too much about that," he said of his own interests. "More toys for Eli."
One of the main reasons Jones signed with the Giants was his familiarity with the playbook. It's very similar in design and language to what the Packers ran -- no surprise, given that offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo came from Green Bay last year. Jones also had a close relationship with McAdoo when they were working together.
"I felt like I could come here and help this team be successful," Jones said. "It's a real comfortable offense for receivers. There's really not a lot of thinking, it's just going out there playing."And that's what Jones expects to do right away. He took the practice field Saturday without having to go through much of a learning curve.
Jones downplayed his own expectations with his new team. Other than proclaiming himself in "perfect" health, he said he just wants to "compete" and "have fun" in what will be his ninth NFL season.
Asked what he has left, a question all veterans of a certain age must face, he said he does not know but will not put any limits on himself.
He has a ring. He's been to the pinnacle of the sport. He's been part of a dominant offense.
Now he's a Giant. And he is trying to do all of that again.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
