I've been meaning to post about this for a few weeks now. Steve Campbell wrote an article in late May that put into print the gist of what I'm wondering about The Pride of Lane College. Namely, are we going to see production in 2008 similar to that which made him the darling of the 2007 preseason? Or am I going to be uttering something akin to what I said after the second game against Indy more often than not:
No more pressure, Jacoby. We're done mentioning you until you show a glimpse of your preseason production.
Admittedly looking at the situation through battle red colored glasses, I'm tremendously encouraged by the following snippets from Campbell's article (then again, what would you expect him to say?):
"I'm getting back to that old feeling," Jones said. "I'm getting my old swagger back."
"Jacoby's made a huge step," Schaub said. "He's more mature. Last year, his head was spinning a little bit, like any rookie's would be, but he's really on top of his stuff, and he's catching the ball. He's confident in what he's doing and having a great camp."
While I can't condone every bit of Jacoby's off-the-field judgment this offseason, it's a relief to read that he's owning his conduct:
"It was a simple mistake," Jones said. "I made a mistake; I learned from it. I messed up once in the past, and I'm going to do better in the future. With everything. Learning the playbook. Being a better human being. Period."
And most importantly, this:
"I'm so ready for camp to be here," Jones said. "The faster camp goes, the faster the games will be here.
Kool-Aid aside, what's a reasonable expectation for Jacoby Jones in 2008? Fact is, he's going to have to show the coaches that he's progressed to a point that merits time at WR instead of just in the return game. And that, my friends, is going to be tough. WR is one of the, if not the, deepest depth chart(s) on the squad. Of course, it's not completely illogical to think that the talent Jacoby flashed throughout the last preseason, as well as a handful of moments during the 2007 regular season, may well lead to Kubes finding ways to get him on the field (e.g., four (4) wideout sets)."I am ready to play. I'm really hungry now."
But first things first: Jacoby is going to have to earn that time, and another spectacular preseason likely won't be enough to cut it this year. So I ask you, BRB...what do you think we're going to get out of Jacoby Jones in 2008?