Taiwan Jones, the Hitman’s Heir Apparent?

[JetNation]

By Glenn Naughton

 

New York Jets inside linebacker David Harris is preparing to enter his 10th pro season with the only team he’s ever known.  A second round pick (47th overall) for Gang Green in the 2007 draft, Harris has amassed over 1,000 career tackles in a career that has seen him start every Jets game since 2009.

With so much wear and tear on the tread, Jets fans can’t help but wonder how much longer he’ll be making the calls in the middle of the defense while simultaneously peeking at the Jets roster for his possible replacement.

It could be that his replacement is still a sophomore or junior in college.  It’s also possible that it’s a younger player being groomed for the role even sooner than that.  If so, the logical name wold be Taiwan Jones.

An undrafted free agent out of Michigan State, Jones spent the majority of last season on the Jets practice squad before being added to the 53-man roster later in the season.  He didn’t see much playing time, but judging by how the Jets have addressed the position since last season, Jones may get the first crack at replacing Harris.

Jones made a strong impression on Jets coaches in 2015.

Yes, the Jets did use their 2016 first-round pick on an inside linebacker when they chose Ohio State product Darron Lee, but the athletic Lee will likely be deployed in a multitude of roles as his size (6′ 1” 232) prevents him from replacing Harris who is the “thumper”  in the Jets’ front-seven.

As productive as Jones was at Michigan State  (183 tackles, 25.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks), it was likely stunted by having him switch from outside linebacker to inside linebacker where his weight fluctuated along with his assignments.  Even still, NFL.com had jones pegged as a mid-to-late round pick but his name wasn’t called during the draft, so the Jets inked him almost immediately after.

In significant pre-season action, Jones was one of the team’s top tacklers including this big hit against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium.

Significantly bigger than Lee the 6′ 3” 252 lbs, Jones welcomes the opportunity to blow up offensive lineman and does a solid job of shedding blocks to get to the ball carrier.

He’ll have another pre-season to put those traits on display to further his opportunities with the Jets because Harris, like every player before him, can’t keep going forever.  Eventually, somebody is going to have to fill his shoes one day.  With a bit of good fortune, Jones will be that somebody.

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[Jetdawgg]

I will root for TJ. Big hitter.

[joewilly12]

Lets hope so our LB crew looks to be badass with identity something you must have in the NFL

[AFJF]

11 minutes ago, Jetdawgg said:

I will root for TJ. Big hitter.

Big hitter indeed.  NFL.com scouting report said something along the lines of "Hulk Smash" linebacker.  Definitely not as athletic as Lee, but somebody has to be the enforcer in the middle.  How nice would it be for the Jets to finally hit on a few UDFA's who aren't limited to ST's?

 

[Jetdawgg]

1 hour ago, AFJF said:

Big hitter indeed.  NFL.com scouting report said something along the lines of "Hulk Smash" linebacker.  Definitely not as athletic as Lee, but somebody has to be the enforcer in the middle.  How nice would it be for the Jets to finally hit on a few UDFA's who aren't limited to ST's?

 

That will make this D meaner. I am looking for Bishop to make some noise too. 

[Villain The Foe]

1 hour ago, Jetdawgg said:

I will root for TJ. Big hitter.

Yeah, that big hitter comment may be an understatement. Seen this dude clean up a guy last preseason. 

[TuscanyTile2]

Every year we hear about our great D but the Pats still put up 30 on us.  Normally we have one unit (e.g. LBs) that is deficient but hopefully this year we've finally plugged the holes.  

[AFJF]

Just now, Jetdawgg said:

That will make this D meaner. I am looking for Bishop to make some noise too. 

Rooting for the guy, but not feeling great about his chances.  Rare for these CFL guys to pan out.  He wasn't very productive in college and his 40-time is pretty slow with great strenght, more in line with what you'd expect from a Calvin Pace-type of LBer.

[Jetdawgg]

1 minute ago, TuscanyTile2 said:

Every year we hear about our great D but the Pats still put up 30 on us.  Normally we have one unit (e.g. LBs) that is deficient but hopefully this year we've finally plugged the holes.  

ST and poor offensive play contributed to that a great deal

[TuscanyTile2]

1 minute ago, Jetdawgg said:

ST and poor offensive play contributed to that a great deal

True but I feel like at the end of the game when we need a game-saving stop, oftentimes teams go right down the field on our D.  Maybe I'm wrong on this (or maybe it just happens to every team) but that's what it seemed liked to me.  There's no shame when it's Brady or Aaron Rodgers, etc but that just means we're not a truly dominant D.  Because the great QBs are the ones you need to beat if we want to live by our D.

 

 

[Jetdawgg]

23 minutes ago, TuscanyTile2 said:

 

17 minutes ago, TuscanyTile2 said:

True but I feel like at the end of the game when we need a game-saving stop, oftentimes teams go right down the field on our D.  Maybe I'm wrong on this (or maybe it just happens to every team) but that's what it seemed liked to me.  There's no shame when it's Brady or Aaron Rodgers, etc but that just means we're not a truly dominant D.  Because the great QBs are the ones you need to beat if we want to live by our D.

 

 

Last season it was the slow LB play and the ST. Look at the Buffalo games. Could not stop the run as the LB were a step away constantly and the Rex kept going underneath in the second game. Lee should help here but they don't put too many stories on how Lee can help win games for the Jets.

Too many times there are stories about players who are not even part of the NFL and may not have a future here.

 

my bad on the quoting here

[jetstream23]

Lorenzo Mauldin, Darron Lee, Jordon Jenkins, Taiwan Jones....the Jets have certainly tried to infuse some youth into that once-aging LB corps.  It's not like they're sitting idle but we really need these guys to find their ideal positions and gel as a unit.  I'm optimistic but there will be growing pains.

[JetBlue]

16 hours ago, AFJF said:

Rooting for the guy, but not feeling great about his chances.  Rare for these CFL guys to pan out.  He wasn't very productive in college and his 40-time is pretty slow with great strenght, more in line with what you'd expect from a Calvin Pace-type of LBer.

Been hearing alot of positives about another UDFA lb from last year, Deon Barnes.  He plays on the outside like Bishop; I can't see both of them making the roster.  Bishop could be the odd man out.

[Mainejet]

20 hours ago, JetNation said:

Yes, the Jets did use their 2016 first-round pick on an inside linebacker when they chose Ohio State product Darron Lee, but the athletic Lee will likely be deployed in a multitude of roles as his size (6′ 1” 232) prevents him from replacing Harris who is the “thumper”  in the Jets’ front-seven.

Just another limitation of Mac's genius solution at linebacker. Trust me, there will be may more to come. This is just a blown pick, we could have just as easily trained another big Safety to do what the CS has planned for Darron Lee. A complete waste of time and the beginning of the end of the Jets front office.

Note to Woody Johnson:

Start looking at replacements for the current front office.

[TJ]

20 hours ago, Jetdawgg said:

I will root for TJ. Big hitter.

Thanks,  Jet Dawgg.  I'm rooting for you as well. ? 

[Klecko73isGod]

Please, if you're gonna use David Harris' nickname, be respectful and get it right.

It's Dr. Death David "the Hitman" Harris, Awesome Kick-Ass LB #52, a.k.a. "Pookie"

Don't ****in' get it wrong again. 

[#27TheDominator]

On ‎7‎/‎20‎/‎2016 at 8:29 PM, TuscanyTile2 said:

Every year we hear about our great D but the Pats still put up 30 on us.  Normally we have one unit (e.g. LBs) that is deficient but hopefully this year we've finally plugged the holes.  

The Pats scored 20 in the OT game at the Meadowlands.  7 was on a Fitzpatrick fumble return. 

On ‎7‎/‎20‎/‎2016 at 7:09 PM, AFJF said:

Big hitter indeed.  NFL.com scouting report said something along the lines of "Hulk Smash" linebacker.  Definitely not as athletic as Lee, but somebody has to be the enforcer in the middle.  How nice would it be for the Jets to finally hit on a few UDFA's who aren't limited to ST's?

 

Damon Harrison just signed a $50M contract.

[detectivekimble]

19 hours ago, jetstream23 said:

Lorenzo Mauldin, Darron Lee, Jordon Jenkins, Taiwan Jones....the Jets have certainly tried to infuse some youth into that once-aging LB corps.  It's not like they're sitting idle but we really need these guys to find their ideal positions and gel as a unit.  I'm optimistic but there will be growing pains.

Jones might be slower than David Harris.

[AFJF]

27 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said:

The Pats scored 20 in the OT game at the Meadowlands.  7 was on a Fitzpatrick fumble return. 

Damon Harrison just signed a $50M contract.

Yup...snacks was a good one...but those legit starters are few and far between.  Marcus Williams is another good one even though he was originally a Texan.

[Sperm Edwards]

4 hours ago, detectivekimble said:

Jones might be slower than David Harris.

Only a problem if we're putting him on the field every down like David Harris and regularly assigning him coverage roles. Even still, his effective speed as a defender will be more influenced by his reaction time than his 40 time on a track anyway. A 4.5 40 guy who takes a half second to diagnose what's in front of himself is effectively slower on >90% of plays than a 5.0 40 guy who doesn't. 

Certainly if he's a situational run stopper, who'd sub in for Lee or a DB on short yardage situations, that 4.8-4.9 40 speed won't be much of a factor, if any at all. 

[Harlemnite1]

Harris has been a beast in the middle. It will be hard to replace him.

[Jetdawgg]

39 minutes ago, Harlemnite1 said:

Harris has been a beast in the middle. It will be hard to replace him.

The Jets look like they will use more4/3 fronts this year with Lee in the middle

[Harlemnite1]

23 hours ago, Jetdawgg said:

The Jets look like they will use more4/3 fronts this year with Lee in the middle

I don't see how that will work effectively. Lee is puny and any team worth anything would just run on the Jets if that happens. It would work if Lee was a better sideline to sideline tackler.

[Jetdawgg]

42 minutes ago, Harlemnite1 said:

I don't see how that will work effectively. Lee is puny and any team worth anything would just run on the Jets if that happens. It would work if Lee was a better sideline to sideline tackler.

Lee was covering a lot of ground in college. His speed helps him get to plays other NY Jets LB cannot. This will also keep the big three upfront on the field at all times. McClendon is a DT. Not an NT. That is why Pitt let him go. He could not take the place of Casey Hampton like they wanted him to do.

[SAR I]

David Harris better not make it into the Jets Ring Of Honor.  He's the biggest non-factor compiler since Curtis Martin.

SAR I

[Sperm Edwards]

1 minute ago, SAR I said:

David Harris better not make it into the Jets Ring Of Honor.  He's the biggest non-factor compiler since Curtis Martin.

SAR I

Quite a statement there. 

[Harlemnite1]

21 hours ago, Jetdawgg said:

Lee was covering a lot of ground in college. His speed helps him get to plays other NY Jets LB cannot. This will also keep the big three upfront on the field at all times. McClendon is a DT. Not an NT. That is why Pitt let him go. He could not take the place of Casey Hampton like they wanted him to do.

 I hope you're right but I'm not holding my breath. In the NFL everyone is a step faster and bigger. I think the Jets whiffed on their first 2 picks in this draft. Neither will have an impact this year or next. Really never been an Ohio State draft fan especially linebackers from that school. Maybe that is in the back of my mind going back to Tom Cousineau and fast forwarding to Vernon Gholston, who on previous boards I hated the pick instantly. But the Jets were in no man land that year. 

[Jetster]

On July 22, 2016 at 3:44 AM, Sperm Edwards said:

Only a problem if we're putting him on the field every down like David Harris and regularly assigning him coverage roles. Even still, his effective speed as a defender will be more influenced by his reaction time than his 40 time on a track anyway. A 4.5 40 guy who takes a half second to diagnose what's in front of himself is effectively slower on >90% of plays than a 5.0 40 guy who doesn't. 

Certainly if he's a situational run stopper, who'd sub in for Lee or a DB on short yardage situations, that 4.8-4.9 40 speed won't be much of a factor, if any at all. 

Lol! So true. What was Ray Lewis 40 times? Great LBs are smart & instinctive.

[Jetster]

On July 21, 2016 at 3:01 PM, Mainejet said:

Just another limitation of Mac's genius solution at linebacker. Trust me, there will be may more to come. This is just a blown pick, we could have just as easily trained another big Safety to do what the CS has planned for Darron Lee. A complete waste of time and the beginning of the end of the Jets front office.

Note to Woody Johnson:

Start looking at replacements for the current front office.

Darren Lee will be playing behind Mo Wilkerson, Leonard Williams & Sheldon Richardson! I love this idea that offenses playing us will "target" Lee, lol. You can't block what you can't find. Lee is one of the fastest LBs in this league & Bowles will use him all over the place. It's not easy for a 350Lb lineman to deal with a guy like Lee in space. Ray Lewis worst year in the NFL was when he didn't have the beef up front to create cracks & seams for him to attack. I've seen the slowest LB on this team (David Harris) blitz a seam & take down QBs. Darren Lee makes Harris look like he's standing still with the speed he brings. Even McClendon brings quickness to the front on this defense. We have 3 Dlineman that require some type of double or chips from TEs & RBs, it won't be easy to "attack" Lee, when he's actually attacking seams created by our front.

[#27TheDominator]

The problem with replacing Harris is making the calls.  I don't think that anyone should expect Lee or Jones to be able to handle that.  Harris is waaaaay faster than Jones.  Jones was a practice squad player.  If he plays specials/makes the rotation it is a huge score.  Especially when they added to fairly high LB this draft.