Ronald Jones II Talks Tom Brady, Catching Passes and High Expectations
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made some big additions this offseason, but it's a returning starter who could be one of the keys to making a Super Bowl run in 2020.
Ronald Jones II heads into his third NFL season as the Bucs' unquestioned starter in the backfield, and he'll be charged with helping balance an offense now led by Tom Brady.
Jones trained hard this offseason in preparation for his first season as the team's workhorse back, from running hills in the Arizona heat to group workouts with his Bucs teammates that were organized by Brady.
“What I went through over the summer, looking at the training with the hills that Walter Payton did – what he did that just inspired me – putting himself through the mental part of it just fulfilled me for when I got back here just to be ready for things like that," Jones said during a video conference call Monday. :Working with Tom was great, too, [and] being able to get some chemistry, so he could see my tempo, my speed, my routes and things like that. So, hitting the field Week 1, we’ll be ready, and he’ll know how to go off of me.”
While Jones is likely to get the bulk of the early-down snaps, many have criticized his receiving skills, something that likely led to Tampa Bay's offseason additions of veteran LeSean McCoy and third-round draft pick Ke'Shawn Vaughn.
Jones has been working hard to improve in that particular area this offseason, and Brady has been helping him along the way.
“I think in terms of knowing what the defense is doing, not just out there running full speed," Jones said of what's he's learning as a receiver. "In a zone, having to sit down and find that soft spot. In man, actually beating your man and knowing who is covering you. That’s another thing that was really helpful about getting in that work in the offseason. With completely different quarterbacks, I can catch any kind of ball – from high school and pee-wee to obviously playing with the best in the game. It’s definitely got me ready for this moment.”
“Yeah, I can attest to that," Jones said about his coaches working to improve his pass-catching technique. "A lot of times they said I wasn’t absorbing the ball; I was letting the ball hit my body. So just working in the summer with Coach [Luke] Neal on the extension of the hands, finding that diamond and being able to control the ball. [You can’t be] slapping it or trying to look up field, you’ve got to just secure it. Those are the kinds of things I focused on this summer. I’m just trying to elevate my game each and every day.”
Now up to 225 pounds, Jones is ready to break out in 2020, taking advantage of an offense that is loaded with weapons in the passing game. While opposing defenses are paying attention to Brady and his loaded aerial arsenal, Jones should have plenty of room to run this year.
He's also looking forward to showing off his improves skill set as a pass-catcher with a quarterback known for relying on his running backs as key parts of the passing attack.
“For me it’s exciting because you get more touches that way," Jones said. "I look forward to the challenge being more of a receiver this year and getting the ball in space, too. As a running back you can’t ask for much more, so that element, that part of it, is definitely more exciting and is something I worked on all offseason. So, I’ll be ready for that and when the time comes, hopefully I can double that number.”
