A.J. Jones - Mr. Jones
Sunday, November 8, 2009 | Football
By Joshua Lentine, UF Communications
Most of us are fortunate enough to have never broken an ankle or wrist or torn a ligament in our knee; let alone have any injury prevent us from doing the thing we love most.
Over the past four years, redshirt junior linebacker A.J. Jones has both suffered and recovered from all three of those injuries and still managed to provide an impact for the Florida football program.
After the Rivals.com four-star recruit attended a tryout for the New York Yankees after being a four-year letterman who batted .360 and hit 12 home runs during his senior year at Middleton High School, he decided that football was something that he couldn't live without.
In 2006, he enrolled with the likes of Brandon Spikes, Jermaine Cunningham and many other current defensive teammates, but never imagined he would be stricken with injuries.
“I have been praying for a healthy year,” Jones admitted. “That's all I really want. Football has been my passion since I was little. I've always just wanted to be on the field playing.”
Even with the pressure to perform at a near-perfect level each week, the Tampa, Fla., native is still just having fun. During pre-game warm-ups, he keeps things loose by poking fun at his teammates and boasts smiles while soaking in all of the game day ambiances around Florida Field.
“I go around like it's a day of fun,” Jones claimed. “My goal is to play, have fun and not over think. When you play free, you play better.”
Only after touching the Gator head and running out of the tunnel does Jones flip his switch.
“I'm there to handle business,” he said. “This year, I told myself that I have to bring more energy to the field. I see Spikes out there bringing the juice and it gets me more into the game. When I'm out there talking noise with everyone on the field, the atmosphere is great. Then you hit someone, take them to the ground and the crowd goes wild. Your teammates congratulate you, it makes you feel at home in your heart and want to do it over and over again.”
The Coaches' Freshman All-SEC selection was a member of the 2007 defense which caught much flak during the Gators most 'sub-par' season in recent years. At 211 pounds, an inexperienced Jones surrendered a 30-to-50 pound disadvantage to opposing linemen. He had to play most downs, attempting to break through the line and shut down opposing teams due to lack of depth. As he grew little older, a little wiser and the team depth chart grew, things would change.
Over the past two seasons, Jones has been part of the reason that very same core of defenders, now renowned across the country, has evolved into one of the most dominating defenses in the nation. He put on weight and continued to dedicate himself more each day.
“I always feel that I can do a lot better and constantly work on being relentless in my effort,” Jones said of his development as a player. “I have learned a lot about the game and have been recognizing formations much better. I can assist with play calls and am mentally stronger than I have been in years past. Those things make it easier for me to make plays. As strong-side linebacker, I'm the container of our opponents' offenses. Nothing should get past me.”
Players across the board have adopted a similar attitude and bought into Florida's system. Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong created the Joker package to allow players to utilize their strength and speed and wreak havoc across the gridiron. The results of which has been very little getting by Jones or his fellow teammates.
Through its first eight games of 2009, the Florida defense has only allowed six touchdowns, a national best, and its scoring defense of 11.0 points per game is second-best nationally. The unit's ability to keep offenses off the field to that point had also been impressive, an SEC-best of 13.0 first downs per game and allowing a third-down conversion roughly once every five attempts. The Gators also led the league in total defense (236.6 yards per game), passing defense (138.8 ypg) and passing defense efficiency (88.5).
“We are out there playing like we know what is going on,” Jones acknowledged. “We watch film as a group and have good relationships on and off the field. We know that we can lean and depend on each other. We've been together for a while now, so we can joke and have fun; but we also know when it's time to handle our business. We don't stress about it, we go out and play football. That's why we're having so much success.”
-UF-
