On February 5th, the Atlanta Falcons will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI in Houston. The Falcons will start four rookies against a Tom Brady led Patriots offense: safety Keanu Neal, linebackers Deion Jones and De’Vondre Campbell, and cornerback Brian Poole.
Each rookie plays an important part on the Falcons defensive success, but Jones role may serve as the most important. The Falcons took Jones in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft and he now looks to be a key contributor to their defense for years to come.
Jones serves as the quarterback of the defense at middle linebacker. He is in charge of getting the play calls in and putting players in their right spots. It can is a lot to handle as a rookie, but Falcons Head Coach Dan Quinn has seen the progress in Jones to handle his position.
“There was definitely a shift in his game, I’d say about five or six weeks ago, where not only he got his assignment down, he get the communication out to other players,” said Quinn. “That’s when we saw the shift take place where not only he can take care of his assignments, but he can tell the guy who’s right next to him. ‘Hey, this alert, this may happen.’ We’ve been really pleased with his development so far.”
Jones harps on Quinn’s motto about getting one percent better and he realizes as the middle linebacker, learning the system can take his game to the next level.
“I would say it’s really just me locking in and realizing where I can take my game to the next level,” Jones said. “DQ (Dan Quinn) always talks about getting one percent better and I realize that as a mike linebacker, you really need to find your voice to be the center of a defense.”
At LSU, Jones started only one season as he waited his turn behind current NFL players Lamin Barrow and Kwon Alexander in college. Jones is a bit undersized at the middle linebacker position weighing 222 pounds, but he brings physicality in every hit. His speed helps with his size. At his pro day, Jones clocked in a 4.38 40-yard dash. He uses that speed to track down ball carries as he led the Falcons in tackles with 108.
This will be the first matchup between the Falcons and Patriots this season. Jones will look to outduel Brady being the play caller of the defense. It is a matchup he is looking forward to.
“It should definitely be fun,” said Jones on facing Brady. “These are things kids dream about, being in the Super Bowl and especially playing against Brady. It’s going to be fun. Being the competitor that I am and the competitor that he is, I can’t wait for this matchup.”
Follow us on Twitter @playerinsiders @coldasfrost_
