Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Jones' development will be crucial in the years to come, especially if the Irish lose elite players Louis Nix III and Stephon Tuitt in 2014. photo by Bill Panzica as freshmen. "It's because I was 368 pounds," said Jones, imitating Nix's voice. "But you — you just suck!" Jones reached a crossroads the week after the Arizona State game Oct. 5 when he was demoted back down to the scout team, and not just for his onfield effort. "I wasn't taking stuff seriously and I got sent down to the scout team, which humbled me and made me want to work harder," Jones said of his epiphany. "I'm not saying the scout team is a bad thing, but it's just something I don't want to do." Instead of sulking, Jones lit the fire that had been previously missing, and Kelly was one of the first to take note. "When they go down on scout team, I get eyes on them because I'm over with the [starting] offense," Kelly said. "I was able to evaluate his demeanor, the way he came and worked every day. We were looking for consistency. … We think he's got a lot of skill and great size. We wanted to see that fire every single play, and I liked what he did in the couple of weeks that he was down with us. That's why we elevated him back up with our varsity group." Jones said he was with the scout team for about two weeks and appreciated how the players there put forth strong efforts for the overall good, even if they weren't going to play during a game. "That taught me how to be more consistent — because they work hard on a consistent basis," Jones said. "That taught me to do the same. … It wasn't