Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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IRISH IN THE PROS BY ANDREW OWENS I t's rare for a wide receiver chosen in the sixth round of the NFL Draft to become an impact player for his team, but rookie TJ Jones (he was on injured reserve all of last year) is developing into one for the Detroit Lions. Selected No. 189 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, Jones has become more com- fortable in the second half of the 2015 season under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter after the organization fired Joe Lombardi from that role in October. "It's been a shift in our actual play- book, so a lot of things have been, not simplified, but we've cut down a lot of things we've had to learn, and we've fo- cused on perfecting the few things that we needed to learn," Jones told ESPN. "So I think it's allowed everyone to get more comfortable with the playbook on both ends — quarterback, receiver, O-line — and it's allowing everyone to be on the same page, which is allowing us to click better." Through Dec. 28, the Lions were 5-2 since their bye week reshuffle after be- ginning the season 1-7. Jones has caught a pass in four straight games after doing so once through October. Jones caught his first professional touchdown Dec. 27 in a 32-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers. With one game remaining in the season, he had 17 re- ceptions for 132 yards. He also aver- aged 8.4 yards on seven punt returns and 21.2 yards on five kickoff returns. It's been a long ride for Jones, who did not play in 2014 due to a shoulder injury originally suffered in his final collegiate game, Notre Dame's 29-16 win over Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl. TJ Jones Emerges For Lions Jones hauled in a 29-yard touchdown reception — the first of his professional career — in Detroit's 32-17 win over San Francisco Dec. 27, and he had 17 catches for 132 yards while averaging 21.2 yards on five kickoff returns and 8.4 yards on seven punt returns heading into the final week of the season. PHOTO COURTESY DETROIT LIONS