|
| | | | | | | |  Tuesday, November 14, 2000
Getting crazy with ... New York Jets LB Marvin Jones
By Marc Connolly
MondayNighFootball.com
Every week throughout the 2000 NFL season, ABC Sports Online senior writer Marc Connolly will go head-to-head with one player from that week's upcoming Monday Night Football game on a variety of topics. In Week 2 Connolly caught up with New York Jets linebacker Marvin Jones.
Connolly: You've given plenty a running back or quarterback reason to have bad dreams throughout your career, especially at Florida State. What gives you nightmares?
|  | | Marvin Jones has a team-high 50 tackles for the Jets this season. |
Jones: Being the guy on the losing end of the game-winning play. Being that guy shown on ESPN's highlights.
Connolly: Considering all the injuries you've overcome in your pro career, have you resorted to voodoo or any strange superstitions to try to change your luck this season?
Jones: Yes, I have. Basically, before every game I drink a cup of coffee and take two Immodium. That's my ritual every week. I started it at the beginning of last season, so it's been working out ok. I don't feel comfortable without doing it.
Connolly: You are an avid fisherman, I hear. For the most part, do football players have the patience to fish?
Jones: I do, because it's my way to get away from everybody. I don't take the phone out there with me. Sometimes, if I do, I just throw it right in there with the fish so I can get rid of it.
Connolly: Any good fishing partners on the Jets?
Jones: Some of the guys I've been around are better than me. They're like true fishermen. For the most part it's something I do with my buddies that I grew up with. I mean, I don't even want to see any of my teammates in the off-season. But I will say that Mo Lewis is probably the best fisherman on the team.
Connolly: What's the best part of being a pro athlete in a place like New York?
Jones: You get the best of both worlds. Everything is interesting. It's a great place to play when you're winning.
Connolly: What about when you're not? I mean, look at what the New York fans and media have been like to Patrick Ewing even though he's done his fair share of winning here.
Jones: It's human nature a lot of times. It's a game, and some people take it as more of a game. The thing is, you have to know who you are as a player here. It doesn't matter what other people criticize you for or say about you, because you know what you can do. It's a lot worse if you let them get in your head and you don't do what you're supposed to do. That'll get you twice as much crap as before.
Connolly: This being a fickle place to play, do you think it's a Jets or Giants town? I've lived here for over four years and I couldn't give you an answer for it.
Jones: I tell you, I know there are just as many Giants fans on Long Island than there are Jets fans. From my experience, I think it's a Jets town. I certainly seem to meet more Jets fans than Giants fans when I'm in the city. I think the younger generation has more Jets fans, while the older generation roots for the Giants.
Connolly: Of all the things written about your former coach Bill Parcells, is there something that the media has missed or that the public simply doesn't know about him?
Jones: Yeah, people don't get to see the good parts about him. He's really a great person. He's one of the greatest guys I have ever met.
Connolly: On the surface, Parcells and your college coach Bobby Bowden seem to be on polar opposites of the spectrum. Bobby's a media darling, and Parcells usually came off as gruff. Just how different are they?
Jones: I think it's two different worlds. At the college level, you have to be kind of careful about image. You're held more accountable because of the age differences. In the NFL, anything goes. There's no "Oh, don't hurt this guy's feelings" approach because on this level with the money we're getting paid, it doesn't boil down to how somebody feels. You just go out and get the job done.
If I had to say one thing that those guys have in common is that they win. Their methods are different, but they both push you very hard. Everybody might think that FSU is a finesse school, but I'll tell ya, it's probably one of the toughest football programs as far as weight lifting and conditioning in the country. Same thing in the NFL, the Jets do as much hitting and pad-wearing as any other team.
Connolly: You've been around some of the game's most boisterous guys, both on the Jets and Seminoles back in college. Anyone stick out particular as far as never shutting up? Bryan Cox comes to my mind.
Jones: No, Bryan is a different person off the field. One guy who it might be is William Floyd (teammate at Florida State). Now, he can't be quiet. And it might be a split between he and (former FSU cornerback) Corey Fuller.
Connolly: You know Deion, too. Where would he rank?
Jones: No, it's just different. Everybody knows what type of guy Deion is. To him, it's a show. He likes to be the center of the show, but the guy goes out and is just phenomenal. Whether it's his football skills or personality skills, he maximizes everything he has. It's all God-given talent.
Connolly: You grew up in Miami, yet traveled up to Tallahassee to play for FSU. I know you used to hang with Michael Barrow in the summers, but aside from that, are there any redeeming qualities in a Miami Hurricane?
Jones: (laughing) Yeah, I'm friends with a lot of them, but I'm still kind of pissed off with a lot of them. I didn't get a chance to beat them when I was there. Every year if we had won that game, I'd have a couple of rings on my fingers.
Connolly: At FSU you had that great nickname "Shade Tree" at FSU because you sat under a tree during one hot day of practice during sprints. Who is "Shade Tree" on the Jets?
Jones: Well, we don't even have any trees around here for anyone to sit under. So I'm still called "Shady" for short now and then. Plus, we don't have guys like that anymore. If you do that (skip sprints), you won't be here.
Connolly: The last question is very serious, so get ready. That J-E-T-S guy. Do you guys ever hear him out on the field?
Jones: Yeah, definitely. He inspires me. It gives us an added boost out there when things aren't going our way. That's when I hear it. When you're going out there and hear things like that, it really does get your juices flowing and that makes a big difference to players.
| | |
| | | | |
ESPN.com:
HELP |
ADVERTISER INFO |
CONTACT US |
TOOLS |
SITE MAP
Copyright ©2000 ESPN Internet Group. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information are applicable to this site. Employment opportunities at ESPN.com.
| |
| 
 |
Dave Wannstedt says his team is ready for their next opponent.
New York's Al Groh wraps up the Jets' win over the Pats.