Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut
He improved as the season progressed in the run game last year.
He seemed to realize that he's a ****ing monster. He's always been supernaturally quick for a guy that big, but he didn't always use his raw strength as well as he could've. The man is as powerful as anyone in the game but he was acting more like a guy who needed to use his speed to make up for average functional strength.
So it led to him trying to jump gaps or split doubles; stuff that can work well in rushing the passer but creates problems in the run game for obvious reasons.
But last year he seemed to figure out that he can STILL hit a dude and physically move him. He can use the first step quickness to get into someone's body and simply move him the hell out of the way using raw power. He learned just how devastating his power can be and in choosing to utilize it more as part of his pass-rush development, it actually made him a better run defender in the process.
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I agree with this. CJ really seemed to make strides against the run as the season went on. By the playoffs, and in particular against both the Titans and the Niners, Jones seemed locked in on his run assignments for most of each game.
My hope is that he's going to work on his vision/recognition, because most of the time when he got burned against the run it had little to do with his physical abilities or even his positioning, but more about his lack of recognition that it was a running play.