Ohio State vs. Michigan past games
.JPG)
Bengals fall to Steelers
Most Wanted (11/20/08)
Commentary
Jones delivers message with Cincy opportunity
Monday, November 26, 2007
CINCINNATI — He stressed it gets him where he needs to be.
Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones was talking about his bike — the one parked next to his dressing stall — but he could just as well have meant his blitz.
Extras
The guy who arrived at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday in knee-high, lime green socks, canvas shoes and riding a bicycle — just as he does every day since he has no car in Cincinnati — arrived in the middle of Vince Young's back early in the second quarter, thanks to a blind-side assault on the unsuspecting Tennessee quarterback.
At the time the Titans were on the Cincinnati 3-yard line, about to tie the game 7-7. Instead, the jarring sack by Jones — who led the Bengals with nine tackles — caused Young to fumble. Fellow linebacker Rashad Jeanty recovered, the Titans never reached the end zone after that and Cincinnati won 35-6.
It was the third straight week the much-maligned defense has played well. One reason is the emergence of Jones, who spent the first two weeks of the season on a San Diego beach, surfing and thinking — out of the NFL for the first time in eight years.
"You can't say enough about the good things he has done, both on the field and off," Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said about the veteran he plucked off the waiver wire Sept. 19. "He's been a great professional for us."
Hearing that, Jones smiled. Just as his crushing hit set the tone of the game, his weekly play is helping him reset the tone of his career.
There's not another NFL player quite like him. He started 74 of 95 NFL games for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles the past seven seasons, yet he's better known for his off-the-field résumé.
It includes everything from owning his own high-end bow tie company to being a guest conductor with the Philadelphia Pops and being personally tutored on global warming by Al Gore.
Then there are the movie reviews he writes for ESPN.com, playing alto sax and bass in the New York subways and his extensive travels to places like China, Cuba and Iceland.
And there's his media work with the NFL Network and Fox radio, his dabbles in acting and modeling, his 2002 nomination by the Giants for NFL Man of the Year and being named the Eagles Community Hero in 2004.
But when the Eagles released him last April and he was cut by New Orleans in the preseason, he said he heard whispers:
"People speculated, 'What's Dhani's commitment to football? What's his ability on the field? Is he all talk?' "
Back home in San Diego, he said "I didn't know what to feel. Being on the street, your perspective changes. I did a lot of reflecting, and I knew I wanted a job.
"Then all of a sudden, Marvin gave me a chance ... and I made the commitment. I decided to ignore all the things off the field and take care of business on it."
As he learned the defense, he threw himself into special teams' play and soon was captain of the unit. Now he's one of the stalwarts of a recobbled defense that he said is starting to "develop an attitude."
For him that means his renaissance period is on hold.
He lives in a downtown Cincinnati hotel. He spends hours studying film at the stadium and he rides that fixed-gear Surly bicycle around town.
"Yeah, it's a racing bike," he said, "but it's better known now because bike messengers use it."
And that makes it perfect for him.
He's delivering his own message this season.
