BOURBONNAIS, Ill. (AP) -Kevin Jones burst through the seam, sidestepped a defender as he cut to his right and, in a flash, he was off.
Well, he might have been if this wasn’t just a practice drill. Still, each little glimpse of that explosion serves as a reminder of what he used to be and what he hopes to become for the Bears this year.
Plagued by injuries in Detroit and barely able to perform in his first season in Chicago, Jones finally feels like his old self and believes he could be the second man behind Matt Forte in a solid one-two punch at running back.
“I feel good, just healthy, getting in the rhythm on all my plays,” Jones said.
Getting to this point has been a difficult process.
A first-round pick by the Lions in 2004, Jones rushed for 1,133 yards as a rookie before the injuries started to mount.
then ran for at least 70 yards in five games, including a season-high 105 at Chicago, before tearing the ACL in his right knee Dec. 23 against the Kansas City Chiefs and had surgery the following month.
At the time, Dr. James Andrews told Jones he would need up to 10 months to get back on the field, yet the Bears signed him to a one-year contract in July – four months after the Lions cut him – thinking he could compete with Forte for the starting job.
It didn’t take long, though, for them to realize that Jones wasn’t as far along in his recovery as they hoped.
While Forte emerged as one of the NFL’s top young running backs, setting a franchise rookie record with 1,238 yards rushing and catching 63 passes for 477 yards, Jones tailed off after a somewhat promising debut with the Bears. He set season highs with 13 carries and 45 yards in the opener at Indianapolis.
After that? He never had more than 10 carries and 36 yards after the opener and wound up appearing in only 11 games, finishing the year with just 109 yards rushing.
“He looks good,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. “He looks like a different guy from a year ago. Last year, he was coming off that knee, wasn’t able to get in as good a shape as he wanted.”
He was tentative, particularly when opponents hit low.
did a little extra last year,” Jones said.
In hindsight, he realizes he wasn’t quite ready.
“I’m just feeling a lot better. Now I feel 100 percent, and I know I wasn’t 100 percent in comparison,” said Jones, who signed a two-year contract in March.
If he stays healthy, Jones takes some of the load off Forte and gives the Bears more depth in the backfield. And that thought certainly sits well with Forte.
“Both of us being in there keeps each other fresh,” he said. “We’re two different styles of running backs and can change the pace up a little bit.”
Jones showed up to camp weighing 225 pounds, about 15 lighter than when he arrived a year ago.
Acting on a former teammate’s recommendation, Jones worked out with Dr. D.S. Ping six days a week a year ago. A holistic-medicine practitioner and sports agent who does not represent Jones, Ping led him through drills in his gym and jiujitsu dojo. He also brought Jones to a golf course for sprinting, shuffling and cutting, worked him out in a rec-center pool and performed acupuncture on the knee.
“Anything to get back and I tried it,” Jones said.
Now, finally, he believes he is back.
“Things happen to people every day,” Jones said. “I’m just thankful that I got another chance, another opportunity, and I was able to heal.”
of snaps with the first team even though he’s stepping aside for Greg Olsen. “I’m not a 25, 26, 27-year-old in this game,” Clark said. “The situation is what it is, so I’ve got to make the best of it.” The Bears frequently use two tight-end sets and are not about to phase out Clark, who has started 67 straight games and enters his 11th season with 3,434 yards receiving. … The Bears removed DT Marcus Harrison from the non-football injury list, meaning he was available to practice Tuesday for the first time after arriving at camp overweight. … The Bears exercised an option and will return next season to Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbannais for training camp.
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