HOUSTON (AP) -Jacoby Jones has made himself a special teams star in two years in Houston, becoming the only Texan to return two punts for touchdowns.
Now the Texans are looking for him to show some of that talent at receiver.
The Texans are deep at the position with starters Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter as well as Andre’ Davis and David Anderson. But Houston would love to take advantage of Jones’ speed.
Jones has more than 1,000 yards in kick and punt returns combined in his career, but just 18 receptions for 230 yards.
“He’s been capable of doing great things for this team, but we’ve also seen the side that has not been so good,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “I think it’s about … being consistent. It’s about maturity.”
Consistency has been a constant battle for Jones, a third-round draft pick out of tiny Lane College in Jackson, Tenn. He’ll impress one week and struggle the next. Sometimes he’ll do both in the same practice, which is what he did Thursday.
h drew the ire of Kubiak. A few plays later, he bolted ahead of the coverage and stretched out to make a nifty catch in the end zone.
“It’s time to go play and you should be practicing pretty solid today and know what you’re doing, and he’s got a few mistakes today,” Kubiak said. “Pros don’t make mistakes two days before the game. … But he’s working toward getting better.”
With the talent ahead of Jones, he’ll have to eliminate those mistakes if he hopes to see more playing time at receiver this season.
Jones said that it took some time before he stopped being “wide-eyed” and got used to playing in the NFL. He was the AFC special teams player of the week twice in 2008, but played even less on offense than he did as a rookie and finished with just three receptions.
“I think I’m more mature now,” he said. “I’m ready to help however they need me.”
It was a process for him to grasp the importance of meetings, studying the playbook and practice after getting by on pure athleticism in college.
“It’s a business, but you also have to take your job seriously and be dedicated to what you’re doing, because this is your livelihood and this is what you do every day,” he said. “In college, football is not really a job. When you get here you’ve got to tune in more.”
Jones and the staff decided he should stay in the hotel so he could concentrate on football full-time.
Though he’s staying with the rookies, Jones is finally starting to feel like a veteran.
“You feel like it’s your junior year in college where you feel really comfortable with the playbook and you’re learning the system and everything,” he said.
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