Giants
Slater NJ.com: NFL Combine 2020: Here are most important things for Giants to watch, as they prepare for NFL Draft | Schedule breakdown
https://www.nj.com/giants/2020/02/nfl-combine-2020-here-are-most-important-things-for-giants-to-watch-as-they-prepare-for-2020-nfl-draft-full-breakdown.html
Traina Giantsmaven SI.com: Perspectives: Is Leonard Williams Sending a Sign that He Plans to Re-sign with the Giants? Plus Bret Bielema's Continued Flirtation with College Football and More
https://www.si.com/.amp-nygiants/nfl/giants/news/perspectives-is-leonard-williams-sending-a-sign-that-he-plans-to-re-sign-with-the-giants-plus-bret-bielemas-continued-flirtation-with-college-football-and-more
GM
Slater NJ.com: Can Giants’ Dave Gettleman save his job in 2020? Here’s what he must do to stick around — besides actually win games
https://www.nj.com/giants/2020/02/can-giants-dave-gettleman-save-his-job-in-2020-heres-what-he-must-do-to-stick-around-besides-actually-win-games.html
QB
NJ.com: Giants need a backup for Daniel Jones: Case Keenum? Jalen Hurts? What they should do at quarterback | Beat writer breakdown
https://www.nj.com/giants/2020/02/giants-need-a-backup-for-daniel-jones-case-keenum-jalen-hurts-what-they-should-do-at-quarterback-beat-writer-breakdown.html
OLB
KDSK.com: Markus Golden's turning point that put him on the path to NFL stardom
https://www.ksdk.com/mobile/article/sports/markus-goldens-turning-point-that-put-him-on-the-path-to-nfl-stardom/63-53c2bdb4-f5eb-4c58-b28d-bfa9c783b037
NFL
Jones NFL.com: Top 10 WRs to pursue in free agency/draft
https://amp.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001102058/article/ten-wide-receivers-worth-pursuing-in-free-agency2020-nfl-draft?
ARIZONA
Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo)
2/17/20, 7:17 PM
The #AZCardinals have agreed with OT D.J. Humphries on a three-year, $45 million deal with $30m over the first 2 years, $29m guaranteed, sources say. Jon Perzley and Brian Mackler of @SPORTSTARSNYC were able to strike a deal with the Cards on David Johnson and now Humphries
Jim Ayello (@jimayello)
2/17/20, 7:27 PM
The deal should give us some insight into what kind of contract Anthony Castonzo is looking at should he return.
Humphries is younger (26) but not nearly as accomplished as Castonzo, whom Reich regards as one of the best LTs in the game
BALTIMORE
Preston Baltimore Sun: The key word for the Ravens heading into free agency and the draft? Balance
https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/analysis/preston/bs-sp-preston-ravens-draft-defense-20200218-2jzltxafhreavbn6las5wsmepi-story.html
Zrebiec The Athletic: Tony Jefferson’s departure proves the Ravens are still trying to get it right at safety
https://theathletic.com/1613817/2020/02/17/tony-jeffersons-departure-proves-the-ravens-are-still-trying-to-get-it-right-at-safety/?
BUFFALO
Gaughan Buffalo News: Maturity helps Dion Dawkins establish himself at left tackle for Bills
https://buffalonews.com/2020/02/17/dion-dawkins-left-tackle-buffalo-bills-2019-analysis-maturity/
CAROLINA
Rodrigue The Athletic: Source: Carolina is optimistic about Cam Newton’s recovery timeline; could take precautions through the spring
https://theathletic.com/1614853/2020/02/17/source-carolina-is-optimistic-about-cam-newtons-recovery-timeline-could-take-precautions-through-the-spring/?
CINCINNATI
Baby ESPN Cincinnati: Joe Burrow says Bengals have No. 1 draft pick, but he has 'leverage'
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28726662/joe-burrow-says-bengals-no-1-draft-pick-leverage?
Clark Cincinnati Enquirer: Robin Burrow on Joe not wanting Bengals to draft him: 'No idea where that comes from'
https://amp.cincinnati.com/amp/4788585002
CLEVELAND
Trotter ESPN Cleveland: Browns cut four players, free up more than $13 million on salary cap
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28723771/browns-cut-four-players-free-more-13-million-salary-cap?
Labbe Cleveland Plain Dealer: Browns first cuts: What they mean, who they help and what’s next
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2020/02/browns-first-cuts-what-they-mean-who-they-help-and-whats-next.html
DALLAS
Archer ESPN Dallas: Cowboys' decisions on offense: Keeping Randall Cobb makes sense
https://www.espn.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4770985/cowboys-decisions-on-offense-keeping-randall-cobb-makes-sense?
DENVER
Legwold ESPN Denver: Broncos' John Elway and Vic Fangio need to be on the same page
https://www.espn.com/blog/denver-broncos/post/_/id/35032/denver-broncos-john-elway-and-vic-fangio-need-to-be-on-the-same-page?
O’Halloran Denver Post: Broncos Analysis: Acquiring cornerback Darius Slay would be costly … and make sense
https://www.denverpost.com/2020/02/17/broncos-darius-slay-trade-rumors-analysis/
DETROIT
Birkett Detroit Free Press: Report: Detroit Lions have spoken to 'multiple teams' about Darius Slay trade
https://amp.freep.com/amp/4787197002
GREEN BAY
Ken Ingalls - Packers Cap (@KenIngalls)
2/17/20, 3:20 PM
A sobering view at the Packers' salary cap:
Current Cap: $23.2M
Extend Clark $14.25M
Sign Bulaga $10M
Tender 5 ERFAs
Sign 10 Draft Picks
Release Graham $8M
Release Taylor $4.1M
Adjusted Cap: $13.3M
Spendable Cap: $3.4M
Not a lot of room to left to work with
INDIANAPOLIS
Horner Indianapolis Star: NFL Draft 2020: Colts must boost passing game, one way or another
https://amp.indystar.com/amp/4789327002
KANSAS CITY
Teicher ESPN KC: Why Chris Jones could get squeezed out of Kansas City
https://www.espn.com/blog/kansas-city-chiefs/post/_/id/27899/why-chiefs-chris-jones-could-get-squeezed-out-of-kansas-city?
LAS VEGAS
Williams NBC Bay Area: Who Will Quarterback the Raiders in 2020?
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/sports/who-will-quarterback-the-raiders-in-2020/2235607/?
MIAMI
Salguero Miami Herald: Lots to consider: Where the Miami Dolphins’ draft interest in QBs not named Tua comes from
https://amp.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/armando-salguero/article240382151.html
MINNESOTA
Coller Skor North: How does the free agent class stack up to Vikings’ in-house options?
https://www.skornorth.com/vikings-2/2020/02/how-does-the-free-agent-class-stack-up-to-vikings-in-house-options/
NEW ENGLAND
Curran NBC Sports Boston: Where things stand between Tom Brady and Patriots as free agency looms
https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/where-things-stand-between-tom-brady-and-patriots-free-agency-looms
McBride Boston Globe: Patriots’ offensive line likely to have a new look
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/patriots/2020/02/17/patriots-offensive-line-likely-have-new-look/HzIOy5bLYuGWYLnfqzIhLP/story.html
Daniels Providence Journal: Patriots look strong on the corners
https://www.providencejournal.com/sports/20200217/patriots-look-strong-on-corners?
Cox NESN: Patriots Offseason Outlook: Devin McCourty Decision Looms Large For Safety Group
https://nesn.com/2020/02/patriots-offseason-outlook-devin-mccourty-decision-looms-large-for-safety-group/amp/
NEW ORLEANS
Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN)
2/17/20, 4:17 PM
From NFL Live: Multiple teams expect Teddy Bridgewater to have a strong free agency market as a starting or bridge quarterback for a team in transition. Widely expected to be on the move unless Drew Brees retires
Triplett ESPN NO: How much will free agency reshape Saints' defense?
https://www.espn.com/blog/new-orleans-saints/post/_/id/32855/how-much-will-free-agency-reshape-saints-defense?
PHILADELPHIA
Kempski Phillyvoice: Should the Eagles have interest in Lions CB Darius Slay?
https://www.phillyvoice.com/should-eagles-have-interest-lions-cb-darius-slay/
PITTSBURGH
Batko Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Mike Tomlin 'hacked off' at ESPN's portrayal of Mason Rudolph-Myles Garrett situation
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2020/02/17/mike-tomlin-espn-myles-garrett-allegations-mason-rudolph-racial-slur-antonio-brown-ben-roethlisberger-steelers/stories/202002170080
Adamski Pittsburgh Tribune Review: Mike Tomlin: Steelers open to helping Antonio Brown – but not to signing him
https://triblive.com/sports/mike-tomlin-steelers-open-to-helping-antonio-brown-but-not-to-signing-him/
SAN FRANCISCO
Branch SF Chronicle: Future of 49ers’ receiving corps is wide open — and that’s not good
https://www.sfchronicle.com/49ers/amp/Future-of-49ers-receiving-corps-is-wide-open-15062898.php
SEATTLE
Brown SI.com: Bo Pelini, Heavy Techniques, and Pete Carroll's Seahawks Defense
https://www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/news/bo-pelini-heavy-techniques-and-pete-carrolls-seahawks-defense
TENNESSEE
Davenport ESPN Nashville: Finding where the Titans could make cuts to get more cap space
https://www.espn.com/blog/tennessee-titans/post/_/id/29369/finding-where-the-titans-could-make-cuts-to-get-more-cap-space?
WASHINGTON
Keim ESPN Washington: Redskins TE Jordan Reed still in concussion protocol, almost 6 months after hit
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28724576/redskins-te-jordan-reed-concussion-protocol-almost-6-months-hit?
Colleges/Draft
Ledbetter AJC: Bartkowski advises Burrow to ‘pull an Eli Manning’ and force a trade
https://www.ajc.com/sports/football/bartkowski-advises-burrow-pull-eli-manning-and-force-trade/itZ7A6rqSKuidu0bXnOdNI/
OL
Brugler The Athletic: Pre-Combine NFL Draft rankings: Several future NFL starters among the interior OL class
https://theathletic.com/1612980/2020/02/17/pre-combine-nfl-draft-rankings-several-future-nfl-starters-among-the-interior-ol-class/?
G
Pflum BBV: 2020 NFL Draft prospect profile: Robert Hunt, G, Louisiana
https://www.bigblueview.com/platform/amp/2020/2/17/21139021/2020-nfl-draft-prospect-profile-robert-hunt-g-louisiana-scouting-report-ny-giants
LB
Dunleavy NYP: Isaiah Simmons’ journey from skinny track star to possible Giants NFL Draft savior
https://nypost.com/2020/02/17/isaiah-simmons-journey-from-skinny-track-star-to-possible-giants-nfl-draft-savior/amp/
Turner Cover1.net: 2020 NFL DRAFT | THE MATURATION PROCESS OF LB PATRICK QUEEN
https://www.cover1.net/patrick-queen-draft/
History
Judge Footballmaven: Choosing the next Hall of Famers for Canton's most underrepresented franchises
https://mavensports.io/nfl/talkoffame/nfl/choosing-the-next-hall-of-famers-for-canton-s-most-underrepresented-franchises-zxMELrYtoUSoRY4Yh0zOSw
Giants Birthdays
Maury Buford P W-CHI 1986 NYG 1986 2-18-1960
Jay Foreman LB FA-HOU 2005 NYG 2005 2-18-1976
Homer Jones WR D20-Texas Southern 1963 NYG 1963 IR NYG 1964-1969 2-18-1941
It was Homer Jones' birthday Monday, hopefully his health is good, publically we haven't heard anything from him since the 2009 USA Today interview about the spike...thought it would be good to reflect on his time with the Giants were he was truly unique.
Jones was born in Pittsburgh, Texas on February 18, 1941. Pittsburgh is in the northeast corner of Texas at the junction of several highways and railways. Originally a supply center for area farmers, by the early 1940's it became dependent on a small amount of manufacturing, retail goods and a service industry catering to it's residents. The town's population was around 2,900 in 1940.
His family moved to LA during the war only to return to Texas. Homer Jones played music in school, the saxophone, but stayed away from the football field until he was a senior in high school. Assigned to play fullback at 6-2 over 200 pounds he broke a 80 yard run for a touchdown his first play from scrimmage. He attracted the attention of southern black universities. His first dream was to leave the area and attend Grambling along with Stone Johnson whom he ran track with. However he became enamored with the city life of Houston and accepted a scholarship to track and play football at Texas Southern College.
Jones was exceptionally fast in both the 100 and 220. He was unable to compete for a spot in the 1960 Olympics due to an injury. He could run the 100 in 9.3 seconds ,the 220 in 20.5 seconds. In 1962 he did run at the United States Russia track meet before 81,000 at Palo Alto in California as part of the winning relay team along with Bob Hayes. In the NAIA championships Jones won the 200 meters in 1962 with a time of 21.0 matching Bob Hayes of Florida A& M's time of a year before and besting Johnson's time two years before that.
At Texas Southern he was part of an outstanding relay team featuring Charley Frazier who played 7 years for the Oilers. In April,1961 they set Kansas Relay records in the 440 and 880 relays. However later that spring Jones joined 20 other athletes in withdrawing right before a AAU "meet of champions" in Houston over alleged segregated seating in the stands. They ended up getting 8 years probation, the AAU said it was over the "boys failing to meet their commitment." Returning to the "meet of champions" in 1962 Jones set a record in the 100 yard dash of 9.4 seconds. In the Texas Relays Jones was part of record smashing times in the 440, 880, and medley relays.
On the football field he began his career as a linebacker, was moved to running back and eventually to flanker. The 1961 Sports Illustrated preview reads,"TEXAS SOUTHERN ( Houston): It is time for a comeback by the Tigers, who do not take kindly to years like 1960, when they won four and lost six. Only three of 26 lettermen graduated, and what is left is a team that can take quite unkindly to its rivals. Halfback Robert Batts runs a 9.7 hundred, and Homer Jones, who doubles at end, was a member of TSU's famed sprint relay team last spring. Center Carl Woodard (230 pounds) and Tackle Lacy Garcia (225) pace a line that has four regulars weighing from 230 to 250, and Quarterback Charles Green finally has more than one receiver."
The 1961 Florida A& M-Texas Southern preview lists him as a dangerous runner out of the HB position.
The 1963 AFL draft was held on December 1, 1962 several days before the NFL draft. Jones was taken by the Houston Oilers at the start of the fifth round, the 33rd player chosen. There he could join Frazier and remain in his college town.
The next Monday the NFL held their draft. At the very end of the draft a couple of interesting small college selections were made by the Giants. In round 19 they selected Junious Buchanan a huge defensive lineman and track star from Grambling. In round 20 they took Homer Jones with their final pick. Buchanan had been taken by the Dallas Texans first overall and signed that same day.
Jones would have the opportunity to play in his college hometown. The Giants would need some good fortune to come their way for either of these players to join them. In the case of Buchanan it never happened, the Texans moved to Kansas City, stabilized and Buchanan known as "Buck" became a member of the Hall of Fame.
The Giants also appeared to have lost out on Jones. His college coach revealed that Homer had signed a secret hush, hush contract with the Oilers on February 2, 1963. That made him ineligible to compete in the NAIA track championships. Jones signed for a $10,000 one year contract and a $2,000 signing bonus.
Jones traveled to Colorado Springs to take part in the Oilers training camp. Once there he was unable to perform deep knee bend exercises that were a tip off to the Oilers of a knee issue. Apparently Jones had suffered a knee inury during the season at Texas Southern, although other reports indicated he injured it again in a pick up game prior to training camp. Apparently in the Oilers rush to sign Jones and Jones's desire to sign a contract that the earlier issue was unknown. Here the story takes one of two paths, either the Oilers were unhappy giving bonus money to a player with a undisclosed pre-existing injury and released him knowing surgery was needed and not wanting to put up money for more surgery or they sent him back to Houston for further evaluation. The second part of that story has him showing up at the Oiler office in Houston for his operation and finding him bewildered when people there knew nothing of his presence. Apparently no one had sent the office information about his need for an operation and Jones showed up unannounced. Seeking a friendly voice Jones called New York and spoke with Wellington Mara and asked for advice. Mara advised him to get his release from the Oilers contract. Someone unknown within the organization gave it to him and Jones was on his way to New York for his $200 operation described as simple knee surgery.
Jones arrived late in training camp, had his knee operation, and then worked himself into shape. The vehicle for this was the Giants Taxi Squad. The Taxi Squad called by Wellington Mara "my greatest luxury" was a group of 8 or 9 players who were paid $200 per week. The term had been coined by the Browns Paul Brown who in the era of small rosters found a way to keep around a few extra players to use as replacements or of whom to develop skills for future use. He did not pay them but they were instead employed by a local taxi company to keep them around. In turn the taxi company would receive promotions for being associated with the Browns. Soon other teams began to keep players around without the pretense of finding them other employment.
The Giants made great use of this way to stash talent. They even found a way to keep number one pick in 1962 Jerry Hillebrand whose development was slowed by injury on the taxi squad. In 1963 in addition to Jones, there were Bob Anderson HB Army, KR Johnny Counts, LB Louis Guy, and LB Al Gursky all who saw limited time on the Giants active roster and 1964 starting MLB Lou Slaby.
Generally players would spend a year on the squad and either make it or move on, Jones would be an exception in that he would spend almost two years on the taxi squad, not joining the Giants active roster until the near the end of the 1964 season. During the time he was inactive he became the subject of interest for several reasons. One reason was his inability or unwillingness to run pass patterns. If he had to run a down and out he would run it down and in, then walk back to the huddle or the coaches or both and shrug and grin. Jones said "It wasn't quite that bad, I just wouldn't break it off sharp enough, instead of going inside down and in, I would do an inside fly." People associated with the Giants said it took Jones three years to learn to run a fly pattern, a straight line down the field. But in addition to his world class speed there was just something likeable about him, Wellington Mara talked how popular Jones was with the young kids at training camp, "the little kids liked him, they'd come to his room at camp and he'd make model airplanes for them."
Jones was so agreeable some of his teammates nicknamed him "tuna" as in prime meat to be gobbled up by defensive backs in scrimmage. Close to earning that coveted roster spot in 1965, Jones in scrimmage one day after a reception found first Spider Lockhart and second Clarence Childs ready as confident defensive backs to knock him down. Jones instead flattened Lockhart, then Childs in succession. No one called Jones "tuna" again.
The first day he came to his first Giant training camp he reported he lost his new car. A few weeks later it was stolen again.
Another source of interest was his enormous hands. Don Smith the Giants PR director enjoyed introducing strangers to Jones whose handshake according to William Wallace of the Times left the other party "feeling that he had put his hand in a animal trap." Wallace said Jones fingers "almost reached to the other person's elbow."
Rosters at that time were 36 in 1963 then 37 men in 1964. The Giants in 1963 had Frank Gifford at FL, Del Shofner at SE; if they needed a third WR due to injury Joe Morrison could shift from HB or Aaron Thomas could move over from TE an either of them could perform with great skill. So there was no room for a wide receiver in training. In 1964 Jones did play in exhibitions but with Tittle under duress from a suddenly porous offensive line, little connection was made. Jones did get a chance to work at FL with Gifford out in preseason and caught a TD pass late in a 34-10 defeat to Green Bay. In terms of roster competition, things were even more crowded than in 1963, the Giants had the vision of rebuilding their backfield with the addition on multitalented first round pick Joe Don Looney of Oklahoma, multipurpose second round pick Steve Thurlow of Stanford and speedy Dick James formerly of the Redskins. That meant Morrison could spend more time at FL to compliment the aging Gifford. So there appeared few opportunities for Jones.
However things fell apart for the Giants, Looney whose checkered college career was thought by one Giants official able to be cured with a NFL paycheck, had far deeper problems and was traded before training camp was over. James inability to hold onto the football hurt the Giants as much as he hurt them with his speed when he was with Washington. Morrison was as a result forced to spend more time in the backfield. Shofner was injured and missed part of the season. Gifford and R.C. Owens (acquired from Baltimore during training camp) were both at the end of their careers. With Joe Walton injured or exiled to injured reserve, Thomas had to spend more time at TE. With Giants unable to field a full team do to health and their three year hold on the NFL East decisively over, Jones was activated from the practice squad on 11-28-64.
On December 6, 1964 Jones name would appear in boxscore for the first time in a regular season game. The Giants (2-8-2) would play one of their more spirited first halves of the season and were leading the Vikings (6-5-1) 21-20 going to the fourth quarter before losing. Jones would return kicks 3 for 50 yards, but it was more a case of the Vikings kicking away from Childs who broke off a 100 yard TD return in the first quarter. A replay shows Jones heading upfield blocking for Childs on the return. He did catch two passes for 41 yards and moved into the starting lineup for the final game versus Cleveland. There he joined fellow rookies Thurlow and Ernie Wheelright to start alongside banged up veteran QB Y.A. Tittle in what turned out to be a 52-20 Browns rout that signaled a change in who was to rule the East. While the game was meaningless for the Giants, the Browns were in a tight race with St. Louis, which along with sentiment seemed to be the only justification for the great veteran Tittle starting after having benched the previous two games. Jones again caught two passes for 41 yards and returned three kicks as well.
On the drafting of Olympic sprinter Henry Carr on December 1, 1964, Mara said if nothing else he can race Homer Jones in training camp.
Then in 1965 it all happened, Gifford retired, Shofner was never quite as productive again and the Giants acquired Earl Morrall who could throw, but had a chip on his shoulder. He had been benched behind Milt Plum in Detroit unable to dodge the label of inconsistency that had followed his career ever since he was a backup to Tittle in SF in the 1950's.
After a pedestrian 2-2 start, with blowout losses to the good teams Dallas and Minnesota and close wins over thebad teams Eagles, and Steelers it all came together for Morrall and Jones on a 53 degree autumn day in New York. Jones with one reception on the season had moved ahead of Shofner, but had done nothing of distinction, nothing that could translate the 9.3 100 speed or 20.5 220 speed he had flashed a few years ago into football skills.
In the second quarter up 14-7, the Giants on their own 11 Morrall fading close to the goal line fired a pass to Jones down the left sideline the ball sailing over the head of Eagles DB Irv Cross, Jones catching it facing his won goal line, pivoting a Cross grabbed for him in vain, the a 40 yard dash punctuated by Jones slamming the football to the ground. It wasn't talked about in the media that day, it didn't have a name, years later Jones would be given credit as the originator of the spike, but it wasn't an act of showboating, it was a statement for a man who spent two years on the Giants taxi squad carry his Houston Oilers release in his helmet as a reminder. In 2009 Jones would tell USA Today he wanted to throw the ball in the stands like he had seen Gifford and Webster do, but Commisioner Pete Rozelle had been instituting $500 fines for such acts, so as he crossed the goal line he decided his salary couldn't support that, and he threw the ball down instead. Some would disagree about whether it was a statement or showboating given his later day statement about throwing it into the stands, but in that same interview Jones said of modern day scoring rituals, "I think all the dancing and so on carries it a little further than I ever thought it was going to go," and "I don't particularly care for it."
The other thing to remember is Jones had now made a statement in the NFL the way his friend and fellow track star Stone Johnson hadn't. Johnson signed by the Chiefs died of a broken neck suffered in a exhibition game in 1963 versus the Oilers.
That would be it for Jones that day save one other reception. Morrall would throw for four TD passes, the Giants would win 35-27, Aaron Thomas would have 145 yards in receiving, the malinged Giants defense would have four interceptions. But Jones was the subject of the media.
When asked where he was in 1947 when the Giants record for longest TD reception was set by George Franck, Jones said, "Who is he?...In elementary school in Pittsburgh, Texas, I guess, Imagine that. you know I practiced all day yesterday catching the ball out of the sun, but I never looked up once. Never raised my head, I just kept my eyes on a dark spot and glanced at an angle and there was my ball, but I knew I had him (Cross) beat when I made my first four or five steps. He kind of hesitated. I knew if I got that close to him it was all over. Most of the time if so get within two yards of a guy it's all over. "
When asked what route he had run..."flanker left something" he said and grinned "I think it's called a wing fly pattern."
With Shofner being questionable due to a groin injury, Jones didn't know he was starting until 25 minutes before the game. When asked if he was nervous, Jones answered "Why should I be?"
After the game Thomas when asked about Jones said "in his world there's no Viet Nam, no nuclear problems, nothing that can't be forgotten just by shrugging your shoulders." Someone later asked Thomas about Jones having been kind of a team joke, he responded "no one is a joke really" but he couldn't help grinning at the mention of Jones name.
Earl Morrall said Homer Jones is so fast he can outrun a 70 yard pass.
Homer was on his way and the numbers and quotes would follow.
In 1965 the nickname "tuna" was replaced by "Homer Q" as in question mark. "No one knows what I'm going to do," said Jones.
One day Allie Sherman was watching game film and jumped out of his chair "run that play back again" he said to coach Ken Kavanaugh and after it was ran again Sherman asked "where the hell was Homer going on that one? What pattern was that?" Kavanaugh replied "I never saw that one myself" despite coaching ends for 20 years.
QB Earl Morrall says "you look at the films and at times you're wondering where he's wandering to. You're not quite sure where you're going to find him, but he's getting his moves down better and a change of pace, which he needs..."
One day walking through the clubhouse Homer said " A Rolling Stone's worth two in the bush." People who heard it grinned, Homer said "they thought I made that one up myself I just heard it on TV and I repeated it."
But that might be the only thing made up by or about Homer. The next three seasons would bring thrills, a understanding and rapport with a new QB, a challenge to Bob Hayes and numbers that still stand out 45 years later.
From news articles an
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/168923-the-nfl-legend-who-changed-the-game-forever
http://www.giantsfans.net/index.php?option=com_content& view=article& id=89:homer-jones-a-football-retrospective-& catid=26& Itemid=43
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/2009-07-16-celebrations-cover_N.htm
1966 Profile: Homer Jones
Split End
No. 45
Texas Southern
"Bursting on the scene in 1965 like a meteor was Homer Jones, who is taking over as the Giants' new split end. All Homer ever had to do was show that he could stick to his patterns; he has speed to burn. In what really amounted to his rookie year, he caught 26 passes for 709 yards and six touchdowns. His 89-yard touchdown romp against the Eagles was the season's longest reception.
Homer's best moves are the down-and-in, the fly pattern and the square-out-and-up. As one defensive back has stated: 'We play Homer just a little bit deep.'
He was the Giants' 20th draft choice for 1963, but he signed with Houston of the AFL instead. He was released after injuring his knee and asked the Giants for a trial. He got it and was kept on the taxi squad in '63 and '64."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1966
1967 Profile
Homer Jones
Split End
No. 45
Texas Southern
"The cry of help goes out whenever Homer Jones steaks into a defender's zone. Homer's hard enough to cover when he's coming at you, but once he get's behind you he's impossible to catch. The exciting Giant split end can run the hundred in 9.3, and with the largest pair of hands in the league, he can virtually catch a ball by its point.
In his second full season as a regular in '66, he pulled in 48 passes for 1,044 yards for a league-leading 21.8 average and eight touchdowns. He made one grab for a 98-yard score.
The 6-2, 215-pounder's best move is the fly pattern, but he's also shaken loose on his delayed down-and-in. Here, he takes a few quick, disinterested steps downfield, decoying his defender - and then he's gone."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1967
"Homer started off in 1966 just as he runs, like lightning. He drew double coverage but still grabbed 38 aerials, tops for New York, for 1,044 yards and a league high of 21.8 yards per catch. He made eight touchdowns, one for 98 yards."
-1967 Philadelphia Cards, No. 113
1968 Profile
1968 Profile: Homer Jones
Split End
No. 45
Texas Southern
"Homer is skyrocketing into the upper echelons of NFL receivers. His flashing speed, sure-catch hands and powerful torso make covering him a difficult job for any one - or two - defenders. With his 9.3 speed, it's virtually to catch Homer from behind, and at 6-2 and 215 pounds, he can bowl over a defender who gets in his way.
Last year, he busted loose for 49 receptions which were good for 1,209 yards and a league high of 13 touchdowns; his 24.7 yards per catch were also the best in the league. He had his first big year in 1966 when he caught 48 passes for 1,044 yards, a 21.8 average, and eight touchdowns. Naturally, he gets a lot of double coverage, even more than normal because the Giants have no other deep threat.
A six-year vet from Texas Southern, Homer was slow getting started as a pro because he had trouble learning the science of pattern running. Now he could qualify as a Ph.D. in the subject."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1968
"A sensation in 1967, Homer led the NFL with 13 touchdowns last year. His 24.7 average gain per grab was also tops in the circuit.
Homer defeated the Russians in the 1960 Olympics."
1969 Profile
HOMER JONES
Split End
No. 45
Texas Southern
"He might be hard put to tell you what charisma is, but Homer Jones is simply drooling with it. The moment he streaks into the clear, he electrifies the crowd. His danger is imminent. This is Homer doing his thing, gobbling up a pass with his big mitts, beating his defender then leaving him for dead. The final moment is when he slams the ball down hard in the end zone after crossing the goal line. That's charisma, baby.
Last year Homer finished tenth in the NFL with his 45 receptions for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns. And his 23.5 yards per catch led the league in that department for the third year in a row. Last season, Homer dropped a few passes; the Giants would rather see him drop a few pounds instead in '69."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
"For the fourth straight, Homer topped the N.F.L. in average yards per catch. 1968 was the third successive year he picked up 1,000 yards.
An explosive runner, Homer is usually double-teamed by the opposition because of his ability to out-run anybody. In school, he won three letters in track."
-1969 Topps No. 244
Shane McDermott LS W-DAL 2016 NYG 2016 2-18-1992
Gary Reasons LILB/RILB D4-NW Louisiana 1984 NYG 1984-1991 2-18-1962
Rippa: Forgotten Players of the Moment – GARY REASONS
http://cantteachspeed.com/reasons/
Nationals Football Foundation: Gary Reasons came out of Crowley, Texas, to star as a linebacker at Northwestern State University in Louisiana. He was the first player to be named three times to the Division 1-AA All-America team picked by the American Football Coaches Association. Reasons set school records with 172 tackles in a season and 394 tackles in his career. He made 24 tackles in a game against McNeese State. In 1983 the Louisiana Sports Writers Association voted Resasons the No. 1 defensive player in the state. The school retired his jersey, No. 34. Reasons was an honor student and graduated with a degree in business administration. He stood 6-4 in height and weighed 235. Reasons became a starter midway through his freshman season at Northwestern State. He played pro football with the New York Giants 1984-91 and the Cincinnati Bengals 1992. In 1994 he joined ABC-TV as a sidelines reporter and analyst on football broadcasts.
Berkow NYT: Gary Reasons' Head (1-06-1990)
“The head is a strange instrument, an awesome thing, a thing of multiple utilities. It can be used to cogitate; it can be used to ruminate; the skeletal remnant can be a memory device - ''Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio.'' And it can be used as a weapon - like being armed with your head.
When Gary Reasons used it as such a bludgeon four weeks ago, it may have saved the game for the Giants, saved their playoff chances and helped create some of the optimism that they take into tomorrow's playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams in the Meadowlands.
Reasons, a Giant linebacker, tackled a man with his head. In fact, his head tackled the other guy's head in midair. It was such a spectacular collision that, Reasons said, people still exclaim about it.
''I was coming to practice earlier this week,'' he recalled, ''and a CBS cameraman hollered from his truck, 'Hey, Gary, you jumped right out of my frame!'
''And the other night on Warner Wolf's 'Plays of the Decade,' he showed it and said it was 'The Hit of the Decade.' '' On the screen, Bobby Humphrey, the Denver Broncos' tailback, was beginning his jump over the pile of players to try to score from the one-foot line. Reasons anticipated the play and leaped, too. The pair, going in opposite directions in the same flight pattern, smacked face gear-to-face gear with such force that the ear flap inside Humphrey's helmet flew out - some thought it was his mouthpiece - and Humphrey was knocked back about a yard.
For Reasons, the crack of heads in midair was pure pleasure. ''It got our offense on the field and everybody was high-fivin' me,'' he said. ''This doesn't happen to a linebacker very often. It was like a Michael Jordan 360 slam dunk.''
The game situation was this: in the third quarter at Mile High Stadium in snowy Denver, the Broncos, one of football's best teams, had the ball inches from the goal on fourth down. Denver had just tried three plays from within the 1-yard line, without scoring. The Giants were ahead - that word has a way of cropping up - 14-0. If the Broncos scored, got pumped up, scored some more, the Giants might lose, drop to a 9-5 record, and perhaps disappear into the sunset of the season.
''I thought that that goal-line stand, and that play were symbolic of our team, and our entire season,'' Reasons said this week. ''We hung in there when most people didn't expect us to. We lost a lot of important people due to retirement and injuries, and a lot of people were picking us to finish behind Philadelphia or Washington or both in our division.''
The tackle by Reasons made him only giddy, not groggy. ''If you hit a guy right, use the right technique,'' he said, ''it shouldn't be much of a problem.''
The right technique, he explained, is accomplished with the face, or the forehead, or the nose, but not the top or back of the head. ''That's when you can get hurt,'' he said. ''That's when you can get that tingly sensation down the spine. The neck isn't made for tackles like that.''
To a layman, or someone else sunk in a sofa and watching a football game, it is difficult to imagine how mighty are the collisions in the game, and how risky.
''But you can't worry about that,'' said Reasons. ''You have to play aggressively. It's like a fighter pilot who goes up in an airplane. He may never come back. You know there's going to be contact, and there's always room for error.''
''Sometimes after home games,'' said Terri Reasons, Gary's wife, ''I'll be waiting for him outside the locker room and he doesn't come out right away. I start to worry. Deep down in your mind, you're wondering, 'Is he O.K.?' ''
Now in his sixth season in the pros, Reasons has been playing with a sprained knee, but says he has suffered in his career little more than ''the usual assortment of bumps and bruises and nicks.''
''Oh, I've been shaken up, sure,'' he said. ''I remember my rookie year with the Giants, and meeting John Riggins head on. He was a 250-pound running back and hitting him when he was in full steam made me a little wobbly.''
One of the tricks of the trade, Reasons believes, is to stay cool. Before a game, he will keep his head even when some about him may be losing theirs. Some players through the years have been known to get up for a game, or harden their heads, by beating them against a locker.
''I don't,'' said Reasons, ''and most of the Giants are fairly calm before a game. It's not like 'North Dallas Forty.' '' This was a reference to the film in which football made war look like Simon Says.
Also, explained Reasons, he must stay cool because he has the intellectual responsibility of calling defensive signals on the field.
In the end, then, would he describe his head as a hard head, a soft head or an egg head?
''I'd call it a suitable head,'' he said.
https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/06/sports/sports-of-the-times-gary-reasons-head.html
Robert Thomas DT W-CAR 2016 NYG 2016-2017 2-18-1991
Danny Ware RB W-NYJ 2007 NYG 2007-2011 2-18-1985
Vince Warren WR D5-SD State 1986 NYG 1986 2-18-1963
In Memoriam
Art Lewis T D1-Ohio 1936 NYG 1936 Born 2-18-1911 Died 6-13-1962
