InvaderRam wrote:

jourdan rodrigue wrote this article for the athletic. she’s usually not prone to hyperbole. and maybe i’m wrong but there seems to be a lot of hype building up around jones. having him and wagner in the middle could be a gamechanger for this defense. https://theathletic.com/3342600/2022/06/13/rams-ernest-jones-linebacker/?redirected=1

‘He’s different’: Inside Rams’ Ernest Jones’ journey toward NFL’s next great linebacker

Jourdan Rodrigue

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Putting on full football gear is a meticulous act and, for many players, a well-practiced and mindless routine.

For Ernest Jones, inserting knee and thigh pads, adjusting his socks to the right height, clipping the buckles on his shoulder pads and attending to a dozen other details is meditative. When equipment assistants offer to help with various clips and clasps, Jones politely declines. The act of putting himself together, piece by piece, is his own.

“It’s an armor thing,” Jones told The Athletic. “I love that … I’m connected to every part of the game, even those little things that some people don’t worry about. It’s just something that I have to do that makes me go out there and perform at my best.”

Jones is an inside linebacker. Inside linebackers in the Rams’ defensive scheme need to navigate the field effectively horizontally and vertically. They must play predictively — with a savvy diagnosis of the quarterback, whom they study while simultaneously moving through the most heavily trafficked portion of the field and finding the ball, whether the quarterback declares where he’s putting it or not. Inside linebackers used to play like rocks crashing into rocks, thudding painfully downhill into single gaps. Now, and in this particular defense, they must play like water flowing to that rock, weaving around and through whatever is in the way, then crashing, then smothering. To play like this means understanding space.

That is what sets Jones apart, even as young as he is. He doesn’t see the lanes and leverages that develop around him once the ball is snapped as much as he feels them. He has an innate knowledge of space but also an ownership of it that is growing as he continues to mature as a player.

“More so than seeing it, it’s more of a feel,” he said. “I can feel a lineman on my left side, where I may need to dip my shoulder or put out my arm. You see a little, but I more so feel, and that’s the way I navigate through it. I’m just weaving in and out, through it, just trying to get to the ball. That’s the majority of it: a feel.”

As Jones puts on his equipment piece by piece, he believes he is also activating his connection to football, a “flow state” that eventually takes over his mind and body when he starts to play and allows him to command the space around him. Jones believes each small action is a bridge to the game he plays, which tethers him to it. It’s a striking consideration for someone so young. Jones is just 22 — even as a second-year player he is still among the youngest of his teammates — and in 2021 he was their youngest starter.

Over a nine-month span last year, Jones rapidly ascended from late third-round draft pick to midyear starter to impact starter on the Rams’ star-studded roster. He recovered from a serious ankle injury — and in-season surgery — over a four-game period and ultimately recorded seven tackles (two for loss), defensed a pass and sacked Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow in the Rams’ Super Bowl win in mid-February.

What does a person do next if they reach the mountaintop at just 22? For all of Jones’ understanding and connection to the space around him as he plays, what will he do with what is ahead of him?

Rams Southeast area scout Michael Pierce was on a routine visit to check on a few senior players at South Carolina when Jones caught his attention.

“All of the sudden, there’s a sophomore and you’re looking out there like: ‘Man, who is this linebacker who is so spirited and passionate? He’s competing, talking and chirping as a sophomore,’” Pierce said. “Who is this guy?! Then you go in the building, and you don’t (usually) want to talk about underclassmen. But you’re like, ‘Hey, man, that No. 53, he stands out.’”

Pierce studied Jones closely after that. He could see he was raw, sure. But he was growing into his long arms and legs and huge hands, and Jones just kept coming at the more veteran players in competitive practices.

“And then you turn on the film, and you’re like: ‘Man, he’s so instinctive — so instinctive — so young. … He’s different from a lot of people on the field,” Pierce said.

Pierce and the Rams weren’t the only ones who recognized Jones’ potential as he developed into a team captain at South Carolina. Ira Turner, an Agency 1 agent who now represents Jones, remembers sitting on a couch across from Jones and his mother, Porsche Wells, in their home when he was working to sign Jones. Wells grilled Turner front, back and sideways as Jones fought to suppress a grin.

“His mom is very particular about who is around her son,” Turner said, laughing. “We had to go through the third degree with her!

“It just was a fit. … Over (time), we’ve been able to build a bond. This is definitely family.”

Their connection was immediate. Jones said meeting Turner felt like “home.” Jones leaned on Turner as he went through what was, in his mind, a frustrating draft process. He declared for the 2021 NFL Draft with a year of eligibility left and didn’t test well during the pre-draft evaluation period. Jones’ Relative Athletic Score was a 6.39 out of 10, and multiple draft analysts predicted he would be a career backup player or special-teamer. Jones had a draft party with friends and family, and what started as a fun gathering turned into an excruciating wait as pick after pick went by.

What Jones didn’t know was the Rams were hoping his less-than-flashy athletic testing numbers would help him fall to them late in the third round. General manager Les Snead, in particular, was hooked on Jones after watching his tape. The year before, the Rams found a late-round gem in safety Jordan Fuller, who didn’t test well but showed high football and emotional intelligence and was hardly ever out of position. Snead, Pierce and eventually defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and then-linebackers coach Chris Shula (coaches join the draft process near its end) saw similar traits in Jones. Fuller won a starting job in training camp as a rookie in 2020; the group of evaluators felt Jones could be an early starter, too.

“This is an instinctive guy who is wired the right way,” Pierce said. “He plays the game the right way. On top of that, he’s mature on and off the field. In my opinion, I thought he was a perfect fit for us because this guy, he wants to own this. He wants to be the owner of the defense. He wants to know it all. He wants to be the guy.”

When the Rams sent in their pick for Jones at No. 103 — “We were shocked he was there,” said Shula — it was with rare consensus agreement from the entire staff: the scouts and executives, the analysts and the coaches.

“It was awesome seeing that he was on the board on that point because you never know where a guy like that goes,” Pierce said. “Him being there was like, ‘Yes.‘ Absolutely. Everybody loved Ernest. … It’s pretty rare. You got 10 to 15 people watching these guys; you’re bound to have at least one person (disagree), which is totally fine. But yes, it’s rare to say that everybody feels like this guy can play for us and we’re excited, that we want him on our team. That’s pretty rare.”

As Jones’ rookie season began, he was eager to contribute immediately, but he didn’t — at least not as a starter. The Rams were still exploring the more veteran linebacker Kenny Young’s fit in an evolving defense under Morris, and they didn’t want to suddenly pivot to Jones, who at the time was unproven. Turner often talked on the phone with Jones about staying ready, staying patient and not rushing his journey even as his then-21-year-old client ached to get on the field. By accident during a preseason game, Jones had gotten a taste of what his role could be when he called the first defensive series because the helmet microphone connected to Morris wasn’t working. And he wanted more.

But it wasn’t until the Rams traded Young to the Broncos in late October that Jones knew his opportunity had come. Internally, sources said at the time, the personnel staff felt Jones was ready for more snaps, and that meant moving on from Young. Ultimately, that move began talks between Denver and Los Angeles about their major trade for Von Miller just a few days later. Jones’ readiness, the staff thought, was the hinge point in fast-tracking the conversation about Miller. If Jones hadn’t been ready, the Rams wouldn’t have opened dialogue with Denver about Young, then escalated it to Miller. It was a complicated feeling for Jones; he and Young got along well, but Jones was also consumed by a need to get on the field.

“That was my first real big view of how the NFL works, the business (side),” Jones said. “Of course I hated it, just knowing Kenny and (he had) to just pack up everything, move everything — his family. That’s not something any of us want to see. … But I knew at that point in time that it was my time to do a job.”

Turner called Jones to talk him through what he was feeling, then said: “It’s time to go. I know you’re ready.”

Jones’ growth since the summer — and his effect on the Rams defense — was immediately apparent. He played 10 snaps on defense in an ugly Week 4 loss to Arizona, but his workload increased to 68 snaps against the Cardinals in Week 14. Against the small, slippery Kyler Murray, Jones’ long arms, big hands in throwing lanes and ability to manipulate and leverage the space in the middle of the field became a menace. He had seven tackles, tipped a pass and intercepted one, too (and returned it 31 yards). Coaches saw that while Jones still had a lot to learn about the NFL, his instinctive play and feel for flowing through and shedding stacks of massive players to get where he needed to go was something they couldn’t teach.

“He’s truly, like, a modern-day old-school linebacker,” Shula said. “You just don’t get in the way. Let him play.”

“Since I started playing linebacker, I just felt like I had a knack for weaving through and just being able to get to the ball, in a sense,” Jones said, “not having to always fight through people or fight through traffic. … To be able to go around it or go through it in ways most people don’t.”

In Week 16, Jones suffered a bad high ankle sprain. He chose to have surgery immediately, in hopes he could make a postseason return, but nothing was promised. And the rehab was brutal.

“Rehab is stressful, just knowing that time is limited, and you just don’t want to have injuries and be off the field,” Jones said. “There were tough days where I wanted to cry, where I did cry, just working through the movements and trying to get it back as strong as possible.

“I just knew that I wanted to get back out there and prove I could still come back and play and that I’m here for the team and want to do the best and want to be the best so that we could go out there and win.”

Jones returned in time for the NFC Championship Game against San Francisco.

“Coming back from a high ankle sprain, surgery, back in four weeks — I don’t even understand how you do that, first of all,” Fuller said. “But the reason he was back is because of how he approaches everything he does. It’s a testament to him and what he’s made up of inside.”

Against the 49ers, a still-recovering Jones played only about half of his usual snaps. As usual, he wanted more.

“Even in the weeks before that, I was already running. I was already feeling good,” he said. “I wanted to be back for that game, against that team.”

Two weeks later, as the first quarter of the Super Bowl unfolded, Jones defensed a pass on fourth-and-1 that gave the Rams the ball back at midfield — they scored their first touchdown a few plays later. At halftime, Morris adjusted the game plan for Jones, allowing him to blitz more frequently through the rest of the game and stay on the field against the Bengals’ three-receiver sets. In the third quarter, Jones’ sack on Burrow for a 7-yard loss helped stall what had been a furious second-half comeback effort by the Bengals. Jones pushed his still-recovering body to its limits until late in the fourth quarter, when he had to hobble off the field after stopping running back Joe Mixon for a 3-yard loss and just before the Rams mounted their final go-ahead scoring drive.

As the final score flashed on the massive video board at SoFi Stadium and the blue and yellow confetti fell, Jones limped toward the middle of the field. He fell to his knees, then pressed his forehead to the turf.

In late March, the Rams added future Hall of Fame inside linebacker Bobby Wagner to their roster in free agency.

Wagner, 31, has long been known for his ability to diagnose quarterbacks and offenses as the former defensive signal caller through the standout era of Seattle Seahawks football. The Rams, who historically do not financially invest in the inside linebacker position, aggressively pursued Wagner not only because they felt his presence would help keep them in postseason contention, but also because they saw an opportunity to push Jones, too.

“When he came for the visit (pre-signing), I got a call, and I was like: ‘Let’s get him. Let’s do what we gotta do and get him here to help us win it again,’” Jones said.

Wagner was Jones’ favorite player growing up (and still is). Wagner is also a player whose traits, particularly his football IQ/EQ and how he negotiates space on the field, the Rams studied when building their pre-draft evaluation profile of Jones.

“Him being in the room every day and just watching him, it’s been amazing. It’s been the highlight of my career so far,” Jones said. “(I’m) learning from someone who has done everything that I aspire to do: Pro Bowls, All-Pros, Super Bowls. He’s everything that I want to (be) and more.

“Man, he’s great. Just being able to watch him do the work. … We sit there and talk football all the time, but I’m more so visualizing, watching what he does throughout the day. Watch his stance. Watch his feet. Watch his hands, how his body moves. Just trying to perfect my craft and be one of the greatest, like he is.”

Wagner laughed, and winced a little, when he first met Jones and realized Jones was born almost 10 years after him. Quickly, the two started sharing music (Wagner, a Los Angeles native, loves Kendrick Lamar, while Jones is trying to put him on to Rod Wave), and Jones teases Wagner for always wanting to play basketball — “Even though he can’t, which I really don’t understand,” Jones said, chuckling. When they take the field together, they are two generations of the linebacker position in action: the veteran and the young player who hopes he’s ready to receive the torch when it’s passed.

“He has all of the attributes of a great linebacker. If I could do anything to help, I will,” Wagner said. “I think he’s a very special player, and he has a chance to be really, really good.”

“He’s gonna be tired of me before it’s all said and done,” added Jones, chuckling again. “We’re going to be connected at the hip. He’s gonna be aggravated with the questions I do ask. He’s a genius, for real. Just having him there, it’s truly going to take my game to the next level.”

This spring, Jones’ hometown of Waycross, Ga., threw him a celebration day and parade after the Rams won the Super Bowl. Waycross is a “Friday Night Lights” town that shuts down its stores each week when Ware County High football plays because everybody’s at the game. Jones played on both sides of the ball back then. He was a long-armed, big-handed receiver before he grew out of the position and became a tight end, then picked up linebacker just over six years ago to maximize his playing time.

“I loved it, not coming off the field,” he said. He now realizes he needed those extra snaps on a deeper level. His mother worked hard to support her family (and she never missed one of Jones’ practices or games), but times weren’t always easy. Some weeks, Jones wasn’t sure where they would stay or sleep.

But football was a fixed point, a place of refuge. Further, it was something Jones understood even when he felt lost, unmoored or anxious. As he locked into his rhythm on the field, Jones created a space around him that he could always come back to. A place that was his.

“It’s always been something I could always lean on,” he said. “When times weren’t the way I wanted them to be, just anything we could do (that was) about football — talking about it, playing it, looking at it, watching it — just gives me the joy to keep going …

“Football is a safe place for me, to be able to get away from everything.”

When Jones traveled back to Waycross for the town’s celebration, he was stunned and moved by the reception. It felt like he could share his special connection to football with his hometown and like his supporters really understood and valued it — valued him.

“Seeing everyone there, and mostly the kids, how much my name — me being from there and (achieving) such a big accomplishment — (meant) to them, that means the world to me,” he said. “All the hard work that I put in really kind of made sense at that time.

“My accomplishments are minor. To everyone else they may be major, but to me it’s just another thing that I’m trying to do, another stepping stone to a goal. But — it may be a soft spot for my town and the kids back there — just walking down the auditorium and just seeing everybody in there, seeing (kids who) didn’t look like me but who were happy and supportive of what I did. … It was a bunch of different races; everyone came together for me. I never thought I would be in the position where I’m bringing people together like that. It made me feel like I was doing something positive and in the right direction.”

This month, the Rams finished their spring practices in preparation for the season ahead. During seven-on-seven and installation periods, Jones and Wagner ebbed and surged together as they tracked the quarterback and the ball, studying eyes and shoulders and angles and leverages and gaps. Studying and feeling space.

Jones recently changed his jersey number from 50 to 53, in homage to his college days. In the sticky, pressing air of summer practices in Columbia, S.C., Jones took the required steps to blossom into that leader and team captain who first stuck out to Pierce — the player who had the tenacity to throw himself into the unknown of the NFL a year early because he believed he could meet all of the expectations that came next, because it was football and he knows football in a way he still sometimes can’t explain. He just feels it.

Perhaps by changing his number, Jones is reaching back in a way after accomplishing something in his rookie season that so few NFL players achieve in their entire careers. Changing back to No. 53 is about forming yet another tether to the game he loves, but perhaps he is also connecting to his former self who didn’t yet know what the confetti would look like as it fell, who wasn’t yet the hero of the young kids in his hometown. Back when Jones wore No. 53, growing was the entire point. He has a ring. Now, it’s time to see what he can become next.

Soon, Jones will buckle back into his full pads for the first game of just his second season, with so much already behind him and yet everything before him. Jones can’t see the exact steps just yet, but he trusts he’ll feel them. He trusts he’ll meet them.

Click. He’ll wrap his fingers around one buckle, and then another. Click.

Then, the space around Jones — and the space ahead of him — becomes his to explore.