Steelers breaking in top pick Jones slowly

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By Alan Robinson

Jarvis Jones must prove it to LaMarr Woodley, Larry Foote and Lawrence Timmons before he can establish it with Keith Butler.

Prove he can read and react fast enough to play in one of the NFL's most complicated defenses. Prove he knows the defense's intricacies. Prove that he's not, as coach Mike Tomlin might say, a one-trick pony.

If Jones is to start as a rookie in a defense that is searching for a replacement for All-Pro outside linebacker James Harrison, he must show his teammates that he indeed knows and understands the defense they've mastered.

That's something even Woodley couldn't achieve as a rookie.

“It's not fair to the rest of the guys to have him out on the field,” Butler, the Steelers' linebackers coach, said Wednesday. “He knows that. Before he plays, he's got to know what he's doing.”

As soon as the Steelers drafted Jones with the No. 17 pick, the anticipation was that he would start immediately. He was the top pass rusher in college football last season with 141⁄2 sacks at Georgia, and his style and demeanor seem perfect for a pressure-based defense.

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/4184621-74/woodley-butler-jones#ixzz2W3aSiXmQ

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As soon as the Steelers drafted Jones with the No. 17 pick, the anticipation was that he would start immediately.

Hmmmm, who was anticipating that Jones would start immediately? Take a look at the Cowher and Tomlin eras ... how many rookies have started immediately on defense?

Wallace108 wrote:

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As soon as the Steelers drafted Jones with the No. 17 pick, the anticipation was that he would start immediately.

Hmmmm, who was anticipating that Jones would start immediately? Take a look at the Cowher and Tomlin eras ... how many rookies have started immediately on defense?

Right, it's been tough to pull off amongst the rookies. But if he does start, he really must have picked up the ins and outs of this complex defense and we could assume he's an upgrade from Worilds. The small Butler quote in that article was the back end of a larger quote. I found a similar article by Ed Bouchette in the Post and here's the rest of that quote:

"I think you play people when they're ready to play and, what I mean by that is when they know what they're doing," Butler said. "If they don't know what they're doing, they hurt the doggone defense, and it's not fair to the rest of the guys to have them out on the field. He knows that, and I've talked to him about it. Before he plays, he has to know what he's doing."

Wallace108 wrote:

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As soon as the Steelers drafted Jones with the No. 17 pick, the anticipation was that he would start immediately.

Hmmmm, who was anticipating that Jones would start immediately? Take a look at the Cowher and Tomlin eras ... how many rookies have started immediately on defense?

While I still think that Worilds will start for at least the first part of this season, I wouldn't protest Jones starting at all. He seems to be getting the grasp of the defense and learning new tasks that comes with it. As to your question, I think the last time a rookie linebacker started was Kendrell Bell who won the NFL defensive rookie of the year award in 2001.

steelerdude15 wrote:

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While I still think that Worilds will start for at least the first part of this season, I wouldn't protest Jones starting at all. He seems to be getting the grasp of the defense and learning new tasks that comes with it. As to your question, I think the last time a rookie linebacker started was Kendrell Bell who won the NFL defensive rookie of the year award in 2001.

Yep, both Bell and Hampton started as rookies. They were exceptions, to say the least. The last outside linebacker to start as a rookie? Jack Ham in 1971.

So while there's precedent and therefore a chance that Jones can start on Day 1, history says that more than likely he won't. I think in order for Jones to start, he'll have to be beyond impressive, and Worilds will have to show little or nothing.

Everyone wants Jones to start, and on the surface, that would be awesome. But if Jones starts, that would mean that Worilds is a total bust and we lack quality depth at outside linebacker. Worilds has experience and understands the defense. In theory, it should be his job to lose. If Jones ends up starting, that says just as much about Worilds as it does Jones.