By Harry King
LITTLE ROCK — Six years removed, the burnt orange of Texas might up and bite Matt Jones one more time.
In 2004, the culprits were Texas defensive tackle Larry Dibbles and linebacker Brian Robison. This time around, it’s former Longhorn Jordan Shipley and Terrell Owens.
In ‘04, Jones was ensconced as the quarterback, the main man in the Arkansas offense. Today, he’s one of many wide receivers trying to make the roster of the Cincinnati Bengals.
On Sept. 11 in Fayetteville, Jones ran or passed on 38 of Arkansas’ 74 plays. It was his 27-yard toss to Cedric Washington that put the Razorbacks in position for a go-ahead field goal against No. 7 Texas and it was his fumble that prevented Chris Balseiro from attempting the kick. Dibbles hit Jones from behind on a third-down scramble inside the 10 and Robison recovered to protect the 22-20 victory.
In the NFL, Jones is not a spotlight player. The No. 21 pick in the NFL draft, he had his best year in 2008 when he caught 65 passes for 761 yards despite missing four games, including the final three games of the year when suspended for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. The suspension was handed down a week after Jones was accepted into a drug treatment program and completion of the program erased a cocaine charge against him.
Damaged goods with a reputation for being nonchalant about football, Jones sat out 2009. In February, he signed on with Cincinnati. At the time, flamboyant Chad Ochocinco complimented Cincinnati management for signing Jones and mentioned the receiver’s height as something the Bengals had been missing.
All that adulation is water under the bridge — Ochocino’s new running buddy is old friend Terrell Owens. He is so hyped about pairing up with the five-time All-Pro that he jokingly tweeted “all of our games have been moved to pay-per-view, you got to pay to see this.”
The signing of Owens overshadowed the Bengals coming to terms with Shipley, a move that could affect Jones more than the arrival of Owens. Shipley caught a school record 284 passes at Texas and his character has never been an issue. In fact, Texas coach Mack Brown once said that quarterback Colt McCoy and Shipley “were not afraid to say, ‘No, I don’t cuss. I don’t drink. I’m going to act right, and I’m going to do right.’”
Shipley is a reliable receiver in the mold of New England’s Wes Welker.
At the moment, Cincinnati has 11 receivers; most teams carry six on the 53-player roster. Considering the status of Ochocinco and Owens, Antonio Bryant’s four-year, $28 million contract, Carson Palmer’s familiarity with Andre Caldwell, and Shipley’s ability to contribute on special teams, Jones is among six competing for one spot.
The others are Jerome Simpson, Dezmon Briscoe, Quan Cosby, Freddie Brown, and Maurice Purify. The last two were on the practice squad last season and are likely to be the first two out.
Jones needs to bust his rump in training camp and earn positive reviews from the coaches. Then, he needs to follow-up in the Bengals’ four preseason games that begin Aug. 21. If that’s not enough to satisfy Cincinnati, it should get the attention of some other NFL team in need of a 6-6 backup receiver.
——
Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.
