Calhoun’s presence good for Jones, Lions

By Joel Schout  |   Thursday, June 29, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Detroit Lions
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Kevin Jones' 2005 season was filled with frustrating moments caused by ineffective line play and a quarterback situation that refused to solve itself. After bursting onto the scene with the Lions in 2004 - rushing for 1,133 yards in spite of a slow start - Jones struggled to duplicate those numbers in his sophomore season. Sitting out three of Detroit's last five games with an injury, the second year player was only able to manage 661 yards on the ground for the Lions offense. Adding to his struggles was an inability to garner even one 100-yard game, gaining 87 yards in Week 1 against the Packers that turned out to be his season high.

Jones is hoping that his production for the upcoming season resembles the numbers he put up during his rookie campaign. Increasing the yardage on the field increases the Lions' chances to make some noise in the NFC North. Drafting Brian Calhoun in the third round will do nothing but alleviate some of the load that Jones has had to carry the past two seasons. While Artose Pinner and Shawn Bryson filled in admirably as backups last year, they didn't do much in the way of causing added concern for opposing coordinators.

Calhoun pushing Jones in practice will provide even more motivation for a runner already looking to put last season's mess behind him. Calhoun's a shifty little back who will bounce to the outside as soon as he gets the ball. Calhoun can hit a hole rather quickly as well, and is patient enough to wait for his blocks when he knows they're forthcoming. While not necessarily excelling in terms of pushing a pile, his role won't allow that to become a weakness, as Jones remains the primary ballcarrier on the club.

The fomer Wisconsin Badger will use his receiving prowess to come into the game as a third down back. Part of the reason he transferred from Colorado's program in college was because of their desire to switch him to receiver. The offense Mike Martz has in place is perfectly suited for a scat back like Calhoun, and the time may come when the Lions feel that he's a better fit for what they run than Jones is. The ability to catch the ball out of the backfield is what makes this offense go, and if Calhoun shows that he can provide that little nugget more effectively, he'll be getting more playing time than even he expected.

- Get more on the Lions at Realfootball365.com
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