Christian Jones...anything to see here? (1 Viewer)

[JoeSteeler]

Bears ILB Christian Jones "seems to be cementing himself" as a starter in his second NFL training camp.
Jones has drawn public praise from coach John Fox. Jones was an athletic swiss-army knife at Florida State before falling out of last year's draft due to a failed drug test. We suspect Jones will start inside next to Mason Foster.

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/9433/christian-jones

 

[Patoons]

I say yes, there is something here.

He's everything Fangio looks for in a linebacker (versatile, fast, agile, etc.). He also put on weight this offseason in preparation to play inside and continues to shine in camp.

I actually wouldn't be surprised to see him finish as an LB2 in tackle heavy this year. Mostly because the talent and effort is there. The talent is evident in the fact that he was projected to be drafted around the 3rd round prior consideration of any off-field issues. The Bears' staff is now also highlighting the effort he's put in at camp.

I'm seeing a perfect storm for a Jones breakout in '15.

 

[zilladog]

What about McCLellin? Is he the better bet at ILB for fantasy production? Who to own of the two? Fangio's system seems prime for ILB production, so maybe both?

 

[saintfool]

What about McCLellin? Is he the better bet at ILB for fantasy production? Who to own of the two? Fangio's system seems prime for ILB production, so maybe both?

shea's been set up as the ILB in TC and calling plays. looks like he is sticking around.

 

[Patoons]

What about McCLellin? Is he the better bet at ILB for fantasy production? Who to own of the two? Fangio's system seems prime for ILB production, so maybe both?

Of the two, I preferJones - better talent in my opinion.

That said, seems like they both may keep Foster and Bostic from starting spots.

 

[saintfool]

What about McCLellin? Is he the better bet at ILB for fantasy production? Who to own of the two? Fangio's system seems prime for ILB production, so maybe both?

Of the two, I preferJones - better talent in my opinion.

That said, seems like they both may keep Foster and Bostic from starting spots.

i don't know about the talent part. shea's been moved around too many times and played out of position. this is his first real shot at the middle so he's unproven but a veteran. jones did well last year but too many people are prepared to write off shea. th eonly thing shea did wrong was listen to bad coaches.

 

[saintfool]

from Fangio earlier today:

Asked if constructing his defense has been a jigsaw puzzle or if things just fell into place on their own, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio explained, “Well, I think the jigsaw part of the puzzle came early on, once we decided to put McClellin inside (and) Jones inside, then we knew who the outside backers were so I think that was done early.”

 

[Patoons]

I don't disagree that McClellin was a victim of, call it, bad coaching or player mismanagement. Fangio notoriously puts players in situations to succeed and this situation appears no different. There is no doubt the position switch has been the best decision this staff's made with him. I should have been clear in my note above as I think they both end up starting inside and Bostic/Foster are the odd men out (as supported by the quote above).

That said, as I noted in a previously, I prefer Jones of the two based on talent/skill level. Jones is more physical and has better range in coverage. McClellin needs to be kept clean to succeed.

 

[Patoons]

They paid Foster under a million (800 thousand) on a one-year deal. I'm not sure that guarantees him anything. He needs to earn it.

To put it in perspective, that's less than the Jets paid Jamari Lattimore, the Cowboys Jasper Brinkley, the Eagles Brad Jones, etc. He really got 'back up money' given his 2014 struggles. To be clear, this comparison considers what they'll actually get paid in '15 and is not an average considering the backloaded $.

In the end, Foster is not making all that much more than Jones and in the grand scheme of the defense's total salary, it's negligible. I don't think this should be an indicator of who will start.

The first preseason game will be telling. Especially in how Shea handles things. He's got to prove he's able to translate practice success to games. Jones already proved that late last season as the starting WLB.

 

[The Claymaker]

I also don't think they are going to make decisions based on who is making what. Shea is a talented player and I think will lock down a starting spot, I also think the two starters at ILB will both be fantasy relevant. I certainly am not comparing the players talent but Willis/Bowman were weekly fantasy starters thanks to scheme and talent and talent around them. The Bears overall defensive talent is not comparable to the 9ers of a few years ago, but I do think there will plenty of tackles to go around. My guess is Shea and Jones will be the weekly every down players, eventually.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Shea and Jones at ILB.

Shea labeled as the first-string signal-caller.

 

[saintfool]

Shea and Jones at ILB.

Shea labeled as the first-string signal-caller.

thanks for confirming my post from 8/7.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Shea and Jones at ILB.

Shea labeled as the first-string signal-caller.

thanks for confirming my post from 8/7.

The game confirmed it, more-so then I.

Signal-caller is kind of key though, that's 3-down confirmation.

 

[RushHour]

Any thoughts on Jones vs McClellin if you can only draft one? I'm a Jones guy but I'm torn now.

 

[nastynate]

Mason Foster cut - pretty clear message on their trust in the two ILBs

 

[devastor]

I'm leaning towards Shea McClellin right now.

 

[cr8f]

Any thoughts on Jones vs McClellin if you can only draft one? I'm a Jones guy but I'm torn now.

Good question. Jones had good several weeks late last year but probably have to wait for the game to see how it plays out. I doubt McClellin is good in coverage.

 

[nastynate]

ESPN still has McC labeled as a LB/DE - I have him safely parked in my DE spot. Probably won't have a high ceiling, but his tackle numbers should make for a consistently high floor.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

ESPN still has McC labeled as a LB/DE - I have him safely parked in my DE spot. Probably won't have a high ceiling, but his tackle numbers should make for a consistently high floor.

An ILB at DE... nasty.