Should Pacman Jones be reinstated?
by Tim Love - BBC Sport (U11756775) 12 May 2008
Following a drawn out transfer saga which culminated in the Dallas Cowboys signing Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones from the Tennessee Titans, it is still unknown whether anyone will ever see him take the field at Texas Stadium.
The 24-year-old missed the whole of last season after being suspended for off-the-field conduct detrimental to the league. It is fair to say that Pacman is the quintessential sporting bad boy; he’s been arrested six times since joining the NFL and was implicated in a triple shooting at a Las Vegas strip club in 2007. Despite the fact that Jones was charged in June last year with two counts of felony coercion, the Cowboys were very keen to bring the player to the franchise.
Looking around the various Cowboy blogs on the net, it appears as though the fans have mixed opinions as to whether or not they believe that Pacman should represent Dallas in the NFL. There are two very distinct camps: the people who say, ‘We’ve just signed one of the best players in the league,' and the others who exclaim, ‘Oh dear, why have we signed this extremely troubled individual to play for our team!’.
The problem that the anti-Jones camp is facing is the fact that despite his various off the field issues, when Pacman does take to the pitch he is a player of immense quality. Add to that the fact that the Cowboys lost backups Nathan Jones and Jacques Reeves and it is quite clear why the franchise felt the need to add depth at the cornerback position. If you don’t like stats (I’ve yet to find an NFL fan that doesn’t), look away now…
•In 30 games (28 starts) over two years with the Titans, Jones deflected 18 passes, intercepted four and finished with 115 tackles (94 solo).
•His contributions in the return game were a major reason why the Cowboys made this deal. He returned 20 kicks in 2006, averaging 26.1 yards for a total of 521 yards. Punt returns were where he really excelled as he totaled 440 yards on 34 punts, while reaching the end zone three times in 2006.
•His kick-return average was sixth in the league for players with at least 20 attempts that year, while his punt-return average was tops among players with at least 20 returns.
With stats like these, it is unsurprising that the Cowboys officials are so keen to attempt to keep him on the straight and narrow and are keen to bring his talent to Dallas. Cowboys fans should be optimistic that if Pacman is indeed reinstated, he’ll be working alongside two players whose troubled careers have been turned around by the Cowboys franchise: Terrell Owens and Tank Johnson.
Of course, it is the moral side of the debate which will ultimately be decisive in the matter, however talented Pacman may be. Will Commissioner Roger Goodell be keen to avoid another Michael Vick type scenario which brought such negative headlines to the NFL? It might be that he does not want what he perceives to be a negative influence on the NFL and its audience play in the league again. Given the severity of Pacman’s problems, this would not be all that surprising.
Do you think Pacman should be reinstated, or does his troubled life off the field bring too much baggage and bad publicity to the NFL? Cowboys fans, do you want to see Pacman represent your team?
Following a drawn out transfer saga which culminated in the Dallas Cowboys signing Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones from the Tennessee Titans, it is still unknown whether anyone will ever see him take the field at Texas Stadium.
The 24-year-old missed the whole of last season after being suspended for off-the-field conduct detrimental to the league. It is fair to say that Pacman is the quintessential sporting bad boy; he’s been arrested six times since joining the NFL and was implicated in a triple shooting at a Las Vegas strip club in 2007. Despite the fact that Jones was charged in June last year with two counts of felony coercion, the Cowboys were very keen to bring the player to the franchise.
Looking around the various Cowboy blogs on the net, it appears as though the fans have mixed opinions as to whether or not they believe that Pacman should represent Dallas in the NFL. There are two very distinct camps: the people who say, ‘We’ve just signed one of the best players in the league,' and the others who exclaim, ‘Oh dear, why have we signed this extremely troubled individual to play for our team!’.
The problem that the anti-Jones camp is facing is the fact that despite his various off the field issues, when Pacman does take to the pitch he is a player of immense quality. Add to that the fact that the Cowboys lost backups Nathan Jones and Jacques Reeves and it is quite clear why the franchise felt the need to add depth at the cornerback position. If you don’t like stats (I’ve yet to find an NFL fan that doesn’t), look away now…
•In 30 games (28 starts) over two years with the Titans, Jones deflected 18 passes, intercepted four and finished with 115 tackles (94 solo).
•His contributions in the return game were a major reason why the Cowboys made this deal. He returned 20 kicks in 2006, averaging 26.1 yards for a total of 521 yards. Punt returns were where he really excelled as he totaled 440 yards on 34 punts, while reaching the end zone three times in 2006.
•His kick-return average was sixth in the league for players with at least 20 attempts that year, while his punt-return average was tops among players with at least 20 returns.
With stats like these, it is unsurprising that the Cowboys officials are so keen to attempt to keep him on the straight and narrow and are keen to bring his talent to Dallas. Cowboys fans should be optimistic that if Pacman is indeed reinstated, he’ll be working alongside two players whose troubled careers have been turned around by the Cowboys franchise: Terrell Owens and Tank Johnson.
Of course, it is the moral side of the debate which will ultimately be decisive in the matter, however talented Pacman may be. Will Commissioner Roger Goodell be keen to avoid another Michael Vick type scenario which brought such negative headlines to the NFL? It might be that he does not want what he perceives to be a negative influence on the NFL and its audience play in the league again. Given the severity of Pacman’s problems, this would not be all that surprising.
Do you think Pacman should be reinstated, or does his troubled life off the field bring too much baggage and bad publicity to the NFL? Cowboys fans, do you want to see Pacman represent your team?
posted by The Gryphon at 7:00 PM
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