Remaking of Pacman gains fans
Source: The Tennessean
Pacman is no more.
In the 80 days since the Titans traded away their oft-troubled cornerback to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick, Adam Jones has orchestrated a dramatic transformation.
He has sworn off strip clubs, kept his name out of the police blotter and dumped the notorious nickname that became synonymous with a pattern of criminal behavior that led to six arrests in the last three years and a one-year suspension from the NFL.
By all accounts, he has become a hardworking football player and model citizen.
If he can stay out of trouble, few doubt that the gifted first-round draft pick could soon find himself in a Pro Bowl and help lead his new team deep into the postseason. His burgeoning maturity is causing some Nashville-area fans to question whether the Titans' decision to dump him on April 23 was a bit hasty.
"I think they could have held on to him," said Ray Allen Sr., a 47-year-old Titans fan who camped outside the ticket office at LP Field on Thursday, two days before single-game tickets are scheduled to go on sale. "I believe he's going to do big things for Dallas."
Titans fan Robert Womack disagreed.
"He ran his run here in Nashville," said Womack, 26, as he sat at the Riverfront Tavern in downtown Nashville this week. "He may turn out to be a pro bowler for Dallas, but I think we're better off without him. We don't need that distraction on the field."
And so goes the debate Titans fans are sure to revive in the coming weeks, months, even seasons.
An unscientific online poll conducted by The Tennessean found that 81 percent of 292 respondents thought the Titans made the right decision in getting rid of Jones, even if he continues to conduct himself like a professional.
The Titans declined to comment for this story. A message left for a Cowboys official was not returned.
Off-field incidents After being drafted by the Titans with the sixth overall pick in 2005, Jones was in volved or questioned in 12 incidents in which police were called. In the most serious, he was accused of touching off a melee at a Las Vegas strip club that ended with a shooting in which a bouncer was paralyzed.
All the while, Jones dazzled on the field. In 2006, he intercepted four passes and ran one of them back for a touchdown. He also led the NFL in punt-return average and scored three more touchdowns on special teams.
Jones, 24, pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct in connection with the strip club fight, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him for the 2007 season.
Last month, Jones was partially reinstated, allowing him to practice and participate in training camp when it begins later this month. It remains to be seen whether he will be allowed to play in games. Goodell said he would make that decision by Sept. 1, six days before the Cowboys' 2008 season opener.
Titans fan Nate Mitchell thinks Jones' fame led him to be accused in incidents that weren't necessarily his fault.
"If he went to the store to get a two-liter Pepsi and somebody shoots somebody, they're going to blame Pacman for that, too?" he said, adding, "It's a good thing we don't play them this season."
The trade to Dallas offered Jones a second chance, which might be his last. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones embraced him. Former Cowboys greats Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders are mentoring him.
Change can be good
Jones' locker is situated next to that of former Bears defensive lineman Tank Johnson, himself a troubled athlete whom the NFL suspended for eight games in 2007 but who has managed to keep out of trouble in Dallas.
"A change of scenery sometimes does everybody a world of good," said Jones' agent, Manny Arora. "He's been lucky enough to get a fresh start and, hopefully, will make the best of it."
If Jones cannot stay out of trouble, the Titans will have to refund the fourth-round pick they received. But if he stays on the Dallas roster, the Cowboys will send the Titans an additional sixth-round pick. Given Jones' talent, it could one of the great bargains in recent NFL history.
"I'm sure [Titans coach] Jeff Fisher would love to have him as a Tennessee Titan," said former NFL player Rod Woodson, who now works as an analyst for NFL Network. "But those issues caught up with him. As an organization, you have to say, 'How much am I going to take from one individual?' "
That's the feeling of Titans fan Chris McElroy. For better or worse, he is glad Jones is gone. "The Titans had a problem," said McElroy, 48, "and they got rid of it."
Pacman is no more.
In the 80 days since the Titans traded away their oft-troubled cornerback to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick, Adam Jones has orchestrated a dramatic transformation.
He has sworn off strip clubs, kept his name out of the police blotter and dumped the notorious nickname that became synonymous with a pattern of criminal behavior that led to six arrests in the last three years and a one-year suspension from the NFL.
By all accounts, he has become a hardworking football player and model citizen.
If he can stay out of trouble, few doubt that the gifted first-round draft pick could soon find himself in a Pro Bowl and help lead his new team deep into the postseason. His burgeoning maturity is causing some Nashville-area fans to question whether the Titans' decision to dump him on April 23 was a bit hasty.
"I think they could have held on to him," said Ray Allen Sr., a 47-year-old Titans fan who camped outside the ticket office at LP Field on Thursday, two days before single-game tickets are scheduled to go on sale. "I believe he's going to do big things for Dallas."
Titans fan Robert Womack disagreed.
"He ran his run here in Nashville," said Womack, 26, as he sat at the Riverfront Tavern in downtown Nashville this week. "He may turn out to be a pro bowler for Dallas, but I think we're better off without him. We don't need that distraction on the field."
And so goes the debate Titans fans are sure to revive in the coming weeks, months, even seasons.
An unscientific online poll conducted by The Tennessean found that 81 percent of 292 respondents thought the Titans made the right decision in getting rid of Jones, even if he continues to conduct himself like a professional.
The Titans declined to comment for this story. A message left for a Cowboys official was not returned.
Off-field incidents After being drafted by the Titans with the sixth overall pick in 2005, Jones was in volved or questioned in 12 incidents in which police were called. In the most serious, he was accused of touching off a melee at a Las Vegas strip club that ended with a shooting in which a bouncer was paralyzed.
All the while, Jones dazzled on the field. In 2006, he intercepted four passes and ran one of them back for a touchdown. He also led the NFL in punt-return average and scored three more touchdowns on special teams.
Jones, 24, pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct in connection with the strip club fight, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him for the 2007 season.
Last month, Jones was partially reinstated, allowing him to practice and participate in training camp when it begins later this month. It remains to be seen whether he will be allowed to play in games. Goodell said he would make that decision by Sept. 1, six days before the Cowboys' 2008 season opener.
Titans fan Nate Mitchell thinks Jones' fame led him to be accused in incidents that weren't necessarily his fault.
"If he went to the store to get a two-liter Pepsi and somebody shoots somebody, they're going to blame Pacman for that, too?" he said, adding, "It's a good thing we don't play them this season."
The trade to Dallas offered Jones a second chance, which might be his last. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones embraced him. Former Cowboys greats Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders are mentoring him.
Change can be good
Jones' locker is situated next to that of former Bears defensive lineman Tank Johnson, himself a troubled athlete whom the NFL suspended for eight games in 2007 but who has managed to keep out of trouble in Dallas.
"A change of scenery sometimes does everybody a world of good," said Jones' agent, Manny Arora. "He's been lucky enough to get a fresh start and, hopefully, will make the best of it."
If Jones cannot stay out of trouble, the Titans will have to refund the fourth-round pick they received. But if he stays on the Dallas roster, the Cowboys will send the Titans an additional sixth-round pick. Given Jones' talent, it could one of the great bargains in recent NFL history.
"I'm sure [Titans coach] Jeff Fisher would love to have him as a Tennessee Titan," said former NFL player Rod Woodson, who now works as an analyst for NFL Network. "But those issues caught up with him. As an organization, you have to say, 'How much am I going to take from one individual?' "
That's the feeling of Titans fan Chris McElroy. For better or worse, he is glad Jones is gone. "The Titans had a problem," said McElroy, 48, "and they got rid of it."
posted by The Gryphon at 7:06 PM
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