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The first quarter of the season has not been a good one for Jacoby Jones. He is usually a big-impact player in the special teams and the offensive game. This year however, he has been non-existent in both.
Over the first four games of the season, Jones has dropped three passes (tied for fourth-most in the league) and has only been targeted ten times. He has caught three passes in four games totaling a whole 20 yards.
Not only has he dropped three passes, but each of his drops would have resulted in a gain of 30 yards or more. Jacoby Jones usually makes his impact felt down the field or going deep, but he has failed to convert Joe Flacco's beautiful long-bombs this season.
Now, this is not a new occurrence. Jones has been known for having butter-finger hands and hasn't exactly made the best plays in the passing game. He struggles with passes in stride, and short passes in general. However, in every other year, he makes a big play every once and a while, but this year he has had multiple chances and has yet to make one.
And in the past, even if Jacoby Jones was struggling in the passing game, he would make up for it in the return game. That statement is not true this year, though. With the kickoff moved from the 30-yard-line to the 35, kickers are booting the ball out of the back of the end zone on almost every kick. Due to this, Jones has only received four return-attempts through the first four games of the season,
He hasn't been catching easy passes, and has yet to make an impact in the return game. Why is he still the number three receiver?
Marlon Brown is a far better option here. Even though he has only caught four passes for 46 yards so far this season, he has only been thrown to five times and hasn't been featured in many of the Ravens offensive plays. Why don't you send him out there more often?
Or perhaps give the undrafted free agent Kamar Aiken a shot. He looked great in the preseason, and has added an extra boost to the Ravens receiving game this season, catching five passes on five targets for 52 yards. Whoever it is, it shouldn't be Jones.
Ravens' fans have been saying for a long time that Jones' hands are slippery, and the Ravens know that, but the big-plays that he performed saved him from being demoted. Well, I don't see any big plays anymore, so I say, it's time for the Ravens to start featuring Jones in a much smaller role on the offense.