Reshad Jones was one of the most integral pieces of the Miami Dolphins defense in the last ten years. Now, just as the Dolphins enter a decade filled with new faces and renewed hope, Jones may be entering a new phase.
According to Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post, Reshad Jones’ career may have ended, but the Pro Bowl defense says he has no regrets about how his career unfolded, just some doubts about how he was perceived by the rest of the league. . Jones explains: “I had a great career. I really think he had Hall of Fame numbers. Go check me out, Troy Polamalu, Brian Dawkins, he played 16 years, he really had Hall of Fame numbers, he just wasn’t on a Hall of Fame team. We just couldn’t put the games together. But I had an incredible career. “Jones is careful to note that he is very grateful for his time as Dolphin and especially appreciates the fans in Miami.
When Schad brought up the 2010 NFL All-Decade team, a unit that boasted of people like Eric Berry, Earl Thomas, and Eric Weddle (and not Jones), the old Dolphin gave his opinion on whether he believed he deserved a place, and he had no doubts. “There’s no way he shouldn’t have been on the All-Decade team,” said Jones. “Go see any security. Eric Berry, whoever. The numbers cannot be compared. They don’t add up. I don’t regret my 10-year career, saying I should have done this or should have done that. If I play again it’s still up in the air, but you know I feel like I went in and did everything I had to do. “
Looking back on his accomplishments, Jones credited those who helped him along the way. It is clear, based on Schad’s piece, that Jones has real gratitude towards many of the coaches he played with (although perhaps not all). On the late Tony Sparano, Jones said: “I am grateful to Sparano for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to start. He raised me once in my rookie year at his office and said, ‘Right now we have five locks here and you are the weakest link. You have to step forward. He just kept it with me, and I went out and tried it. ”
Jones didn’t have that many kind words to say about the now New York Jets head coach Adam Gase. Speaking of his later years with the Dolphins, Jones explained:
That was a misunderstanding. The coach told me to quit the game. Why are you removing a Pro Bowler from the game? Why am I rotating? Why are you telling me how I feel? But what they were trying to do was cover up. Because you had a first-round team and they knew I had to play. And the owner looked at him like, ‘Hey, why did we get this guy as a first-round pick and he’s not playing?’ So they had to justify having a first-round draft pick there, as security, when we had a Pro Bowl security and another decent security. So now we have to find out that it’s okay, well that’s why we have Minkah playing. It wasn’t my fault. It was a mistake they made. Adam Gase wanted me out of there ’18 and ’19, and when the New England boys, like (Brian) Flores, got there, he had a bad taste in his mouth because of what was being said about Gase and his crew.
Finally, expanding his potential retirement and future efforts on or off the field, Jones said:
I can definitely play again … I don’t know if I will. I had a couple of teams that called my agent, but I can’t pass a physical exam right now. So many teams do not make sense when they call. They find out that I have to have surgery. At this time, many teams do not want to speak because I cannot enter the field or pass the physical exam. But it is not the end of the race. I do not think so. The doctor said I can have surgery and play again. But in year ten, with everything I’ve accomplished and financially ready, I have a couple of things I have to weigh.
According to Schad, if Jones decides not to continue his NFL career, he will focus on “the real estate and sports agency industries and some business opportunities, including entering the gourmet ice cream industry with Marshawn Lynch.”
Upon entering an ice cream parlor and seeing Reshad Jones and Marshawn Lynch serving a double piece of chocolate in a waffle cone … sign me up.
Reshad Jones may have been one of the least appreciated players to have used aquamarine and orange, at least when it came to how the rest of the league viewed top-tier safety. That said, Dolphins fans are no stranger to some of their greats’ lack of national respect. Heck … Zach Thomas doesn’t have a gold jacket yet! Jones will likely wait a long time to get his own (and that is if he ever has one), but as a longtime Dolphin fan, I know that here in South Florida he will always be one of the most Dear ones to honor the grill.
I recommend that you review the rest of the Schad article here. The piece is a revealing read about Jones’ experiences in the NFL and about the Miami Dolphins in particular, and Schad himself does an excellent job of putting it all together.
Looking for more Miami Dolphins news, analysis and updates? Follow Justin Hier on Twitter @HierJustin.
