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CHERUBINI CHIMES IN
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One-on-One with the
Pirates
Monday,
August 23, 2010
By Ron Cherubini |
Q&A
with Justin Jones
By
Ron Cherubini
©2011 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
 It
didn’t take long, one game specifically, for Justin Jones to etch himself in
East Carolina football lore. A leaping catch on the final play of the
opening game of the 2010 season
secured a win over Tulsa and
announced that the 6-8 wide receiver would be a future star for the Pirates.
The future is now for Jones as the sophomore begins the 2011 campaign
stepping into a starting role in the offense at inside receiver. The big
target adds another nice weapon in Dominique Davis’s arsenal and should be a
lot of fun to watch as linebackers and safeties try to figure out how to
stop him.
Justin was kind enough to sit down for a chat with Bonesville to share his
insights on the upcoming season.
Justin Jones (84) in a candid moment last season (ECU SID
photo)
One-on-One with Justin Jones
 Q:
You obviously announced your presence as a Pirate a
year ago with the catch to win the Tulsa game. Can
you describe the impact of that moment on you? Any
long term impact?
A: Yeah… you know, we are all
trying not to look back… live in the past. We are
really focused on what we’ve got ahead of us, South
Carolina being our first game. We are focused on
making progress every day. That question comes up in
interviews a lot — it was great and is fun to talk
about but we really are focused on the things we
have to do now and for this season. We have the
toughest out-of-conference schedule in our league
and have a lot to get prepared for. I am looking
forward right now.
Q: Obviously, your opportunities
were limited in 2010 as all-everything WR Dwayne
Harris completed his career at ECU. Did you learn
anything from working behind Harris?
A: Myself and all the guys who
are returning this year, we were extremely lucky to
have a guy like Dwayne on our side. He is a very
explosive player and a great player to watch and
learn from. His route running, his cuts, his
coachability, his attitude, there is a lot to learn
from him. We spend an enormous amount of time
watching film, especially of ourselves, so we are
constantly learning and Dwayne gave us a lot to
watch. But we are in camp here working on everything
and lot of those things are things that Dwayne was
very good at. We’ve got a great group of receivers
out here and we all bring different (skills) to this
offense and we learn from each other, too.
Q: Coach Donnie Kirkpatrick
mentioned that there may be some packages and plays
specifically designed to take advantage of
mismatches you create with linebackers and safeties.
Have you seen any of that yet? Should fans expect a
break out year this year?
A: Definitely… when they brought
the Air Raid offense in from Texas Tech, there
weren’t any real plays for a traditional tight end
or fullback position. Here, you know, I came in and
Zico Pasut came in as traditional — I guess some
people would say highly-touted — tight end recruits
with several offers from other schools. So, yes,
they are working some things in. I still play
standing up, but if a situation calls for it, you
may see me move down into a traditional tight end
look. Being an old guy now, I am excited about it.
Q: What player on this team do
you most respect and why?
A: Coach Ruff, he teaches us and
harps on us to respect all of our teammates, period.
You know, I respect all my teammates and we are a
team out here working together. Ummm… you know, I
gotta say I really respect Dominique (Davis). He
came in from a junior college and he had to prove
himself and he did it very quickly coming into camp
without a spring and with a little time to get it
all down. Coming from Boston College, he was
supposed to be good, but when he came in and sort of
took over the job, he showed he was a great leader.
He is the leader on our offense and really on our
team. You have to respect a guy like that. He works
extremely hard and demands everyone to work hard. If
you mess up, you know, he is the first guy to offer
encouragement and tell you to move on to the next
play.
Q: Heading into 2011, what part
of your game are you most focused on improving?
A: I think one thing I focused on
the (most) this summer working with Coach (Jeff)
Connors and the strength staff was strength going
into and coming out of my cuts and my route running
in general. I worked on my conditioning, being able
to go longer and that is what I worked on most this
off-season.
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