Our head blogger over at Pride of Detroit has been kind enough to give us a quick run down of Kevin Jones career in Detroit and a run donw on what we can expect out of him.
Kevin Jones had a career in Detroit that is best described as a roller coaster ride. He started off with a great rookie season but really hasn't been able to achieve that kind of success since. The reasons for that vary from being misused by the Lions to struggling with injuries. I have no doubt that his potential is still very high as he is fairly young, but there are many questions surrounding him since his career has been a mystery in a sense.
What the Bears will get out of Jones is someone that can come in and pick up yards as a workhorse type of running back. He doesn't have lightning speed and isn't exactly a home run hitter, but he can get the job done. He may not have out of this world speed, but he is quick in his movements. That attribute allows him to avoid defenders, and even when he can't pull off a juke or something like that, his power takes over. Jones is very strong and uses that to his advantage by driving over defenders. It's not something he does on a consistent basis, but every once in a while he'll make a big hit of his own despite being a running back.
The issue with Jones is without a doubt his health. If he can stay healthy, then Jones should rush for over 1000 yards in a starting role. That's the problem, though. The last two years he has had season-ending injuries involving his leg, which is never good for a running back. Those two injuries may have just been freak occurrences or they could be a sign of an injury prone player. For his sake I hope it's the former, but honestly I'd be surprised if Jones was able to make it through a full season should he become a starter.
If Kevin Jones can remain healthy, then I believe he will be the Chicago Bears' starting running back. Not only is a change of scenery going to be good for him, but he also has a better offensive line now that he is no longer a Lion. And to top that all off, he'll get two games against his former team, and I guarantee he will be out for revenge. In fact, back when he invited some local media members to a workout, Jones screamed "Colletto" before doing a sprint. Colletto is a reference to the Lions new offensive coordinator, Jim Colletto, who Jones obviously believes is the man responsible for him getting released. Plus, former Lions always seem to play well against their former team. Some call it the "Lions jinx," and God knows if Artose Pinner can do it, so can Kevin Jones.