NFL, New England Patriots , Chandler Jones
Do you remember what football writer Josh Norris said about Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones before the 2012 NFL Draft?Yeah, me neither.
In fact, there are probably only a few people who remember that Norris called Jones one of the most overrated players in the draft, and said that he had early 3rd round value.
The person who remembers most vividly is probably Jones himself.
In fact, the very mention of Norris' name by the NFL twitter account caused Jones to fire off a tweet comparing Norris to Wikipedia, in terms of source reliability.
To Jones, whom the Patriots drafted with the 21st pick in the first round, it was personal. He says he took Norris' comments about him and used them as motivation, saying that Norris helped make him a better player.
It's safe to say that Norris whiffed on this one, and he'll readily admit it himself, as he did on Twitter in response to Jones' initial tweet.
@missdaiana @chan95jones I put Chandler in the early third-round last year. He's definitely proving me wrong. Happy to see it.
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) February 19, 2013
One thing to note and keep in mind when hearing analysts talk about upcoming prospects is that last part where Norris says he's happy to see Jones doing well. He echoed that sentiment in his next tweet, as well.
@gx5 @chan95jones thanks for bringing those back up hah. Won't hide from them, but honestly am happy to see him doing well.
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) February 19, 2013
Norris is just one of many of the guys who work pretty hard analyzing college players and trying to project how they'll do in the NFL. In most cases, it's a huge leap, and 95-99% of the guys they've played with or against will never sniff a blade of NFL grass. So it's an inexact science, projecting future NFL success or failure based on college performance.
It's never personal, at least on the part of the analysts. Or at least it shouldn't be. Kudos to Norris for acknowledging that, and commending Jones for his success.
Also, as a Patriots fan, kudos to Norris for giving Jones a little motivation. Clearly it worked. Thanks, Josh.
