Adam Jones (American football)

For other people with the same name, see Adam Jones (disambiguation).

Adam "Pacman" Bernard Jones (born September 30, 1983) is an American football cornerback. Currently he plays for Tennessee Titans NFL franchise. After attending West Virginia University, Jones was drafted by the Titans as the sixth overall pick in the NFL's 2005 draft.

Early life

Adam Jones attended Westlake High School in Atlanta, Georgia, where his daughter currently resides. Jones was selected as the Conference Player of the Year following his senior year after totaling 120 tackles, six interceptions and 1,850 rushing yards. As well, he played in the Georgia-Florida all-star. Jones also earned All-American honors in basketball and track.

College career

As a freshman in 2002, Jones appeared in 11 games for WVU as a reserve cornerback and safety. He totaled one interception and one forced fumble.

During the 2003 campaign, he appeared in all 13 games, starting 9 at cornerback, and taking over full-time kick return duties. Pacman Jones' sophomore season resulted in a second team All-Big East Conference selection with his career-high 89 tackles and four interceptions, one being for a touchdown. He also had six tackles for losses, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

As a junior in the 2004 campaign, he was the defensive secondary captain and led the team in tackles. Jones also played briefly on offense, as well as returning punts and kick-offs. He was named 1st team all Big-East and honorable mention All-American by several sources. He led the team with 76 tackles, also adding two sacks, three interceptions, and a punt return touchdown.

Pacman Jones is ranked second on West Virginia's school career kickoff return yardage list with 1,475 yards. Jones is considered one of the greatest cornerbacks to play for West Virginia, and one of the greatest specialists, although he had many troubles off-field.

NFL career

After his junior year, Jones opted to forgo his senior year and declare eligible for the NFL Draft. He was the first defensive player drafted, taken 6th overall by the Tennessee Titans. He then missed most of training camp, holding out in a contract dispute.

During his rookie season he had a total of 44 tackles, 10 pass deflections, but no interceptions. On special teams, Jones totaled 1,399 return yards and 1 TD.

At the end of his sophomore season in the NFL, Jones totaled career-high 62 tackles, one sack, 1 forced fumble, 12 deflected passes, 4 interceptions, 130 return yards, one interception touchdown, 14 passes defended (second-team), 440 punt return yards and tied for NFL-high with 3 punt return touchdowns. The three punt returns also tied the franchise record with Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, which was set in 1975. His 12.9 yards per punt return average led the NFL, edging out Chicago's Devin Hester by a tenth of a yard, while his 26.1 yards per kick return average ranked him 7th in the league and 6th in the AFC. Pacman also caught two passes on offense for 31 yards (one for 17 yards) and rushed twice for 8 yards. His best performance came against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15, when Jones had an 83-yard interception return for a score, a 70-yard kick return, and broke up a touchdown pass to Matt Jones to save the game. Jones broke out in his fifth game of the season against the Indianapolis Colts, when he recorded a then personal season-high five tackles and defended a pass in the 14-13 loss. The very next week against the Washington Redskins, Jones recorded four tackles and stripped the ball from Antwaan Randle El for his first forced fumble of his career. The next week against Houston, Jones tied a career-high tackle total with eight, and picked off a Sage Rosenfel pass for his first career interception, and alos posted his second punt return in his career in the fourth quarter with a 53-yard return. Two weeks later, against the Eagles, Jones recorded his second punt return for a score of the season, this one 90-yards, breaking Billy Johnson's 87-yard franchise record. The next week against the New York Giants, Jones picked off an Eli Manning pass in the fourth quarter that sparked the Titans' 21-point comeback. Against the New England Patriots in the last game of the season, Jones totaled 259 return yards (the NFL's highest total since 2006) with a punt return score.

Even with constant off the field shenanigans, he has emerged as one of the NFL's elite play-makers. He is an explosive kick returner, a good cover corner, and an offensive weapon; a true triple-threat.

Legal Trouble

2005

On July 13, 2005 Jones was arrested on charges of assault and felony vandalism stemming from a nightclub altercation.

On September 5, 2005 Jones was a guest at the annual Nashville Sports Council Kickoff Luncheon. After a loud verbal tantrum when he was told to wait in line for his vehicle later that evening, Jones was counseled by the police. He also refused to pay for any valet services used that evening.

In October 2005, in a petition filed by the State of West Virginia, it was alleged that Jones had not made regular and sufficient contact with his probation officer and that he did not report his July arrest in Nashville in a timely fashion. The court ordered the probation extended for a period of 90 days, although the state requested it to be extended one year.

2006

On August 25, 2006, Jones was arrested in Murfreesboro, Tennessee for disorderly conduct and public intoxication after claiming that a woman stole his wallet. She claimed that she did not steal anything and Jones spat on her. Police officers said they ordered Jones to leave several times, but he refused, continuing to shout profanities at the woman. A judge granted him six months probation on the conditions that he stays out of further trouble and away from the nightclub.

On October 26, 2006. Jones was cited for misdemeanor assault for allegedly spitting in the face of a female student from Tennessee State University during a private party at Club Mystic, a Nashville nightclub. He was suspended by the Titans for one game and was scheduled to be booked on the charge on November 17, 2006.

2007

During the 2007 NBA All-Star Game weekend in Las Vegas (Feb. 16-18, 2007), Jones is alleged to have been involved in an altercation with an exotic dancer at a local strip club. According to the club's co-owner, Jones approached the stage with a garbage bag filled with approximately $81,000 in one-dollar bills. Jones proceeded to throw the money into the air over the exotic dancers for a dramatic effect, an act known as "making it rain". Becoming enraged when one of the dancers began taking the money without his permission, Jones grabbed her by her hair and slammed her head on the stage. A security guard intervened and scuffled with members of Jones' entourage of half a dozen people, during which time Jones allegedly bit the guard on the lower leg. Jones then allegedly threatened the guard's life. After the patrons of the club exited, the club owner says a person in Jones' entourage returned with a gun and fired into a crowd, hitting three people, including the security guard involved in the earlier skirmish. Although the guard was shot twice, one of the people hit, former professional wrestler Tommy Urbanski, was paralyzed from the waist down. Jones maintains that he did not know the shooter.

Trivia

• On The Blitz on NFL Primetime, Tom Jackson makes traditional Pacman sounds as Adam Jones runs the ball on highlights, while Chris Berman modifies his trademark catchphrase into "he could eat all the dots!!!!".

• He earned his nickname, "Pacman", as a child because he used to drink milk with the voraciousness of the Pac-Man character.

• He is known for his touchdown celebration of sliding down the goal pole.

See Also

• Tennessee Titans
• West Virginia Mountaineers

External links

• Current Stats