Jones pleasant surprise returning kicks

The Carolina Panthers had gone through four punt returners when in desperation they brought in Mark Jones six days before the season opener. A journeyman who has been cut five times and was coming off a major knee injury, Jones figured to be around for only a few weeks as an emergency fill-in.

Two months later, Jones has not only stuck as a punt returner, he’s added kickoff duties, too. And after returning a punt 55 yards and a kickoff 59 yards in Sunday’s win over Oakland, Jones has cemented his status and rejuvenated a return team that had been one of the worst in the NFL.

“He’s done a fantastic job for us,” coach John Fox said. “He’s a guy who was a late pickup for us due to injury. He’s a guy that works hard. He’s the right kind of guy as far as his work ethic and the kind of guy who is learning his craft. I think he’s shown steady improvement all season.”

Jones bailed Carolina out of a tough spot. After ranking near the bottom of the league in punt and kickoff returns last season, second-year returner Ryne Robinson went down with the a knee injury in the first week of training camp.

His backup, Jason Carter, was later lost for the season with a knee injury. Free-agent pickup Ricardo Colclough never caught on at the position, then was cut after he arrested on a drunk driving charge.

The Panthers then signed Samie Parker, but released him after he struggled in the final preseason game.

So they then turned to the 5-foot-9 Jones. General manager Marty Hurney remembered him having good days against the Panthers when Jones was in Tampa Bay. Jones had just been released by San Diego, and figured to be an adequate filler until Robinson got back on the field.

Jones was far from spectacular early, avoiding a bad turnover in an early season game when Carolina recovered a punt that accidentally bounced off him. But Jones slowly started picking up more yards on his returns. His part-time job turned into a full-time gig when the Panthers tired of Robinson’s slow recovery and placed him on injured reserve.

“Be dependable, that was my main concern,” Jones said. “It wasn’t about if somebody was hurt or if it was a temporary thing. I knew coming in once I got my hands on it, I knew what my abilities are, so I just had to make the best of it.”

Jones added the kickoff duties last month after Jonathan Stewart took a big hit and Fox decided to shield his rookie running back from further injury risks.

A straight-ahead runner, Jones has impressed. After his two big returns Sunday, he’s averaging 27.8 yards on 10 kickoff returns and 12.3 yards on 27 punt returns. Last year, Robinson averaged 8.7 yards on punts and 23 yards on kickoffs and Carolina ranked 28th in the league in starting field position following kickoffs.

“It feels really good, especially coming in and helping this team win,” Jones said. “That was my main thing coming in here just to help get this team better. I just want to keep doing that.”

Jones is also happy to be back after suffering a torn left patellar tendon last season for Tampa Bay against Detroit — Carolina’s opponent Sunday.

The Buccaneers, who had cut their 2004 seventh-round pick three times, decided not re-sign him in the offseason as he recovered from surgery. Jones then signed with San Diego, even though he knew he had little chance of beating out Darren Sproles.

But the Chargers allowed him to get some returns in and shake off any lingering doubts he had with the knee.

“I knew if I could get over that I would be fine,” Jones said. “I took that first hit, running drills and running routes, and I knew it was OK and I would be fine with that.”

Two days after he was released by the Chargers, he was in Carolina. Now the 28-year-old Jones has quickly blended in with a close-knit unit that has already matched last season’s win total. Jones even got his first NFL reception when he caught a 19-yard pass against Kansas City in the emergency role of No. 3 receiver after D.J. Hackett left with a knee injury.

The attention Jones’ has received this week has caused him to get some ribbing from his teammates. But perhaps that shows that after seven stints with four teams, Jones has finally found a home.

“I was told once you get your hand on the steering wheel, don’t let go,” Jones said. “That’s my mentality right now.”

Related: Jones’ North-South Style Paying Off

Panther returner solidifies his role

The life of a punt and kick returner for the Carolina Panthers isn’t an especially high-profile one.

Most team records for those positions are held by Steve Smith (who now does neither) or Michael Bates (whose last season with the Panthers was in 2000).

These days, the return game is pretty pedestrian stuff for the Panthers, who haven’t had a punt returned for a touchdown since Smith did so in 2003 against the New York Giants, or a kickoff taken all the way since Rod Smart did it against New Orleans that same season.

Enter Mark Jones, who fits the Panthers’ profile well. Handling both duties this season, he’s in the middle of the pack of NFL returners, averaging 24.3 yards on kickoffs and 10.4 on punts. Nothing, however, for a touchdown or even close to it. In fact, in Jones’ five-season NFL career as primarily a punt returner, he has yet to score.

“I think about it, I’m not going to lie,” said Jones. “I know I have to be patient. You have to remember you’re just one block away.”

Jones was signed on Sept.1 to fill in for last season’s returner, Ryne Robinson, who was recovering from a knee injury suffered in training camp. When Robinson went on injured reserve, Jones’ roster spot was assured for the rest of the season.

“We were hoping Ryne would come back after his knee injury, but that just never came to fruition,” said Panthers coach John Fox. “Luckily we found Mark. Our scouting department did a good job.”

Jones, who spent training camp in San Diego before being cut by the Chargers, began the season as the Panthers’ punt returner, with rookie running back Jonathan Stewart handling kickoffs. When Stewart took a hard hit returning the opening kick against Tampa Bay on Oct.12, it was enough to convince Fox to have Jones handle both duties.

“I’ve always enjoyed returning punts, but I’ve made myself available as an emergency guy on kickoffs,” said Jones, drafted by Tampa Bay in 2004 out of Tennessee. “There’s a lot that’s the same in doing both: catching the ball, making a read and making the most of it.”

One aspect of Jones’ game does stand out. When returning a punt near the Panthers’ goal line, he will often act like he’s going to catch the ball. Instead, he’ll fake it, then sprint straight up the field. That usually confuses the opposition’s punt team as the ball bounces into the end zone for a touchback.

“Some guys don’t like it and they let me know it,” said Jones, who said he learned the move from veteran Joey Galloway during three seasons with the Buccaneers. “But, if I can’t fair catch it, it’s a good way to bait them.”

The play usually works, but it didn’t in the season opener against San Diego. Before Jones could run away from a punt early in the third quarter, the ball hit him on the leg and rolled into the end zone. Luckily for Jones, it was recovered by teammate Dante Wesley.

“After that, the coaches told me not to get too cute with it,” said Jones.

Many Happy Returns

When the Carolina Panthers signed Mark Jones one week before the regular season opener to return punts, many viewed him as a stopgap until Ryne Robinson was healthy enough to return.

And perhaps that was true at the time.

But with Robinson unable to return from a knee injury and out for the year, the job now belongs to Jones full-time.

And that’s not such a bad thing.

Through five games, Jones has averaged a very respectable 10.2 yards per punt return, which ranks 12th in the NFL and is yard-and-a-half better than Robinson’s average last season.

Outside of one blunder against San Diego where he misread a punt and let it hit him in the back of the leg – nearly resulting in a turnover – Jones has looked extremely reliable. On kicks inside the 10, he’s disguised catching the ball well, resulting in a few touchbacks — the sign of smart, veteran returner.

The best thing about Jones, 27, is he seems to look better with each passing week as he becomes more comfortable with the players blocking for him.

He’s coming off his best game last week against Kansas City, returning five punts for 68 yards. As a bonus, he played some wide receiver after D.J. Hackett went down and caught his first NFL pass, a pretty 19-yard reception on third-and-17 to help move the chains.

“He’s done a tremendous job,” coach John Fox said. “He’s come in and he’s learned quickly. Being a guy who is going to get a jersey on Sundays because of his return ability, we’ve had to rely on him some at receiver, too. And you saw that last week. He found the soft spot in the zone, a pretty aware play, and he made a nice grab. So he’s been a pleasant surprise.”

As Fox pointed out, returning punts in the NFL is more complicated than just catching the ball and running with it.

“There are a lot of little things,” Fox said. “Sometimes it doesn’t look like it, but there are plays on returns. There are things to pick up. And he’s a sharp guy who hasn’t struggled at all.”

Jones’ story is all the more amazing considering he tore his left patella tendon last October while playing for Tampa Bay.

It was horrible timing considering he was due to become an unrestricted free agent after the ’07 season. With concerns over his knee, the Bucs didn’t re-sign him.

He signed with San Diego in June but failed to earn a roster spot, losing out to one of the league’s top returners in Darren Sproles.

The Panthers saw enough from Jones in the preseason to take a flier on him with Robinson down.

“Is it better than my other knee? No, it’s not,” Jones said of his recovery. “It is good enough to where I can do everything I did last year. The strength is not there, but as far as me thinking and being hesitant, I don’t have that anymore. Apprehension, none of that, is there.”

This is a special week for Jones, who spent his first four seasons in Tampa Bay after coming into the league as a seventh-round draft pick from Tennessee in 2004.

“I’m not going to worry who’s in the stands watching me and who’s up in the offices watching me,” Jones said. “They made their decision and I have to live with that…. I knew how I was going to turn out, but they didn’t know. They had to make moves and better their team. They made those moves and I can’t do anything about that.”

Panthers land return man in Jones

The Carolina Panthers have found their new return man.

The Panthers signed five-year pro Mark Jones to handle their kickoff and punt return duties — at least until Ryne Robinson can return from a sprained knee.

Jones, 27, is expected to join his teammates on the field Tuesday when the Panthers resume practice.

Cut by San Diego last week, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Jones should have some personal incentive when he faces his former team in Sunday’s regular season opener. He spent the previous three seasons in the NFC South with Tampa Bay. He averaged 28.6 yards on 10 kickoff returns and 11.9 yards on 12 punt returns last season.

For his career, he has a 24.8-yard average on 43 career kickoff returns and an 8.7 average on 43 punt returns. His longest kickoff return is 36 yards and his longest punt return 35 yards.

“He’s a solid returner on both kicks and punts,” said general manager Marty Hurney. “We know him from playing against him in Tampa. He came off an injury last year and had a good preseason for the Chargers. He hasn’t had a lot of time at receiver yet. but he’s been solid on both returns.”

Jones began his pro career in 2004 with the New York Giants, then moved to Tampa Bay the following season.

As expected, the Panthers released receiver Dominique Thompson to make room for Jones on the roster.

The Panthers were left thin at returner after Robinson injured his knee and Ricardo Colclough was cut just hours after being nailed for DWI early Saturday morning. The team also brought in Samie Parker for a look, but wound up cutting him as well.

Carolina toyed with the idea of using Jonathan Stewart on kickoff returns and Chris Gamble on punt returns, but feel like Jones will give them a solid return man in Robinson’s absence.

Although he’s listed as a wide receiver, Jones has never caught a pass in the NFL.

Charges Sign Mark Jones

The San Diego Chargers have signed free agent wide receiver and punt returner Mark Jones to a one-year deal.

Originally drafted by Tampa Bay in the seventh round in 2004, the 5-9, 185-pound Jones ended up spending his rookie season with the New York Giants after being waived by the Buccaneers. He re-signed with Tampa Bay in 2005 and spent the 2005-07 seasons in Tampa Bay.

Jones is a wide receiver, but his NFL experience has been exclusively as a punt returner. In 2007, he returned 12 punts for 143 yards (11.9 avg) with a long of 35. His year was cut short however by a knee injury that landed him on Injured-Reserve on Oct. 24. He has since recovered from that injury.

“Mark’s versatility was very attractive to us,” said General Manager A.J. Smith. “He’s an experienced NFL punt returner and a solid player who will raise the level of competition in our camp.”

For his career, Jones has 117 returns for 1,017 yards, an average of 8.7 yards per return.

The 27-year-old Jones was born in Wallingford, Pennsylvania. He attended Strath Haven High School and the University of Tennessee.

Chargers Sign Mark Jones

The San Diego Chargers signed wide receiver and punt returner Mark Jones to a one-year contract on Friday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed for Jones, who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.

Jones returned 12 punts for 143 yards, with a long of 35, with Tampa Bay in 2007 before having his year cut short with a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve on October 24.

“Mark’s versatility was very attractive to us,” San Diego general manager AJ Smith said. “He’s an experienced NFL punt returner and a solid player who will raise the level of competition in our camp.”

Jones, 27, has 117 career returns for 1017 yards - an average of 8.7 yards - since being drafted in the seventh round in 2004 by the Buccaneers.