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Sporting News, The, July 3, 2000 by Dennis Dillon

Jones made an inconspicuous entrance into the NFL. He was not among the 334 players drafted in 1991, when the selection process was 12 rounds. He played running back and fullback at Missouri, and his agent wanted him to sign a free-agent contract with the Broncos. But the Raiders signed him and switched him to linebacker at the urging of Mike Ward, who had been Jones' running backs coach at Missouri. When the Raiders sent out an evaluation form during Jones' senior season, Ward filled it out--with a 1 1/2-page, handwritten letter to Raiders owner Al Davis as an addendum. Ward was convinced that Jones could play linebacker in the NFL. In fact, Ward and defensive coordinator Mike Church had lobbied to switch Jones to linebacker at Missouri, but head coach Bob Stull squelched the idea.

"I knew he wasn't going to get drafted as a running back in the NFL," Ward recalls. "His speed was 4.6 to 4.7. He ran a little bit upright, a little vertical for a running back, and that's not good. He had average size. He didn't fit the mold of what they were looking for at fullback. What convinced me that he would be a linebacker in the NFL, and even in college, was his ability to open up his hips and run. A lot of guys are stiff; this guy was smooth and fluid. And the way he could accelerate in and out of breaks ... in other words, stop and go. And, then, cerebrally speaking, he was incredible. I knew he could read formations. I knew he could read tendencies."

Jones gradually ascended from special teams player to nickel linebacker to starter with the Raiders. He became a free agent after the '96 season, but some of the Rams' coaches were reluctant to bring him to St. Louis because they needed a strongside linebacker who could cover the tight end and rush the passer. Jones had performed neither role with the Raiders.

Through dedication on the practice field, in film study and in the weight room, Jones, 31, developed into the player the Rams needed. He became an iron man who was irreplaceable. He played in 1,045 of 1,047 defensive snaps in '97 and all 1,004 plays in '98. Last season, he intercepted four passes (returning two for touchdowns), recovered two fumbles (one of which he turned into a TD), made one sack, defensed 13 passes, produced 11 quarterback pressures and was third on the team in tackles. For the third consecutive year, he was voted by his teammates as winner of the Carl Ekern Spirit of the Game Award, named for a former Rams linebacker and given to the player who best exemplifies sportsmanship, work ethic and commitment to his teammates.

"Mike is someone everyone should pattern their career around," says Rams free safety Keith Lyle. "He works hard, he studies. He does all the necessary things to prepare himself for Sunday."

Jones, Carter and cornerback Todd Lyght usually play on the left side of the Rams' defense, and they always have a rallying cry. During the Super Bowl, they decided that one of them had to make the big play of the game. In the second quarter, Carter sacked McNair for a 6-yard loss. Early in the third quarter, Lyght blocked a field-goal attempt. Standing on the sideline before the final series of the game, Jones jokingly told Carter that it was his turn to make a play of magnitude.