There’s something about the play of LA Rams Ernest Jones…

The game was never bigger than he was

One of the first, and most critical, hurdles for any rookie is to play as big as the game itself. No wide-eyed stares of bewilderment. No running back and forth like a dog chasing fireflies. A rookie in the NFL needs to observe, diagnose, analyze, and execute each and every play. He needs to be in control of himself, and be able to defend whatever the offense throws his way.

Well, Ernest Jones certainly did that. As with any rookie, he was subject to a learning curve. But even when he made mistakes, they were not egregious errors. And he quickly shook off the experience and came back to make the next play, or whenever the opportunity happened.

Rams roster thin at ILB

The LA Rams were quite deep at the ILB position to begin the season. Veteran ILB Micah Kiser was signed off the team’s practice squad by the Denver Broncos. The team traded starting ILB Kenny Young to the Broncos too. That left the role to Jones by default. He was ready, and he showed up too. He made plays that seemed casual and routine when other teams made the same play. On the LA Rams defense, any event for a solid stop, a thunderous tackle, or being in the position to break up a pass was not the norm, and so it stood out a bit.

As the season wore on, Jones became more and more certain of his play, and ultimately made his own ability to make plays seem routine. He fell to injury in Week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings and did not get back onto the football field until the NFC Championship Game. In the postseason, Jones truly displayed his command of the Rams’ defense, earning an impressive 68.2 grade from Pro Football Focus. That’s pretty good for playing in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LVI. The game was never bigger than he was.