ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Marvin Jones raised his hand. When he saw the eyes of his quarterback, Matthew Stafford, notice his hand up, the Detroit Lions wide receiver took off.
It’s part of the communication now between Stafford and Jones, Detroit’s big-play receiver who is 30 yards shy of his first 1,000-yard season. It’s a long way from last year, Jones' first with the team, when he was neutralized in a lot of games. It left him frustrated with his performance and vowing to be a much better player than he showed during that season -- even though he had hit a career-best in yards.
The consistency wasn’t there. Neither was the big-play ability he believed he had.
This season, there have been none of those questions. Jones has played well enough to be an alternate for the Pro Bowl, chosen from a tough NFC field. His 970 yards with two games left is already a career high. He has had more 100-yard games this year -- three -- than he had in his other four NFL seasons combined.
While he hasn’t scored a touchdown since Thanksgiving, Jones has reached the end zone eight times this season and seemingly has had an eye-popping catch per game. Essentially, this type of performance throughout a season is what the Lions were hoping for when they signed him following Calvin Johnson’s retirement before the 2016 season.
Jones attributes his success to “being more comfortable, obviously,” he said. “When you come and there’s a new system, there’s always going to be some growing pains sometimes. And I think being overall comfortable in the system and comfortable with Matt.
“That’s what it is.”
He’ll be performing in his new system this weekend in his old home, Cincinnati. And as he faces the Bengals, a lot of the reasons he left are coming to fruition. Jones wanted to be a No. 1 receiver in an offense, and while he shares that role at different points with Golden Tate, he’s much closer to being a true No. 1 in Detroit than he was in Cincinnati, where A.J. Green holds that role.
Jones also has become a well-rounded receiver. After getting adjusted to the Lions and Stafford last season, he now feels a strong connection with his quarterback. It’s why when he sees Stafford start to move out of the pocket and is able to either make eye contact or just tilt his head a certain way, he knows this could be a big play for him.
“The more and more you play with guys, the more you understand their body language at the top of routes and whether or not they can win,” Stafford said. “And I’m getting that with all of our guys at the moment, so just trying to continue to put the ball in a good spot, let those guys go and make plays like they’re doing.”
That is how Jones' hang-in-the-air, 58-yard reception, on which he leapt in front of safety Eddie Jackson, came to be on Saturday against Chicago. Jones just thought, “Go get the ball,” and then ran as hard as he could to try and meet the football at the proper point of Stafford's throw.
Jones actually jumped early, which led to the extra hang time. He has enough body control, one of his best traits, to be able to stay in the air a little bit longer than most. It is part of what Jones does, part of what has made him a reliable receiver for the Lions. And plays like last Saturday's are what the Lions have come to expect from him, between his own work and then time he put in with Randy Moss in the offseason in North Carolina, looking for any tips to become a better player.
Jones said he’s planning on working with Moss again this offseason. But the effort he’s already put in has showed.
“Marv’s put a lot of work in. I think our system and the system he came from in Cincinnati is quite a bit different, and he did a great job of adjusting, putting the work in,” Stafford said. “And then, on Sundays, he just goes out there and makes plays.
“I’m giving him chances on certain throws, and he’s going up and making me right more often than not. So it’s nice to have.”