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Jones' Goal? Drop The Drops

GREEN BAY, Wis. – James Jones’ eyesight is fine, and so is his concentration. When the Green Bay Packers wide receiver looks back on the four would-be touchdowns that he dropped last season, he chalks it up to being “one of those years.”

But that doesn’t mean Jones, who returned to the team when he signed a three-year deal earlier this week, didn’t do something about it during the lockout.

“As I go back and I watch the film on the balls that I drop, most of them were the same routes, same catch – over the shoulder catch. I spent most of the offseason working on that over the shoulder catch,” Jones said Wednesday, in his first locker room media availability since re-signing. “It wasn’t a lack of concentration. I know how to catch; everybody sees that I know how to catch. Just, drops. I don’t make excuses for myself, I just dropped it. If he threw it to me again today, I’d catch it.

“Last year was just one of those years where I let a couple go, and this year I plan not to do that.”

Jones can recite from memory the four drops that stand out most: A potential 72-yard touchdown from Aaron Rodgers in the Packers’ 9-0 win over the New York Jets on Oct. 31; a possible 29-yard touchdown in the Packers’ 45-17 victory over the New York Giants on Dec. 26; a likely 63-yard touchdown in the Packers’ 21-16 NFC Wild Card victory at Philadelphia; and a potential 75-yard touchdown in the Packers’ victory over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.

Statistically, Jones was not the team’s worst offender when it came to dropping passes. According to STATS, he dropped six of the 87 passes targeted for him during the regular season, while veteran Donald Driver dropped seven of 84 thrown his way. Jordy Nelson, who had nine catches for 140 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl, also dropped three passes in that game.

But Jones’ drops were considerably more memorable, especially as their piled up. And Jones said he understands folks’ frustration.

“Definitely. I’m harder on myself than anybody, any media. My friends are even harder on me than you guys,” Jones said. “I can’t blame it on concentration, I can’t blame it on anything, because I’d say I do have the best hands in this group. I let a couple go that I shouldn’t let go, and this year, I worked all offseason on that particular catch and I plan on letting none go this year.”

While home in San Jose, Calif.

Sharks acquire C Sheppard from Wild - Hockey news by mail.com

August 07, 2011 — SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — San Jose and Minnesota have made their third trade of the offseason, with center James Sheppard going from the Wild to the Sharks on Sunday for a third-round draft pick in 2013.

Sheppard was the ninth overall pick in the 2006 draft, but the native of Nova Scotia never performed up to his first-round potential. He missed all of last season after breaking his left kneecap in an off-ice accident. Sheppard has 11 goals and 38 assists in 224 career games.

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