OXNARD, Calif. - His suddenness is as obvious as his smile is big.
His speed is as jaw-dropping as his good nature is disarming.
His cutting ability is as sharp as his humility is charming.
What's going on here? Is this Jones, Take II? From Julius to Felix?
Been here, seen this. Now if only Jones, The Sequel, lasts a little longer than the original version.
Funny, after sitting here watching rookie Felix Jones run the football in these practices where putting the running back on the ground is prohibited, I can't help but think back to 2004, right here on these same River Ridge Sports Complex practice fields, when then-rookie Julius Jones was leaving many a mouth watering.
That was not a mirage. That was not just a welcomed alternative to a season of Troy Hambrick running into one tackler after the next. That Julius Jones was the real deal.
Yet something happened. Some time between his third and fourth seasons here with the Cowboys, Julius lost something. Not sure if it was his soul or his vision. Not sure if it was his fire or his instincts.
But last year was not the same Julius Jones we had seen out here in 2004. Not the same Julius Jones who went off for 198 yards that Monday night in Seattle, only the third-best rushing performance in the history of a club having placed two running backs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Not the same Julius Jones who became the once running back-oriented club's first 1,000-yard rusher (2006) since Emmitt Smith in 2001.
Where, oh where did that Jones go? It's a question which produces a lot of shrugged shoulders around here these days, and is why he is where he is today, having signed a free-agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks without the Dallas Cowboys even trying to counter.
They were willing to just go with Marion Barber instead, even if his only NFL start in three seasons came in last year's playoff game. That was it, and there was no guaranteed safety net to speak of since the club also failed to issue Tyson Thompson a restricted free agency qualifying offer.
There was no guarantee either that the Cowboys would be able to draft a starting-quality running back. Yet, they were willing to take the chance just the same, knowing they would rather extend Barber's deal than to commit to Julius Jones even short term after the so-so season he had last year.
Then along comes Felix Jones with the team's first of two first-round picks, the running back who played Tonto to Darren McFadden at Arkansas last season. He has been considered the specialty back, the guy who can run inside a little, run sweeps, catch screens, go down field as a receiver and return kicks.
But tell you what, after just a little more than a week here at training camp, this Cat, 6-0, 212, is a running back. One who continues showing an ability to run between the tackles, something those who intimately watched Arkansas football over the past few years keep insisting he's capable of doing.
Not meaning to scare you, but Felix reminds me of that other guy from back when. When he runs, he runs hard but doesn't seem to lose a step when cutting, Yep, just like a Cat. And, he's been known during his days to be called "Felix The Cat." You know the sing song:
Felix the Cat,
The wonderful, wonderful cat!
Whenever he gets in a fix,
He reaches into his bag of tricks!
Listen to Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips talk about Felix Jones from just the other day: "He just makes so many good plays, sees the field so well."
Several times over the past few practices Felix Jones' best runs have been those between the tackles, making one quick cut and getting into the defensive backfield where a tackler's wrong angle on any play can mean six.
He had one of these for what would have been a touchdown the other day, and I promise, even though they weren't tackling, no one had an opportunity to do so. I think this is the run Phillips referred to here on Sunday when saying, "Broke the line, he saw the linebacker, but he was on to the safety already."
That is what you want to hear about your running back, even if he's probably going to play second fiddle to Barber, that he has good vision and anticipation. That he instinctively knows who he is going to beat initially and already is on to the second line of defense.
Exactly what made Emmitt so good.
"You know, you have a good feel for when you can get away from tacklers, and sometimes I feel like, yeah, I can get away here. And then there are other times, you know, I don't have a hole to run through," said Felix here Monday afternoon, the only thing detracting from his radio interview - he's so polite and soft-spoken - was the listeners inability to actually see his wide smile.
So, do not think Felix can't run inside or that he's unwilling to run inside. Maybe just the opposite, because somewhere along the way he's learned the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
"People are really surprised I don't mind running through the tackles," Felix said. "I really prefer that (because it helps you) to get up the field real fast."
And he has a pretty good idea of who he is. To me, that's good.
For when asked to give a scouting report of himself, he said, without little hesitation, "Very elusive, fast, once he sees the hole he gets in there as fast as he can, makes the first person miss and is very explosive."
Now, along with his ability to catch the football - and boy, that sure looks good when they line up Barber and Felix Jones in the same backfield, then motion Felix out wide into the pass pattern, forcing the defense to decide if they will cover the lightning fast running back with a corner, a safety or a linebacker, ha! - here is something else I like.
Jones doesn't seem afraid to follow his instincts, to venture a little bit away from the prescribed hole if he thinks there is, or will be no hole. Some guys will just pound up in there, no matter what, simply doing what they are told to do. The other Jones did that far too many times last year when the backside cut was available.
Of course, this can be a good thing and a bad thing for a rookie running back because sometimes they give up on the play far too soon, losing the patience to ride their blockers until the hole opens. That gets you in trouble with the coaching staff, especially if your decision is the wrong decision.
As Jones says, "Yeah, I have ventured out, and that wasn't where I was supposed to go . . . Coach made it clear this play is designed to go in this certain spot and you need to go there. So I have ventured out and it wasn't really a place I needed to be. Coach [Skip] Peete is (big) on hitting the hole and staying with the blocks."
Yeah, well, but the good ones know when to hit the hole and when to venture out. Those are the ones with good vision and the ability to not start making any moves until they get through the line of scrimmage. Jones knows on most running plays it's his responsibility to make someone miss. There is usually one more defender than the running back has blockers, so that's a prerequisite to running in the NFL.
So yeah, I know they aren't tackling out here, just tagging up the running backs. That is why there is great anticipation by this staff, and probably you guys, too, about Saturday's first preseason game in San Diego. Then we'll see if what we think we're seeing is really what we're seeing.
And there is a good chance, providing there are enough kickoffs, of Felix Jones returning a few of those, too, a specialty of his at Arkansas. Should be good stuff.
Can't wait since we shall soon see if this Jones is the same as that Jones we once knew, the one who seemingly was poised to set the NFL on fire when healthy early in his career, only to fizzle into a far-too-robotic running back. One who didn't see the field nor make anyone miss anymore for some odd reason.
Yep, we'll see just what's in this Felix's bag of tricks.
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Mickey Spagnola - 
