Baltimore Ravens' Arthur Jones fit to be champ
5:03 PM, Jan 31, 2013 |
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NFL: AFC Championship Game-Baltimore Ravens at New
After Sunday's Super Bowl, Arthur Jones intends on relaxing before training with his brothers in a New Mexico mixed martial arts gym. / USA TODAY Sports
Written by Chris Strauss Gannett
NEW ORLEANS — If the Baltimore Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday, defensive lineman Arthur Jones will become the second world champion in his family. And he intends to keep his training at a level that produced the first champ at the Jones home.
Win or lose, the third-year pro plans to take a month off to rest and “be a fat kid” before heading west to Albuquerque, N.M., where he will help his brother Jon train to defend his UFC light heavyweight title against Chael Sonnen at UFC 159 on April 27.
Jones has spent parts of his past two offseasons working out with the crew at Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts, mimicking the training his brother undergoes to prepare for fights.
“It’s helped my game out and made me successful in football by helping him out,” Jones said.
This year Jones plans to bring along younger brother Chandler, whose rookie year as a defensive end with the New England Patriots was ended by Arthur and the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.
“I don’t think he knows what to expect,” Jones said. “I told him it’s not a vacation down there. It’s hell. Running those sand dunes, swimming at Sandia High School, pad work. There’s so many different things. It’s a lot of great work.”
Jones said he can still outwrestle his UFC champion brother because “I’m the older brother. He’s the toughest — I’ll give him that — but I still take him. I’ve never been beat, and that’s on the record.”
Jones said his family will represent Endicott in New Orleans for Sunday’s game, and he expects he and his middle brother “will probably get in a hotel room and do a little wrestling.”
The key to his strategy in such showdowns is to “wrestle him in a small space. That gives me the advantage.”
While Jones is a football player, he also was a two-time high school state champion heavyweight wrestler. He says his wrestling background has paid big dividends in his football career, on everything from technique to being disciplined about eating, as wrestlers have to be.
“Leverage, hand fighting, being mentally and physically prepared — so many things in wrestling transfer to football,” he said. “It has absolutely helped me.”
A 6-foot-3, 315-pounder drafted in the fifth round in the 2010 draft, Jones is in a contract year and said he hopes to “re-sign with Baltimore and be there for a long time.”
Jones said one of the things he has noticed with the Ravens is the leadership on the team. The players are enjoying their visit to New Orleans, but have not wanted to get out too much.
“Right now, on our team it’s about staying poised, not playing the game too soon,” he says. “Last night (Tuesday), I got back to the hotel about 7:30 and a lot of guys were watching film — and it was our off day. That’s the kind of leadership we have.”
The tone is set by Ravens coach John Harbaugh, Jones said.
“He’s a player’s coach. I’m really blessed to have a coach like him. He says, ‘Let your personality show’ and he’s really down-to-earth. But he knows when it’s time to take care of business, we have the leadership on this team to do that,” Jones said.
