Written with sources from the
New York Giants website
Brett Jones has made the 53-man roster of the New York Giants as a backup centre and guard.
He becomes the first former Weyburn Comp Eagles player to play in the NFL, according to Darren Abel, head coach of the Eagles.
Abel said that the whole coaching staff of the Eagles were very proud to hear the announcement. “We wish Brett well in the season. We know his mom and dad, Cheryl and Rob, as well as his sister Chelsea and brother Scott will be watching him with pride this year.”
Jones started at center and played well into the second half during the Giants’ 17-9 preseason victory over the New England Patriots.
He played the first two series with the other four offensive-line first-teamers, because Weston Richburg was the only starter up front who didn’t play. Richburg was one of several front-line players given the night off by head coach Ben McAdoo.
Jones, who won a Grey Cup with the Calgary Stampeders, spent the entire 2015 season on injured reserve with a knee injury.
During his Grey Cup year with the Stampeders, Jones started all 20 games at center for the Stampeders, who were 15-3 in the regular season.
He was named the league’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman. The previous year, he had won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie.
The Giants took notice and on February 11, 2015, signed Jones, a Canadian native who played hockey when he was young. But Jones suffered a knee injury last preseason and spent the year on injured reserve.
“Brett has made some big jumps, some big gains,” McAdoo said. “It’s a shame what happened to him last season. He’s been able to rebound. He’s a great student of the game. He’s a guy that has improved tremendously and will add some versatility inside for us.”
“It was a lot more snaps than I got all camp,” Jones said. “I tried to make the most of them and just see where it all falls out.”
He learned a couple days before the game he would fill in for Richburg. “It’s something you work toward,” Jones said. “Those are really the reps you want to get. You just try and make the most of them while you’re out there. I try to be in sync with those guys. When you work with Weston, he’s dialed into what he’s doing and you have to be on the same page with those guys because they expect it.
“I just made sure I did all the prep that I could before the game to try to go out there and play fast and not play slow by not knowing what I was doing.”
Jones said he accomplished his mission. “When you get in against the ones, the speed definitely picks up a little bit,” he said. “They show some different things that maybe the twos and threes don’t do. It was cool to get to play against that and see those looks.”
The announcement on the final roster is actually anything but final. “The roster is a living, breathing organism,” McAdoo said. “It never stops changing. There’s always movement in the roster. Things are always moving.”
The New York Giants will start their regular NFL season, with a game against the Cowboys on Sunday, September 11. Their home opener is on Sunday, September 18 when they play the Saints.
“It’s an exciting time in the offseason with the schedule being released,” said McAdoo.
“We’re certainly going to take them one at a time. But playing the AFC North and the NFC North, two divisions that are very competitive, not to mention the NFC East, will be a huge challenge for us.”
