Professor

Philadelphia game extra special for Lion Kevin Jones, but he's not 100% to play

If running back Kevin Jones returns to the Lions’ lineup Sunday at Philadelphia, it will be a great story. Jones grew up in Chester, Pa., just minutes down I-95 from Lincoln Financial Field. His father, Thomas, was part of the construction crew that built the Linc.

How many family members, friends and fans will be in the stands?

“A ton,” Thomas said.

But Kevin said Philly wasn’t fueling his desire to come back.

“I’ve been wanting to get out there,” Kevin said. “It just so happens that it’s feeling better now. Hopefully I can get out there this weekend.”

Jones hasn’t played since Dec. 10, when he tried to score a touchdown against Minnesota and suffered a Lisfranc injury — a tearing of the tissues that connect the bones in the middle of the foot. He had surgery on his left foot Dec.13, rehabbed during the off-season and started practicing again 2 1/2 weeks ago.

After practice Wednesday, coach Rod Marinelli said Jones cut pretty violently, ran pretty hard and didn’t seem to have any problems. Jones said he felt good and was optimistic he would play Sunday.

But this is a tricky injury.

“It’s not so much today, it’s tomorrow morning,” Marinelli said. “That’s the issue.”
The key will be how much soreness and swelling Jones has today and later this week. If he comes back, he will play a limited role. He doesn’t feel 100% yet.

“I’m probably not going to feel that way all year,” Jones said. “I’m just going to fight through most of it, just being able to manage the pain and the swelling. I probably won’t be 100% this year. It takes a year to be totally a hundred. I don’t feel totally a hundred, but I feel good.”

The Lions hope Jones feels good enough.

“Kevin, he’s a different type of runner than we have, that’s been playing these first couple games,” offensive lineman Damien Woody said. “I mean, he has a blend of both power and speed. He’s very shifty. I think he has a complete package.

“Now, we’re definitely going to bring him along slowly, I guess, from the perspective of the team. But just having his presence out there is definitely going to add another dimension to our offense.”

Jones could boost a rushing offense that has averaged 82 yards per game and ranks 26th in the NFL, while providing another receiving threat out of the backfield.

“I don’t want to put too many expectations on him early, because he’s coming back from a serious injury and he’s got to work himself into shape and just get comfortable with his foot,” offensive lineman Jeff Backus said. “But Kevin’s a good player, a hardnosed player. Anytime you can add a player of his caliber to our lineup, it’s a huge bonus. It’s a huge plus.”

Jones played in a youth league all-star game at Veterans Stadium when he was 8, and as Thomas helped build Lincoln Financial Field, he thought about the possibility Kevin would play there.

Thomas was a labor foreman in site development, overseeing things like the moving of dirt and the pouring of concrete for the foundation. Later, he worked fire protection.

“I was all over the stadium,” Thomas said.

When the Linc opened in 2003, Kevin played there — but in college, not the NFL. He played for Virginia Tech against Temple, running for 150 yards and a touchdown in a 24-23 overtime victory.

But neither Thomas nor Kevin makes a big deal out of it now. Kevin couldn’t remember if the game was at the Linc or the Vet, and Thomas said it was just part of the progression expected of Kevin.

“In your mind-set, it’s supposed to be,” Thomas said. “It was one brick in the wall. That’s how I looked at it, man.”

This is just another brick.

If Kevin plays Sunday, a ton of people will be there to cheer him on. But Thomas won’t be one of them. He will be at home in the Detroit area with his 11-year-old son, Thomas Jr., Kevin’s little brother, who is playing youth football.

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