By Michael Stets
ALLEN PARK–The Lions failed to qualify for January football this season. And as a result they were cleaning out their lockers on Monday morning, just a few hours after Jim Caldwell was relieved of his head coaching duties by general manager Bob Quinn.
Marvin Jones, the team leader in receiving yards and touchdowns this season, was experiencing the loss of a head coach for the very first time since joining the league back in 2012.
“It’s kind of a numb feeling to me,” Jones told WJR, holding a box of his personal belongings on his way out of the locker room. “I definitely got emotional just because of what he means to us. But at the same time this is the business. This is what we signed up for. So, we will definitely take a lot of the things that he’s taught us and we will go from there.”
And what are some of those things he learned from Caldwell that he can take with him into the next phases of his career?
“It’s funny because you can’t point to one thing when it comes to coach Caldwell, just because every meeting you learn something new from him,” Jones said. “All of his phrases: the mental is to the physical 10 to 1. He’s a big phrase guy. Everything that he says is on point. You can really take everything that he says into account and you can take it with you.
“I just can’t point to one thing. Obviously, what he’s done for us in terms of being better men not only better football players. That’s something that we can take. I’ve gotten like 10 books from him, just from him posting those books and saying whatever is significant about those books in our meetings. I got a kindle and I downloaded like 10 to 12 books that he reads. He’s a big reader.”
Jones mentioned one book, “Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable” by Tim S. Grover as the one he has read the most. Unsurprisingly, it was quite evident that the now former Lions head coach made a lasting impression on Jones, who came to Detroit in 2016 after spending his first four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Lions’ wideout scored a touchdown in the Lions’ 35-11 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, and said he was happy the team sent Caldwell off with a victory in front of raucous crowd at Ford Field
“Most definitely,” he said. “The place was rocking. That was one of the most exciting games that I’ve been in [since coming] here.”
Jones was then asked how he would assess his own performance from the 2017 regular season.
“It was good,” he said. “It was good, but next year is going to be better.”
As for Jones’ expectations for the Lions in 2017, and what the team is capable of, he said “consistency” will be the key.
“Once we can put together consistency, I don’t think there is anybody that is messing with us to be honest. We have to go and be motivated and be consistent. And that starts from right when we come back [from the offseason]. We definitely have the players to do that and I think we will.”