Q&A with former Rams DE Deacon Jones

[RamWraith]

By Dan Arkush
Jan. 27, 2005

Widely considered one of the most dominating defensive
linemen in NFL history, David "Deacon" Jones reached
his peak as a member of the Los Angeles Rams' famed
"Fearsome Foursome" along with fellow Hall of Famer
Merlin Olsen, Roosevelt Grier and Lamar Lundy.

The 6-5, 260-pound Jones is credited with adding the
term "sack" to the NFL lexicon. A nine-time Pro
Bowler, including seven straight berths with the Rams
from 1964 to 1970, Jones unofficially recorded a
team-best 159½ sacks with the Rams and 173½ for his
career. He had seven seasons with double-digit sacks,
including an unofficial league-record 26 in 1967 (the
NFL began keeping sacks as an official statistic in
1982), and also became the first defensive lineman to
record 100 solo tackles in a single season.

Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980,
Jones played with the Rams from 1961 to '71 and then
with the Chargers in 1972-73 and Redskins in 1974. He
was a unanimous All-Pro selection five consecutive
years and was selected to the NFL's 75th Anniversary
team in '94.

PFW: (Longtime L.A. football writer) Bob Oates told me
you came up with your own nickname. How did you settle
on the name 'Deacon'?

Jones: Well, you know the business and what makes it
tick. I fell in love with football as a little kid,
and it was all I ever wanted to do my entire life. I
wanted to be the best, but I had a difficult road to
hoe. In 1961 when I came into the league, there were
only a few positions black players could even qualify
for. There were a lot of obstacles, but I was born
with a little touch of publicity in me, and a
businessman I met suggested to me that I needed a
nickname. I knew he was right when I looked in the
L.A. phone book and saw a million guys named David
Jones. But then one day I just happened to be looking
at the Rams' press guide and saw the name 'Deacon' Dan
Towler, who happened to be one helluva fullback. The
name 'Deacon' just clicked. I just started signing
everything with that name, and you guys (the media)
did the rest.

PFW: Talk about how 'The Fearsome Foursome' came
together?

Jones: When I came to the Rams, the team had a lot of
problems. Early on we were getting our brains beaten
in. Luckily for me, one of the coaches (Harland Svare)
wanted to build a defensive line. Lamar Lundy was
already there, and I was the second guy. Then in 1962
the Rams made one of their best draft picks ever when
they selected Merlin (Olsen). He was this smart, white
Phi Beta Kappa guy, but for some reason, he and I hit
it off. We got over the black-and-white hurdle real
quickly. We didn't know what the hell it was, but we
brought something different to the table. We had a
connection. And then in '63, Rosey (Roosevelt Grier)
came in a trade. We worked like crazy and played hurt
and just kept getting better. In 1966 it all really
came together under George Allen. In '67, I killed the
league! Twenty-six sacks against double and triple
coverage! We were dominant. We had great confidence. I
came into the league overconfident and never had a
problem speaking my mind, which would piss off the
other three guys at times. But we knew we were better
than anybody else. We started singing and dancing on
TV, and the "Fearsome Foursome" became a myth.

PFW: Do you remain close with the other members of
that line?

Jones: Oh yeah. We still get together semi-regularly.

PFW: Talk about the NFL game today.

Jones: You know, I told you football is in my blood,
but I would have been a terrible coach because I don't
see today's players having the same kind of dedication
and work ethic that I had to reach another level and
play team football. Free agency killed that kind of
feeling in all sports, I think. And look what they've
done with the rules, taking the punishment away from
quarterbacks so they can put up bigger numbers. I hate
that! It should be 11-on-11.

PFW: Did you know Reggie White, and what did you think
of him as a player?

Jones: I knew Reggie quite well. We had hundreds of
conversations. I just saw him last August at the Bucs'
training camp. Reggie always understood what the game
was all about. He was a fantastic player. My thing was
speed, quickness and strength. He was the reverse of
that. He was the strongest lineman, pound for pound,
that I've ever seen. He will be best-remembered for
his leadership qualities. I took violence onto the
football field. I wasn't out there to pray with you; I
was more concerned with breaking your legs. Reggie was
just the opposite, and I admired him for it. He was
always consistent.

PFW: What are you doing with your life these days?

Jones: I'm winding down, enjoying retirement. I do a
lot of charity work, make a lot of speeches. I've been
with the troops in Iraq, and I was in Baghdad and
Kuwait. And my golf game is getting better.

PFW: When you slice a drive into the woods, do you get
as angry at your driver as you used to get with
opposing offensive linemen?

Jones: Nah, there's no way I'm going anywhere in any
woods! You don't know what's in there. I just drop
another ball.

PFW: Talk about the other people in your life that
influenced you the most.

Jones: I'd have to start with my father. He's from a
different period in our society. He had two other boys
and five daughters, and he demanded that all three of
his boys play football. He was the only one who
believed that I could make it in the pros. He used to
watch me practice at 5:00 in the morning when I was
doing my running when nobody else did. He supported
the hell out of me. With the Rams, former
MLB-turned-coach Don Paul was a big inspiration. He
switched me from offensive tackle and saw the
defensive killer in me. He really molded me into a
defensive player. And last but not least, I'd have to
say George Allen. He's a guy who I had total respect
for. When I went to the Bucs' camp last summer, it was
to see his son, Bruce. His daughter named one of their
kids after me. George and I stuck by each other. I'll
never forget the guy. My father, Don Paul and George
Allen. They were the Big Three.

[AugustaRamFan]

I wish he would have asked Deacon if he had any thoughts on the Kyle Turley "Thang". I wonder what the Sack Deacon would have said?

Deacon was a man among boys in the NFL.

[UtterBlitz]

The 6-5, 260-pound Jones is credited with adding the
term "sack" to the NFL lexicon..

:redface: sack...Sack....SACK!!!

We worked like crazy and played hurt
and just kept getting better. In 1966 it all really
came together under George Allen. In '67, I killed the
league! Twenty-six sacks against double and triple
coverage! We were dominant. We had great confidence. I
came into the league overconfident and never had a
problem speaking my mind, which would piss off the
other three guys at times. But we knew we were better
than anybody else. We started singing and dancing on
TV, and the "Fearsome Foursome" became a myth.

I would have loved to have seen the Fearsome Foursome play.

Jones: You know, I told you football is in my blood,
but I would have been a terrible coach because I don't
see today's players having the same kind of dedication
and work ethic that I had to reach another level and
play team football. Free agency killed that kind of
feeling in all sports, I think. And look what they've
done with the rules, taking the punishment away from
quarterbacks so they can put up bigger numbers. I hate
that! It should be 11-on-11.

I wonder about free agency myself. The game has not been the same since free agency was created.

And the rules keep coming. It seems they try to keep some of the QBs safe. The Rams defense has been penalized many times when they get to the other teams QB. It must be frustrating for them.