Fumbling Fix: Aaron Jones Turns to Unconventional Method With Help From His Kids
Vikings running back Aaron Jones fumbled twice against the Cardinals last week and has now put the ball on the ground four times in the last three games. As he tries to fix an issue that hadn’t given him much trouble for most of his eight-year NFL career, he’s taken to an unorthodox strategy at home.
“Hold my kids,” Jones said this week. “Hold my kids like a football. A football ain’t that heavy, so I’m like if I can hold them and not drop them, I should be good. Literally holding them in both hands like this and getting some practice until my arms get tired.”
Jones also said his mom was harder on him than anyone after last Sunday’s game. After her son fumbled twice on his first four touches, she thought the Vikings needed to bench him.
“She said ‘they needed to sit you down,'” Jones said. “She was like ‘I don’t know what’s going on, but they need to take him out the game. They need to bench him right now.’ Anytime I hear it from my mom, it’s gonna be worse. I was like ‘I gotta learn from it.’ She was like ‘you didn’t learn last week?’ And I’m just like damn, mom. I kinda didn’t know what to say. But it’s what I need. My mom being hard on me, that was my dad for so many years. My dad’s not here, so now my mom’s kinda took the role over without me asking her.”
In all seriousness, Jones is obviously aware that his recent fumbles are something that can’t continue going forward. He’s vowed to fix it. Given that he had just 15 fumbles in 97 games coming into this season, it doesn’t seem like a trend that will spiral out of control. He’s also aware that the Vikings’ opponent this week, the Falcons, will likely be punching at the ball every time he has it.
“We gotta be good, two hands on the ball, cover it up, and at the end of every play, finish that play with the ball,” Jones said.
“I will be better,” he added. “That’s something I take pride in. That’s not me.”
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