Congratulations to head coach Marvin Jones.
That's right, Marvin's a head coach. The former Jets middle linebacker and fan favorite was named Friday as the interim coach of the Colorado Crush of the Indoor Football League.
Jones, who had been the Crush's defensive coordinator, took the reins of the 2-6 indoor team after the departure of head coach Jose Jefferson. "Shade Tree" — his iconic nickname from his storied Florida State career — showed some of his fire and focus in his comment on the IFL website about his new role:
"I'm honored to have the opportunity to lead the Colorado Crush as we make a push for a playoff spot the second half of the season. I plan to give it my all and I'm dedicated to the challenges ahead. My goals are to raise the quality of play and make the remainder of the season a success for our fans and front office."
@MarvinJonesJets, a prolific poster of inspirational messages on social media, added on Facebook:
"It's midseason, but you always give all you can!!! Making these guys better players & men is the goal. All I can do is give my best & let the chips fall where they may!!! Crush is alive & well !!!"
Most Green & White fans remember Jones as the man in the middle of the Jets defense from 1993-2003, with the exception of 1998, which he missed with a knee injury. He played in 142 games, starting 129 (including playoffs) and in fact starting the last 83 games of his career consecutively. His 1,021 career tackles are fourth in franchise history and he also racked up five interceptions, nine forced fumbles, eight recoveries and nine sacks.
Since retiring as a player, he began to immerse himself in coaching. Among his gigs, he served as the linebackers coach of the Brooklyn Bolts of the Fall Experimental Football League in 2014 and he joined head coach Todd Bowles' coaching staff last summer as part of the Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship before heading west to the Crush.
Coaching is part of the big picture for Jones, who started the Marvin Jones Charitable Foundation, dedicated to supporting and motivating youth toward success by engaging them in positive experiences through academics, community involvement and sports.
