James Jones followed a 14-touchdown season in 2012 with a career-high 817 receiving yards in 2013. His time as a member of the Green Bay Packers -- especially of late -- was quite fruitful.
That's why he stood out as one of the most interesting free agents this offseason. Jones was eager to prove that his gaudy numbers would hold true anywhere else -- even Oakland.
Through six games and a head coaching change, though, it doesn't seem to be going according to plan. And that's not necessarily Jones' fault.
"Coach rotates people. That's what he does," said Jones, who is finding himself behind Andre Holmes and Kenbrell Thompkins at times. "I'm not going to question what Coach does. My job is to make the most out of my opportunities. That's all I can do."
Jones has 363 receiving yards this season and three touchdowns after signing a three-year, $10 million contract this offseason.
While the numbers aren't dismal, the coaching staff hasn't been doing a great job of feeding Jones the ball. It's an issue that could stem from the fact that Jones makes a lot of his catches in tight coverage without much separation, and that Derek Carr, a rookie, may be a little gun-shy.
"He doesn't need a lot of separation because of his body control and his ability to catch a football," offensive coordinator Greg Olson said. "There's obviously a real trust factor there between Derek and James."
That trust will need to grow if the Raiders have any hopes of moving out of this 0-6 slump.
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