The Man of the Moment Takes his Place Amongst Our Hearts

He had a way of seizing the moment, didn’t he?

He had one of the greatest plays in one of the greatest games in team history when he returned a kickoff for a touchdown in that ridiculous final 2:00 of the snow game against Minnesota. He snagged a 56-yard, catch-fall, rise, twist and turn for a touchdown near the end of the first half against the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, and then opened the second half with a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Is there anything I’m missing here?

Oh, yes. Right. The Mile High Miracle — inarguably the most-famous play in Ravens history, when Joe Flacco launched a dream into the air while being rushed by one Von Miller that improbably landed in the hands of Jones, who escorted Baltimore’s dreams into overtime and, eventually, a bid in the Super Bowl.

Jacoby Jones isn’t necessarily the first name that comes to mind when discussing the Ravens’ best players. Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Jonathan Ogden probably have that discussion on lockdown for now. Nor does he stand out for being one of the most outlandish personalities in team history, as Tony Siragusa and Terrell Suggs probably start out that one.

But nobody trumps Jones’ ability to make magic happen in the biggest of moments. He was like Robert Horry in that it almost became expected that Jones would rise up when the lights shined their most bright.

And he did it with swagger — genuine, confident, remarkably-enthusiastic swagger that made you want to celebrate with him when he grabbed the moment, while holding onto a sense of humility that made you appreciate how much grabbing those moments meant to him. In fact, it seemed like everything mattered to Jones.

Head coach John Harbaugh shared yesterday that his favorite football moment of Jones’ was that before he made that kick return against the Vikings, he was chatting with his mother in the end zone, and then rushed to get in position to catch the ball and make the return.

“My favorite Jacoby personal moment was every time I saw his smiling face full of Joy. Rest in peace, Jacoby, in the arms of Jesus,” said Harbaugh.

Jones had that way of connecting with people — be it coaches, teammates or fans. He was selected as the team’s Legend of the Game in a gigantic Divisional Playoff game against the Texans last season, and his reception from the crowd was deafening.

Jones seized a lot of these moments for numerous reasons — a big one was that he was simply a really good football player, especially in terms of his return prowess. He had nine combined kickoff and punt returns in his regular-season career, in addition to the aforementioned kick return in the Super Bowl. That old phrase about a guy being so fast that “if he’s even, he’s leaving?” That was Jones. He was a decisive runner who spotted his lane immediately and exploded into the gap. Those of us who watched his Ravens’ career knew that when he got through those first two levels… well, he was gone.

Unless a Steelers coach tried to trip him, that is.

Another moment! In a rivalry that rivaled any rivalry that’s ever rivaled during its peak, one of the most memorable moments of all was Jones’ return against the Steelers in a 2013 game at M&T Stadium. It’s hard to believe Jones only played three seasons in Baltimore, right? This has to be the highest percentage of franchise-history-moments-per-snap in NFL history, right?

That’s special stuff.

And now we mourn the loss of a hero in the annals of Ravens history, while we can’t help but smile at the moments he gave who united us over his short time in town. Think about what’s going on in this world of ours today, and the division and angst and fear and every other form of negativity we carry toward one another and how it makes us feel.

And then think of Jacoby. And that catch in Denver. And the return against…

Just think of Jacoby. That should help. And then remember all of those times he made us share one love, if even for just one moment at a time.