Seahawks Spotlight: Nazair Jones on his interception and the black eye that came with it
Sep 13, 2017, 6:20 AM | Updated: 9:19 am
Can Nazair Jones carve out a role on the Seahawks' defense this year? (AP)
(AP)
RENTON — Seahawks rookie Nazair Jones didn’t hold onto the ball from his first career interception.
He did have something to remember it by, though: a black-eye.
He explained how that happened during Tuesday’s appearance on the Seahawks Spotlight on “Danny, Dave and Moore” when he explained the exact sequence that led to him intercepting a pass from Aaron Rodgers.
“Not a lot of people know this,” Jones said, “the ball hit me in the face. The ball actually hit me in the eye. I actually have a little bit of a black eye right now.”
He sure did as there was a mouse of a bruise under his left eye, which is a testament to both the velocity of the pass from Rodgers and Jones’ reaction.
“You got to catch the ball if it hits you in the face,” Jones said.
Jones was a third-round pick from North Carolina, and his versatility has become evident early on. After playing defensive end at times in the preseason, he was primarily a noseguard in his regular-season debut on Sunday. The interception occurred in the first quarter, and it was actually the first play after Jones had been substituted into the game.
He returned the interception 76 yards for an apparent touchdown only to have the score nullified because of a questionable penalty for a block in the back.
As for the actual football from the play?
“I didn’t keep the ball,” Jones said. “The biggest mistake of my career.”
Well, that career covers exactly one regular-season game so far, and Jones is an incredibly engaging personality who talked about his path to the Seahawks after he checked into the hospital on his 16th birthday unable to walk because of what he eventually learned is an affliction called regional pain syndrome.
