Q: When you first got here, you spoke about how excited you were and that you like Matt Schaub and you were excited about the signing. What makes you so confident that he's the right guy for Oakland?
Jones: "Number one, from just talking to him as we've been in there working out, he has a huge chip on his shoulder, and he's been one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league since last year. We all know the type of business that we're in. When you have a bad season, the media is going to jump all over you. I'm excited about him because he's been one of the most productive quarterbacks over the past five seasons. He's a veteran; he knows what to expect and he knows how to get the team going and I'm excited about having him here."
Q: Many people say that maybe you're not a No. 1 receiver and being in Green Bay, you kind of had to take a back seat to some of the veteran guys, but being a veteran guy yourself here, do you feel that maybe this is a chance to prove that you are a No. 1 receiver?
Jones: "I'm always out to prove something. I have a lot of doubters, a lot of people out there talking, and it's just an opportunity to prove people wrong. But I am excited about the opportunity. We have a lot of great guys in that room with a lot of talent and I'm excited to be a part of it. I don't know if it's No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3, but I'm excited to be a part of it, excited to help those guys and go out and make plays on the field."
Q: It's a young group of guys that doesn't have any postseason experience. When you go through these workouts, how do you become that leader because you don't want to walk in the front door and just assume that you're going to control everything. How do you gradually take that role?
Jones: "For me, it's all about leading by example. I had a chance to sit behind Donald Driver and Greg Jennings when I first got there and I didn't walk in and they say, 'this is how we're going to do stuff and this is how it's going to be.' I watched them; they led by example. Once you see how a guy works and how he leads by example, you want to ask questions, you want to follow behind him. That's what I plan to do. I'm going to work extremely hard, do what I do in the classroom and in the weight room and on the field and I'll build a good relationship with those guys to be able to talk to them and have personal relationships with them and be able to push them to get better."
Q: Do you feel you have something in common with just about every guy you brought in? It feels like everyone is in the same boat, everybody is wanting to prove they have one or two more years.
Jones: "I actually had a chance to talk with Maurice [Jones-Drew] a little bit and we're excited because we have a lot of guys with chips on their shoulder, a lot of guys coming from teams that didn't want them, didn't want to pay them a certain amount of money, didn't think they were worth it, didn't think they had enough gas left in the tank. Everybody we brought in has a lot to prove. We all have a chip on our shoulder and we're ready to go."
Q: What was the vibe like in there day one?
Jones: "A lot of guys are excited. A lot of guys are glad to be here, glad to get to work, glad to see a lot of the new faces. For me, it was good to meet some of the guys that were here. We have a good vibe, a lot of guys ready to get to work, ready to grind, and ready to prove some people wrong."
Q: A lot of players look forward to the free agent process; how was it for you being a free agent?
Jones: "I was looking forward to it. It was long. You didn't really know where you were going to go, but it was exciting, just the opportunity to know what teams wanted you, know what you were worth, and what people thought of you. It was exciting. I got to see what people thought of me and that's why I have a big chip on my shoulder right now and I'm excited and ready to go."
Q: As an outsider before signing here, what was the impression league-wide of this organization?
Jones: "The impression was that they had a lot of talented players, but they couldn't finish. Obviously, their record speaks for itself. I wasn't part of the team back then, but as we talked today, 4-12 is not good enough. When you play the Raiders, in the past you were putting that win on the board already, so now everybody has to look themselves in the mirror; we have to understand we don't get any respect. You're not going to get no respect when you're 4-12, so we have to go out there and take it this year. I believe we have the right guys to do that."
Q: Have you gotten an impression from talking to the coaches of what this offense is going to look like?
Jones: "We're going to score 50 points a game…I don't know; it's the first day. I've got a chance to look at the playbook and stuff and go over some plays. A lot of good plays in the playbook. They have a great scheme, so I'm excited to learn the terminology and be out there with Matt and get to work. It's tough to say right now. We have a lot of explosive players, a lot of good players in that room, so we'll be an explosive offense."
Q: When it comes to getting to know a new quarterback and a new group of wideouts, sometimes guys go off of campus and try to get that feeling out process starting. Are there plans for that?
Jones: "Oh yeah, definitely. We're going to get together at one of these elementary schools or something around the neighborhood, go throw, get to know each other, get a feel for one another, go through some route trees and stuff like that and try to get some time in and get going before this thing gets started."
Q: How close were you and Reggie [McKenzie] back in Green Bay and how much of that was a factor in coming here?
Jones: "Me and Reggie were extremely close. We had a chance to talk every day. I used to go up to his office maybe once a week and just chat with him for a little bit. During training camp we talked a lot when he was on the field and things like that. We had a great relationship. Me knowing what type of guy Reggie is, he's an extremely hard worker, extremely passionate about his job and I was excited to come here and help change things around. Hopefully I can go out there and, with my play, help win some ball games."
