Rams’ Ernest Jones earns respect with his play and leadership

THOUSAND OAKS — Ernest Jones’ Jeep Trackhawk parks two cars to the right of Aaron Donald, its engine roaring to life as he revs his way out of the Rams’ facility each afternoon. The fastest car on the team, or so he claims – thanks to its souped-up machinery – is usually stationed in its reserved spot that bookends the row of captains’ spaces.

Earlier this season, those white lines were occupied by Jones’ Kia, the same one he had when he was in college at South Carolina. Rewind to 2021, it was a rookie linebacker and that out-of-place Kia scouring for a home each morning.

Now, in Jones’ first year as a team captain, his car’s consistent presence in the center of the Rams parking lot mirrors the attention he demands on the field and in the locker room.

“I love that perk,” Jones said about the parking convenience.

It’s a reward that came with being named a Rams captain at the beginning of his third NFL season. One he earned by being himself, by embodying the qualities his grandfather displayed during Jones’s childhood, the way he carried himself as a family man. Jones, 24, prides himself on having a voice in the locker room since high school, building personal relationships with each member of his team.

“The man Ernest is, was just dying to come out,” Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said Thursday. “This season, the training wheels are off.”

Morris made it a point to expose Jones to veterans who had built their careers on their morality. An effortless leader, Jones exuded an energy that mimicked his mentors’. His natural approach burgeoned with each lesson. His impact has reached Morris, his teammates and Rams linebackers coach Chris Shula, whose pitch gave an overwhelming vote of confidence in bestowing that captain’s badge on Jones’ chest before this season. A symbol that validated the gravity of his personality.

This season, he is tied for ninth in the NFL with 132 tackles and tied for 13th with 13 tackles for loss, with a career-best 4.5 sacks, including one in each of his past three games.

During practice, Jones provides advice to his teammates, at times beating Morris to the words. On Thursday, he and linebacker Christian Rozeboom discussed the difference in what they were seeing during a coverage drill. The defensive coordinator has learned when to give Jones “space,” to peel back and let him govern the flow of the walkthroughs.

That’s not to say Jones, who’s still on his rookie contract, isn’t prone to the occasional mistake.

In fact, it was a slip-up two days before the Rams faced the Washington Commanders in Week 15 that connected him to one of those invaluable mentors.

“An old-school linebacker that I had the opportunity to be around a lot wouldn’t have made that mistake,” Morris said, teasing Jones at practice.

Jones replied: “Well, that guy probably never had to cover that much. He probably just sat down and battled the I-formation the entire game.”

Little did he know, Morris was referring to former Washington linebacker London Fletcher, a 16-year veteran who retired in 2013.

Fletcher just happened to be in the Los Angeles area for the game, so to humble Jones – and for a little fun – the three grabbed a meal. Despite the 24-year gap, Morris noticed that Fletcher and Jones shared a tone of voice, one he described as “defiant,” defined by a constant hint of positive conviction.

That inflection doesn’t necessarily reflect the ones of other figures Morris has introduced to Jones, such as former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Derrick Brooks or Bobby Wagner, whose presence on the Rams last season helped Jones acclimate to the NFL, providing an example of how a leader operates day to day.

“I didn’t really ask too many questions,” he said about his relationship with Wagner. “I just sat there and observed him, watched everything he did.”

In Shula’s opinion, the majority of the Rams’ 2021 roster left an imprint on Jones. As the bolts of that group moved on, Jones emerged, applying the traits he already possessed in an expanded role.

Before Jones even got to Los Angeles, Shula could tell he wasn’t any other rookie, his charisma transcended the wavelengths of the Zoom calls the two shared.

“A big reason why we drafted him was his leadership and his ability to galvanize people,” Shula said. “He loves football. I love coaching guys that love football and that ask questions and that want to learn and that are always willing to get better.”

From the outset, Jones also felt a certain way about Shula, that the linebackers coach “makes the game easier,” Jones said.

“That’s always been my guy,” he added.

It’s in Jones’ nature to treat everyone on the Rams like his “guy.” The respect he commands from teammates and his relationship with Shula were defining factors in accomplishing what was once a childhood goal to become an NFL team’s captain, to orchestrate a defense. His voice, its baton.

The process to earn that “golden C” that dawns the chest of at most six players on each team, the stars below it relating to the amount of years of one’s captainship, is determined through a simple vote that comes after training camp.

“I thought I did earn that,” Jones said. “Just the way that I am around my teammates, the respect that I’ve earned, but ultimately it’s up to the guys who voted for me. I was thinking ‘it was 50-50.’”

Shula chuckled at that comment.

“He was definitely not 50-50,” he said. “I was pretty sure he was going to be captain.”

Sure enough, when the ballots were counted Jones was a popular choice.