STARKVILLE — Chris Jones’ office is a popular place before practice or workouts.
At one point Monday afternoon, the office of the first-year Starkville High School football head coach was filled with quarterback Malik Brown, running back Chase Naylor, and two defenders. Some were there with equipment questions, but the conversations they had with Jones didn’t stay on that topic for long.
Instead, the primary topic of discussion was Jones’ sterling record against his players in Madden NFL, the EA Sports video game. Jones isn’t afraid to fire up the PlayStation and take on his players because he hasn’t lost a game. It’s all part of the new culture taking over the program.
“The environment’s a little bit different,” said Jones, the former head coach at Kemper County High, who takes over for veteran head coach Ricky Woods. Woods is the new head coach at South Panola High. “We play music at practice. We have a high-energy coaching staff with some young coaches mixed with come veteran coaches. The kids see how we work as a staff. I think they enjoy that stuff.”
The culture change will start officially Monday when Starkville and the rest of the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) teams kick off preparations for the 2017 season. The teams will be allowed to wear shoulder pads on third, fourth and fifth days of practice.
Those workouts will help Jones see where his stands for a scrimmage against Louisville at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, in the New Hope Fall Jamboree at Mississippi State’s Davis Wade Stadium. Starkville will play Noxubee County in its season opener at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, in Macon.
Brown said the new energy “makes football more When asked about Jones’ record in Madden NFL, Brown said Jones hasn’t played him. His next sentence set off a debate that sounded like one among friends of years as opposed to coach and players still getting to know each other.
“He ain’t been playing anybody,” Brown said.
Jones, who was on his way out of his office when the challenge was uttered, jumped back in to defend himself. The sense of competitive energy, albeit playful in this instance, is noticeable throughout the building.
It carries over from PlayStation to the field. Jones and others on his staff aren’t afraid to join their players in weightlifting sessions or conditioning periods. Brown said the team has reacted positively to “the way (Jones) pushes us.”
While the competition on PlayStation and on the field has enhanced the coach-player relationships, Jones said he does it to provide an example of the energy it requires to play in his system. He said the Yellow Jackets will use an up-tempo offense designed not to favor concepts but to maximize plays.
Training players for that task hasn’t been easy task. Jones used the word “rigorous” to describe it.
“It’s a lot of the stuff I used to do,” said Jones said, who played football at Jackson State and six years as a professional.
Jones had a 45-12 record in four seasons at Kemper County High. He led the Wildcats to the 2016 MHSAA Class 3A State championship.
Woods spent two seasons at Starkville and led it to the 2015 MHSAA Class 6A State title. He resigned in November after Starkville failed to make the playoffs.
Jones, who is from Macon, played football at Noxubee County High. He went on to make the rosters of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks, he but didn’t see any playing time. He played in the Arena Football League and in the Canadian Football League before returning to Mississippi to become a coach for M.C. Miller from 2010-12 at Louisville High. He led Kemper County to 9-4 record in his first season in 2013. The Wildcats finished 1-10 in 2012.
Starkville’s offense isn’t the only place you will see an up-tempo pace. Jones has injected tempo into conditioning — with numerous group sprints of varying length — and weightlifting.
“We do everything fast because that’s who we are,” Jones said.
Jones smiled after he made the comment and added, “They still ain’t used to it.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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