It was after the S24 trade deadline that Vincent Jones Jr declared his eligibility for the DSFL draft. He was picked up off waivers by the Dallas Birddogs prior to the draft, and that was what confirmed his desire to play in the DSFL and eventually the ISFL. In a previous interview, Vincent said the following about his time in Dallas:
“It was an amazing experience; I got a real sense of the league hanging out with the Dallas team. Everyone was very welcoming and went out of their way to make me feel welcome. That is when I realized that this league was a place that I wanted to be. I knew right then and there that I had made the right choice.”
Once S24 wrapped up, the DSFL draft started heating up, Vincent Jones Jr was consider an unknown, having not played any football at the collegiate level, he didn’t really have a body of work to show the DSFL teams what he could do. He did what he could to try and show the eight teams in the development league what he could do. He talked to most teams prior to the draft, he even spent some time in some of their locker rooms, meeting the players and spending some time with his fellow draft mates. It was during this time that Vincent focussed on his on-field abilities, after one of his marathon work out routines, Vincent sat down with a reporter and said the following:
“I want to make sure that I go into my rookie season at my top fitness level. I know that I might not have the history and experience as some of the other players in this draft, so I want to make sure I can do everything humanly possible to get into game shape and be able to provide which ever team decides to draft me, a player who is ready to go on day one.”
When the S25 DSFL draft started, there was still a lot of uncertainty in the Jones camp. Like previously mentioned, Vincent had spent time with a few teams, and talked to a few more, but he did not have a clear cut idea on where he might end up. The first round of the draft went by, players that Vincent had meet during there time at the Prospect Bowl and in some of the locker rooms, were selected as Vincent watched and cheered on his draft mates. Vincent was not surprised that his name didn’t get called during that first round, he knew that he was an unknown and that he wouldn’t be on the top of teams want list. But as the second round was moving along, just over the half way point of the round, the Tijuana Luchadores stood at the podium and announced the following:
“With the fourteenth overall pick in the S25 DSFL draft, the Tijuana Luchadores are proud to select, from Watford England, linebacker, Vincent Jones Jr.”
There it was, Vincent Jones Jr had been drafted by the Tijuana Luchadores in the 2nd round of the DSFL entry draft. Jones recalls that moment here:
“I really had no clue, I mean none. I had spoken briefly with one of the GMs from Tijuana, had a pretty good chat and felt we got a long nicely. I knew that they were looking for LBs, but when I saw BamBam McMullet get picked in the first round by the Luchadores, I wasn’t really expecting them to be looking my way with their next pick. But, I was way off! I’m so happy to be part of this organization, can’t wait to get going and show them that they made a solid pick with me at 14th overall.”
With Jones now part of the Luchadores team, his focused shifted to honing his on field skills. The Luchadores had just re-vamped their linebacker positions with two new rookies, and both of these youngsters were eager to get going. They both knew that they had pretty big shoes to fill, having been brought in after Adam Schell, the S24 Defensive Player of the Year, was called up the big leagues. McMullet and Jones went straight to work. The two linebackers not only held their own, the each showed that they were among the top rookie linebackers, and some argued that they were in the discussion of top ten linebackers in the league. Jones first big game came in just the third week of the season, in a game against the Dallas Birddogs, the team Vincent called his own for a few weeks in the previous season. The headline from the DSFL Daily Gazette read:
Week 3:
LB Vincent Jones ® (TIJ) wins Defensive Player of the Week
LB Jones ® absolutely dominated in the Luchadores 20-13 game with the Dallas Birddogs. He finished with 16 Tck, 1 Sck.
After the game, a reporter asked Vincent Jones Jr about his performance, his answer was as follows:
“We played well today. We got the win, which is exactly what we were looking to do. Everyone put extra effort out on the field today and it shows. I had no idea how many tackles I got, I don’t pay attention to that at all, I’m not a stats guy. We got the W, and I tried to make sure that I helped as much as possible and I feel that I played hard and we ended up getting the win, that’s all that matters to me.”
As we had seen since the first day Vincent arrived in the league, his team first mentality was at the forefront. Even after the best game of his career (and this still is the most amount of tackles he has recorded in one game), he didn’t want to talk about himself, his first and last thought was about the team winning this game.
As the season progressed, so did Jones. He was consistently earning as much experience and knowledge as possible, continually trying to become the best player he possibly could be to help the Luchadores. The Luchadores had an up and down season, they were flirting with a .500 record the entire season and when week 13 came along, they were able to clinch a playoff spot, becoming one of the four teams to progress to the post season.
The week 14 matchup for the Lucadores was against the same team that they were slated to take on in the playoffs, the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers. Myrtle Beach handed the Luchadores a sizable loss with their last regular season game, making pundits and fans alike all but count the team from Mexico out in their upcoming playoff round.
Not everyone thought this way though, Vincent Jones Jr was asked about their week 14 result and how he felt the playoff game against the team who just dismantled them was going to go. This is what he had to say:
“They (Myrtle Beach) played a great game. We had a rough one, but we learned a lot about the game they play. We know we have a whole lot of work to do if we want to see a different outcome next week, but we’ve got some of the best coaches, captains, strategist and GMs in the business. They are going to work so hard to make sure we come up with a game plan that will give us the best chance at getting a win on the road in the playoffs.”
Jones’ confidence in his team was put on display in the first round of the playoffs, the Luchadores did exactly what he had predicted, they came out with a new game plan and executed it to perfection, winning the match up against the heavily favoured Myrtle Beach Buccaneers, putting Tijuana into the Ultimini finals who they would face the reigning champions, the London Royals. When asked about the match up, Vincent said the following:
“It feels like I’ve come full circle. Last season I was able to be in the locker room with London after they won the Ultimini. I was being scouted at the time and was invited in right when they won it all. It was a surreal experience; the team had just done what every team sets out to do at the start of the season. I decided right then and there I wanted to do everything I can to get that feeling on whatever team I end up on.”
One season later, Jones was in a position to do just what he had hoped to do. The Luchadores were again considered the underdogs, having lost twice to the London Royals during the regular season, by a score of 31-12 in week 2 and in week 9 by a score of 30-9. The Luchadores went into the game confident of themselves and put on a display that no one, but them, expected. The Luchadores dominated the game, the final score was 42-16. Jones had done what he had set out to do, he was able to feel that excitement and joy that he saw in the London locker room the previous season. The Tijuana Luchadores locker room was wild the night of the win, but Jones did talk to the press, even if it was brief:
“We ****in’ did it!!! We won the Ultimini!! This is the greatest team every, I’m so proud to be a part of this group of amazing people. We brought home the 8th Ultimini trophy to the great city of Tijuana!! This team is light’s out!!"
That’s about all they got out of him that night, but it sure sounded like the Luchadores know how to throw a party…
Once all the dust was settled after the season and the playoffs, the DSFL Daily Gazette announced their selections for the season awards, and with their selection for the Defensive Rookie of the Year, the choose none other than Vincent Jones Jr., here is the excerpt from the paper:
LB Vincent Jones ® (TIJ) wins Defensive Rookie of the Year!
NEW YORK -- The Tijuana Luchadores' LB was a landslide winner Friday in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. Jones ® won the Rookie of the Year award by amassing season totals of 110 Tck, 9 Sck, 1 Int, 1 FR.
When asked about the award, Jones’ humble side shone through once again, he said of the award:
“It’s definitely an honour, I was not expecting this at all. But I can’t accept this award with acknowledging my team mates. I would not have be able to do anything without their hard work, great play and support. And did you guys see, Mike Boss Jr. won the Playoff MVP award! That’s so much better than mine, he won us the Ultimini, he’s a friggin rock star!!!”
This answer did not surprise many, and player who since day one has talked about his team first mentality, backed it up once again.
So there you have it, Vincent Jones Jr. has finished his first season of professional football, he was a total unknown when he declared his eligibility for the DSFL and has worked as hard as he could to get noticed. He did get noticed and was drafted by the Tijuana Luchadores, who as he tells it, helped him every step of the way to become the best player he could be and help his team win. This young man, has solidified a career for himself, after following in his father’s footsteps in attempting to have a professional career in soccer and then was kindly told he was a bit too rough for the beautiful game, he switched gears and took his love of physical play to the grid iron. He has established himself as a legitimate line backer with 110 tackles (6th in the league), 9 sacks (tied for 4th in the league), one pick, a forced fumble and recovery and 8 passes deflected in his rookie season, en route to winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year and adding a Ultimini championship to his credentials. Who knows where this player will end up after the S26 ISFL draft, but whichever team does end up selecting this player, will be selecting a player who will do everything in his power to help his team win, a player who wants to win championships with his team mates and will stop at nothing to try and do this.
Word count - 2080 - 1.5x media bonus
“It was an amazing experience; I got a real sense of the league hanging out with the Dallas team. Everyone was very welcoming and went out of their way to make me feel welcome. That is when I realized that this league was a place that I wanted to be. I knew right then and there that I had made the right choice.”
Once S24 wrapped up, the DSFL draft started heating up, Vincent Jones Jr was consider an unknown, having not played any football at the collegiate level, he didn’t really have a body of work to show the DSFL teams what he could do. He did what he could to try and show the eight teams in the development league what he could do. He talked to most teams prior to the draft, he even spent some time in some of their locker rooms, meeting the players and spending some time with his fellow draft mates. It was during this time that Vincent focussed on his on-field abilities, after one of his marathon work out routines, Vincent sat down with a reporter and said the following:
“I want to make sure that I go into my rookie season at my top fitness level. I know that I might not have the history and experience as some of the other players in this draft, so I want to make sure I can do everything humanly possible to get into game shape and be able to provide which ever team decides to draft me, a player who is ready to go on day one.”
When the S25 DSFL draft started, there was still a lot of uncertainty in the Jones camp. Like previously mentioned, Vincent had spent time with a few teams, and talked to a few more, but he did not have a clear cut idea on where he might end up. The first round of the draft went by, players that Vincent had meet during there time at the Prospect Bowl and in some of the locker rooms, were selected as Vincent watched and cheered on his draft mates. Vincent was not surprised that his name didn’t get called during that first round, he knew that he was an unknown and that he wouldn’t be on the top of teams want list. But as the second round was moving along, just over the half way point of the round, the Tijuana Luchadores stood at the podium and announced the following:
“With the fourteenth overall pick in the S25 DSFL draft, the Tijuana Luchadores are proud to select, from Watford England, linebacker, Vincent Jones Jr.”
There it was, Vincent Jones Jr had been drafted by the Tijuana Luchadores in the 2nd round of the DSFL entry draft. Jones recalls that moment here:
“I really had no clue, I mean none. I had spoken briefly with one of the GMs from Tijuana, had a pretty good chat and felt we got a long nicely. I knew that they were looking for LBs, but when I saw BamBam McMullet get picked in the first round by the Luchadores, I wasn’t really expecting them to be looking my way with their next pick. But, I was way off! I’m so happy to be part of this organization, can’t wait to get going and show them that they made a solid pick with me at 14th overall.”
With Jones now part of the Luchadores team, his focused shifted to honing his on field skills. The Luchadores had just re-vamped their linebacker positions with two new rookies, and both of these youngsters were eager to get going. They both knew that they had pretty big shoes to fill, having been brought in after Adam Schell, the S24 Defensive Player of the Year, was called up the big leagues. McMullet and Jones went straight to work. The two linebackers not only held their own, the each showed that they were among the top rookie linebackers, and some argued that they were in the discussion of top ten linebackers in the league. Jones first big game came in just the third week of the season, in a game against the Dallas Birddogs, the team Vincent called his own for a few weeks in the previous season. The headline from the DSFL Daily Gazette read:
Week 3:
LB Vincent Jones ® (TIJ) wins Defensive Player of the Week LB Jones ® absolutely dominated in the Luchadores 20-13 game with the Dallas Birddogs. He finished with 16 Tck, 1 Sck.
After the game, a reporter asked Vincent Jones Jr about his performance, his answer was as follows:
“We played well today. We got the win, which is exactly what we were looking to do. Everyone put extra effort out on the field today and it shows. I had no idea how many tackles I got, I don’t pay attention to that at all, I’m not a stats guy. We got the W, and I tried to make sure that I helped as much as possible and I feel that I played hard and we ended up getting the win, that’s all that matters to me.”
As we had seen since the first day Vincent arrived in the league, his team first mentality was at the forefront. Even after the best game of his career (and this still is the most amount of tackles he has recorded in one game), he didn’t want to talk about himself, his first and last thought was about the team winning this game.
As the season progressed, so did Jones. He was consistently earning as much experience and knowledge as possible, continually trying to become the best player he possibly could be to help the Luchadores. The Luchadores had an up and down season, they were flirting with a .500 record the entire season and when week 13 came along, they were able to clinch a playoff spot, becoming one of the four teams to progress to the post season.
The week 14 matchup for the Lucadores was against the same team that they were slated to take on in the playoffs, the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers. Myrtle Beach handed the Luchadores a sizable loss with their last regular season game, making pundits and fans alike all but count the team from Mexico out in their upcoming playoff round.
Not everyone thought this way though, Vincent Jones Jr was asked about their week 14 result and how he felt the playoff game against the team who just dismantled them was going to go. This is what he had to say:
“They (Myrtle Beach) played a great game. We had a rough one, but we learned a lot about the game they play. We know we have a whole lot of work to do if we want to see a different outcome next week, but we’ve got some of the best coaches, captains, strategist and GMs in the business. They are going to work so hard to make sure we come up with a game plan that will give us the best chance at getting a win on the road in the playoffs.”
Jones’ confidence in his team was put on display in the first round of the playoffs, the Luchadores did exactly what he had predicted, they came out with a new game plan and executed it to perfection, winning the match up against the heavily favoured Myrtle Beach Buccaneers, putting Tijuana into the Ultimini finals who they would face the reigning champions, the London Royals. When asked about the match up, Vincent said the following:
“It feels like I’ve come full circle. Last season I was able to be in the locker room with London after they won the Ultimini. I was being scouted at the time and was invited in right when they won it all. It was a surreal experience; the team had just done what every team sets out to do at the start of the season. I decided right then and there I wanted to do everything I can to get that feeling on whatever team I end up on.”
One season later, Jones was in a position to do just what he had hoped to do. The Luchadores were again considered the underdogs, having lost twice to the London Royals during the regular season, by a score of 31-12 in week 2 and in week 9 by a score of 30-9. The Luchadores went into the game confident of themselves and put on a display that no one, but them, expected. The Luchadores dominated the game, the final score was 42-16. Jones had done what he had set out to do, he was able to feel that excitement and joy that he saw in the London locker room the previous season. The Tijuana Luchadores locker room was wild the night of the win, but Jones did talk to the press, even if it was brief:
“We ****in’ did it!!! We won the Ultimini!! This is the greatest team every, I’m so proud to be a part of this group of amazing people. We brought home the 8th Ultimini trophy to the great city of Tijuana!! This team is light’s out!!"
That’s about all they got out of him that night, but it sure sounded like the Luchadores know how to throw a party…
Once all the dust was settled after the season and the playoffs, the DSFL Daily Gazette announced their selections for the season awards, and with their selection for the Defensive Rookie of the Year, the choose none other than Vincent Jones Jr., here is the excerpt from the paper:
LB Vincent Jones ® (TIJ) wins Defensive Rookie of the Year! NEW YORK -- The Tijuana Luchadores' LB was a landslide winner Friday in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. Jones ® won the Rookie of the Year award by amassing season totals of 110 Tck, 9 Sck, 1 Int, 1 FR.
When asked about the award, Jones’ humble side shone through once again, he said of the award:
“It’s definitely an honour, I was not expecting this at all. But I can’t accept this award with acknowledging my team mates. I would not have be able to do anything without their hard work, great play and support. And did you guys see, Mike Boss Jr. won the Playoff MVP award! That’s so much better than mine, he won us the Ultimini, he’s a friggin rock star!!!”
This answer did not surprise many, and player who since day one has talked about his team first mentality, backed it up once again.
So there you have it, Vincent Jones Jr. has finished his first season of professional football, he was a total unknown when he declared his eligibility for the DSFL and has worked as hard as he could to get noticed. He did get noticed and was drafted by the Tijuana Luchadores, who as he tells it, helped him every step of the way to become the best player he could be and help his team win. This young man, has solidified a career for himself, after following in his father’s footsteps in attempting to have a professional career in soccer and then was kindly told he was a bit too rough for the beautiful game, he switched gears and took his love of physical play to the grid iron. He has established himself as a legitimate line backer with 110 tackles (6th in the league), 9 sacks (tied for 4th in the league), one pick, a forced fumble and recovery and 8 passes deflected in his rookie season, en route to winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year and adding a Ultimini championship to his credentials. Who knows where this player will end up after the S26 ISFL draft, but whichever team does end up selecting this player, will be selecting a player who will do everything in his power to help his team win, a player who wants to win championships with his team mates and will stop at nothing to try and do this.
Word count - 2080 - 1.5x media bonus
Vincent Jones Jr. - S26 LB - Tijuana Luchadores
![[Image: vincent_jones.png?width=400&height=240]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/758471909196562442/770452760780079114/vincent_jones.png?width=400&height=240)
sig by jangorhino
