*EDITOR'S NOTE:Wide receiver Jacoby Jones will be providing periodic diary entries for HoustonTexans.com to give fans insight into the life of an NFL rookie. *
I approach every game the same way, but I'm ready to see what the regular season feels like. I don't think I'd say I'm nervous. I'm just anxious and ready to go, that's all. Antsy.
But I keep the same routine every week. Nothing changes. I did finally get my own locker, though – I had been sharing one with Jared Zabransky. So I feel like I just graduated. But as far as the game goes, it's just football, and I just work hard in practice every day.
I don't know if the Chiefs would, but I hope they don't kick away from me this week. I hope they give me a chance to return, because we've got a great scheme of punt returning. Our guys block really well.
My teammates asked me what I'm going to do if I get to the end zone this time. I think I'm going to keep the flip – I like the flip. But hopefully we can get a victory more than anything. That's the main thing, is a victory.
Somebody asked me if I'm getting less publicity here than I would be if I was playing in New York or somewhere. Well, I'm not really worried about the pub. And besides, Houston's a big city. The people here, I guess they love me, and I love them, too. So I'm fine down here in Houston. I'm loving it.
A lot of people think because I came from Lane College that I must be surprised with how I've been playing. But I always knew I had a God-given ability and that I could play the game. It was just about me getting my confidence, which the team helped me to do. I've been getting great advice from all of my teammates – Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub, my coaches, everybody. The main thing they've been telling me is just to keep doing what I've been doing.
I know the fans and this team have had some tough times in the past. A lot of tough seasons. But even though I'm just a rookie here, there's something different going on right now. You can feel it. You can feel the intensity from the crowd. We might have a really good season, because you could feel that everybody's into it this year, like they've got a lot more to prove.
The feeling we've got when we're in practice is that we expect to win. We're competing against our own defense, which is a great defense. So we do expect to win, and that's everyone. The whole organization, from the staff to the players to the trainers, equipment guys, everybody wants to win.
On Sunday we're going to do everything we can to do just that.
Jacoby Jones diary archive:
Got a question for Jacoby? Post a comment, or send an e-mail to editor Nick Scurfield at **nscurfield@houstontexans.com*.*
