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This story appears in ESPN The Magazines September 19 NFL Preview II Issue. Subscribe today!INSIDE CINCINNATIS DARK dark and deserted players cafeteria, Adam Jones chuckles to himself as the rest of the Bengals joyously fly toward the stadium exits, free from another grueling session in the dog days of training camp. Jones, a first-round draft pick by Tennessee in 2005, insists hes finally content right here -- alone, out of the spotlight, talking football. At 32, he has matured from the player who was suspended for the entire 2007 season after repeated off-the-field issues, including involvement in a shooting outside of a Las Vegas strip club. Now Jones is a Pro Bowl cornerback and an enthusiastic student of the game -- a trait on full display in the cafeteria. Minutes after sitting down, he shed his backpack and collected two fistfuls of a visitors shirt to illustrate a point about press coverage. By the end of the afternoon, his hands-on lecture revealed exactly how NFL offenses, and Jones himself, have evolved.THE MAG: Take us back to your rookie year. What did offenses look like in 2005?JONES: It was power football -- fullbacks and running backs and tight ends who blocked. In 2005, corners had to tackle. If you wouldnt tackle, you wouldnt play. Now you see lots of quick stuff, spread, West Coast, lots of on-the-ball, no-huddle. When I started, Peyton Manning was about the only one doing what every QB is doing now: going to the line, reading the defense and checking out of plays. His approach was probably the biggest thing that changed for offenses. The smart QB. The studying QB. The QB who can read when the safety is creeping down or see that the linebacker is a little more outside and switch to a better play. Its all about getting that last chess move before the snap.So what would an old base offensive formation from 2005 look like?Its called Ace: two wide receivers, a fullback, a running back. [See below.] Youd have a tight end blocking. Tight splits on the line. QB under center. Thered be a big power back like Jerome Bettis behind an even bigger fullback.And now?The fullback -- poof -- gone. The whole league is moving away from power football. So no fullback, no big back, and the tight end wont be a big-ass slow guy close to the line; hell be running like a receiver. Add three-, four-wide to the picture, linemen spread out, more zone-blocking, pass-blocking, QB in shotgun, ball out quick.If I had to pick one thing to show the offensive evolution, Id go with tight ends.When I got drafted, Antonio Gates was the only tight end running like a wide receiver. Now every goddamn tight end is running like hell -- and fast as hell. [See below.] Thats a big, big difference. Thats the biggest mismatch going. If you got a good No. 1 receiver and a good tight end, it makes it really hard. You cant double both. So pick your poison.What else has changed?Just today we watched film off and on from 7 a.m. until 5:30. We practiced for maybe two hours. So that should tell you how much of a mental game this is now. Lots of kids are coming into the NFL dumb as hell and they cant pick up a defense. With what we face from offenses, you have to be able to check out of three calls in a few seconds before every play. If the receivers are lined up two-by-two, were playing this coverage -- wait, nope, now they shifted to three-by-one, now were playing another call. If I had a son and he was gifted like me at football, the main thing I would stress to him is the mental aspect of the game.Give me an example.OK, so when Im in press coverage in a cover 3 and I know the safety or the linebacker is down toward the line of scrimmage and I have help on the inside, I know if my guy releases outside, he can only run two routes. Whats he gonna run?Me? I like a fly route.Uh-huh, a go route, yep.Or a curl.A comeback, yep. See, before the ball is even snapped, Ive already eliminated the rest of the playbook. Now you can spread the field, play four wides, get the ball out fast, go no-huddle; doesnt matter, Ive taken the advantage back. Offenses move so fast -- if youre out there thinking in the middle of a play, its too late.Problem is, whenever defenses start to dominate offenses, they change the rules to protect the golden goose.So many rules now. You just have to hone your craft even more because the whole thing is set up for me not to be good. My mentality now is so different than it used to be. Im walking up in press coverage and Im thinking to myself, I gotta guard this guy within the rules. I know if I even touch him after ?6, 7 yards downfield theyre gonna flag me. It makes you focus on little stuff. Focus on your feet at the line -- thats how you have to win the route, by being in good position. I used to go up, quick-jam the guy, keep my hands on him and then wait and feel and turn when he turned. Cant do that now. Focusing on the little stuff is the biggest change in how I play.Seems like your approach with everything has changed.I look at when I first came out, dumb as bricks. Now every day Im calling out plays in practice to the point where linebacker Vincent Rey says, Man, you must have a cheat sheet in your pocket! When youre young, you take a lot of stuff for granted. There was a point in my life where I wasnt even thinking about a future even existing like this for me. When youre the laughingstock of the league and you just got kicked out of the league, those are some dark times. But I always told myself, Im gonna get the last laugh. Every day I still make a point to visit my past, all the dumb s--- I did. I have to. Its easy to slip up. If you dont remind yourself, youre gonna wind up right back in those situations. NHL Jerseys From China . Down by seven with 90 seconds left in regulation, thats where they looked comfortable. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. http://www.cheapnhlcustomjerseys.com/ . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Fake Adidas NHL Jerseys . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. Stitched NHL Jerseys . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was stellar in making 39 saves in his home province and Lars Eller got credit for a bizarre short-handed winner as the Canadiens defeated the Canucks 4-1. STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- With injuries impacting their lineup early, freshmen have had to play big minutes in Penn States new fast-paced offense.They havent disappointed and on Tuesday, the Nittany Lions promising freshman class got help from a handful of veterans to pull away from Grand Canyon 85-76.Rookie Lamar Stevens scored 19 points and top returning scorers Payton Banks (15) and Shep Garner (14) chipped in to lead the Nittany Lions in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.I think weve made a lot of good strides over the last three games, Banks said. I think were jelling well. I feel like the rotation, were starting to get used to it, starting to get used to where guys are going to be.They were all over the paint in scoring 40 points and netting 20 second-chance points against the Antelopes. Along with Stevens, freshman Tony Carr also had his third-straight double-digit game with 10 points.This is the type of scoring potential Penn State coach Pat Chambers envisioned when he pledged to meld young and old and chase 80-plus points per game in the preseason. To get there, the Nittany Lions (2-1) needed to overcome a 0-for-9 shooting slump in the first five minutes of the second half that saw them squander a 48-41 halftime lead.I found out a lot about my team, Chambers said. They dug deep, they got back to the middle of the ring, they punched back and we took the lead.Joshua Braun made 5 of 10 3-pointers and led Grand Canyon (0-2) with 25 points. Oscar Frayer, Darion Clark, Keonta Vernon and Shaq Carr also finished in double figures for the Antelopes with 13, 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively.Braun hit 2 of 3 free throws with 15:29 left to give Grand Canyon a 50-48 lead -- its last of the game.The Nittany Lions put together an impressive 13-7 run immediately thereafter in which Banks and Stevens combiined for all 13 points.ddddddddddddStevens tipped in a rebound with 6:06 left to put Penn State up 75-63 for its biggest lead.We knew it was going to be tough game, Grand Canyon coach Dan Majerle said. Were shorthanded, DeWayne Russell is our starting point guard, he wasnt able to play the first two games, well get him back.BUSY SCHEDULEPenn State played its third game in five days and its schedule remains hectic for the near future. The Nittany Lions will cap the tournament with back-to-back games this weekend and will play five times in the final 11 days of the month.MORE FROM MOOREJulian Moore led Penn State with nine rebounds and had the type of game Chambers hoped he would have earlier. But foul trouble in the first two games limited Moores minutes. He played 20 against the Antelopes.HURT LIONSGuard Josh Reaves missed his third game with a lower leg injury and hes not expected to play this weekend. Forward Davis Zemgulis missed his first game with a concussion and Isaiah Washington also sat out for Penn State with an unspecified ailment.THE BIG PICTUREGrand Canyon: The Antelopes are 0 for 6 against Power 5 teams and have been outscored 550-365 since they joined the Division I ranks.Penn State: The Nittany Lions have never began a season with three freshmen starters in three straight games as they have with Stevens, Watkins and Tony Carr this year. Carr and Stevens were in double figures for the third time and Watkins finished with nine points and six rebounds.UP NEXTGrand Canyon travels to Uncasville, Connecticut to continue the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament against Albany on Saturday.Penn State will also visit Uncasville on Saturday where it will face No. 1 Duke. ' ' '