Pittsburgh Steelers

Jacoby Jones benched after two fumbles, walking papers next?

Published Dec. 7, 2015 2:02 a.m. ET

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Two seasons ago, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin famously interfered with Jacoby Jones during a kickoff return when Jones was with the Ravens. Now that Jones is on the same sideline, it's a lot easier for Tomlin to control what he can do. 

Tomlin benched Jones after a pair of fumbles in the first half against the Colts. Jones immediately put his team behind the 8-ball, coughing up the opening kickoff at the 11-yard line when he would have been better served taking a touchback eight yards deep in the end zone. The defense bailed Jones out with an interception of Matt Hasselbeck three plays later. 

Jones then muffed a punt just after the two-minute warning. The Steelers recovered, but Tomlin had evidently seen enough. He was seen immediately talking to special teams coordinator Danny Smith and then seemed to give Jones a brief pep talk. NBC sideline reporter Michele Tafoya said that Tomlin told her that Jones was "done" during the halftime break.

"It was obvious he wasn’t holding onto the ball," Tomlin said after the game per Steelers Depot. "We’ve got some guys that are capable, although they’re established guys and you’d like to preserve them in those instances if you can. Under the circumstances I didn’t feel like I could because he wasn’t holding on to the ball. It’s as simple as that."

It's been a precipitous fall for Jones, who was signed last month off waivers from San Diego. Once one of the most dynamic returners in the league, Jones has looked like a shell of his former self, averaging 24.4 yards per kick return and 3.2 yards per punt return in four games with the Steelers. 

Antonio Brown took over for Jones, and returned a punt 71 yards to the end zone to put the finishing touches on Pittsburgh's 45-10 rout of Indianapolis. 

It will be interesting to see if the two fumbles but the finishing touches on Jones' brief stay in Pittsburgh. 

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