Sibling Rivalry Will Fuel Ravens D-Line Sunday Against Patriots
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- For the second time this season, Ravens defensive lineman Arthur Jones Jr. will face off with his brother--Patriots rookie defensive end Chandler Jones.
As Mary Bubala reports, this time the stakes are much higher.
They were once college teammates, but brothers Arthur and Chandler Jones will find themselves on opposite sides of the field Sunday.
"This is a great experience. For me to be playing against my brother and having an opportunity to be in the AFC Championship as a rookie, I'm truly blessed and I'm very fortunate," Chandler said.
"I'm not going to lie to you and tell you this game isn't personal. This game means a lot to me," said Arthur.
Their parents, Arthur and Camille Jones of Endicott, N.Y., will cheer for both sons.
"I feel the pressure. I feel the stress. It's like you're almost going out there and playing yourself," Arthur Jones Sr. said.
Camille Jones, who went blind from diabetes complications years ago, still calls her sons by pet names. Chandler's comes from his happy-go-lucky attitude as a kid.
"I call him Mommy's little smurf. Yes, I said it on national TV. Mommy's smurf!" Camille Jones said.
"Arthur, I always tease him. I call him my little cuddly wuddly bear. And then he'll say 'Mom, you can't call me your cuddly baby. This is the season now. I'm the thug! I'm the thug!' And I says 'Oh, Mommy's cuddly wuddly thug'" she said.
Arthur Jones Jr. remembers her public use of pet names back in high school.
"Get 'em Mommy boogie shoogie baby bear! I'm like 'Mom!' You know, like it was so embarrassing but now looking at it I appreciate it," he said.
Chandler and Arthur aren't the only professional athletes in the family. Middle brother Jon is a top-ranked mixed martial arts fighter. Their father, a church pastor, does not take credit for his sons' abilities.
"Most people ask me, 'How did you get three sons that are professional athletes?' And I always say it's God," he said.
Sunday, one of the Jones brothers will move onto the Super Bowl. But to their family, both are already champions.
And while Arthur Jones Jr. admits to talking a little trash, he is concerned about his brother's health. Chandler suffered an ankle injury in last Sunday's Patriots game. He has been listed as limited in each of the team's first two practices of the week.
