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Arthur Jones overcame injury, death of sister on path to NFL

The Jones family has produced two other elite athletes: MMA champ Jon and draft-eligible Chandler

January 17, 2012|By Matt Vensel, The Baltimore Sun

Arthur has made 20 tackles in 14 games in 2011 as the primary backup to both Ngata and Cory Redding. He is "hungry" for a larger role, but he says he is content with being a backup for now. He left the Ravens' 20-13 win over the Texans with a leg injury, which head coach John Harbaugh has said is not serious.

Arthur made his first career start against the Cleveland Browns on Christmas Eve when Redding was scratched with an ankle injury. His parents, brothers and two-year-old son (Arthur IV) were at M&T Bank Stadium when he was announced as a starter and sprinted out of the tunnel and through a cloud of smoke onto the field. Chandler, who was witnessing an NFL game live for the first time, said the sight sent chills down his spine.

"It was definitely a beautiful Christmas gift for me. It was great for them to see me run out of that tunnel," Arthur said. "It was special. And more important, we got the win on top of it."

The next day, he and Jon were exchanging love slaps at his Baltimore home. It wasn't an NFL field or the Octagon, but at that moment, it was the most important battle each had in 2011.

"I knew it was going to happen and I got the best of him," Arthur said. "So the older brother still has it on him."

matt.vensel@baltsun.com

twitter.com/mattvensel

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