Surely the Falcons are going to have to run the ball effectively at some point. Eventually an opponent is going to figure out a way to slow Julio Jones, and then the Falcons are in trouble because their offensive plan is centered on their star wide receiver.
Or maybe not. So far neither the Eagles nor Giants could do much to slow Jones, even though they knew he was getting the ball. Now the Cowboys are the next opponent to try to figure out the riddle of how to stop him.
“He’s featured in the offense, and rightfully so,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “He’s one of those guys who’s really rare in that he seems to be able do everything that you ask him.”
Hardly any team in the NFL is asking more from its wide receiver than the Falcons. In past NFL stops first-year Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has featured receivers such as Andre Johnson and Pierre Garcon, but the Falcons are on pace to feed Jones more often than ever.
Quarterback Matt Ryan has targeted Jones 26 times in two games, or 33 percent of Ryan’s total passes. Only one wide receiver in the league (New England’s Julian Edelman) has more targets, and only two have been targeted on a higher percentage of passes (Edelman and Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown). Jones has been the target on 22 percent of his 118 snaps, second only to Edelman (25 percent).
Falcons coach Dan Quinn credits Jones for having the work ethic and study habits to learn all of the receiving positions in the offense. He also praised Ryan and Shanahan for always asking about Jones: “How else can we feature him?”
The result for Jones: 22 catches for 276 yards, including four for 20-plus yards, and two touchdowns.
“It’s a lot, but it’s good,” Jones said. “Kyle, he finds way to get you open. The only way you don’t get open is if you don’t study and be where you need to be at.”
While there are one or two NFL wide receivers who have been featured more often than Jones this season, none of them are as versatile.
Brown comes closest but at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, he’s small compared with Jones (6-3 230). Edelman is a smaller wide receiver who does a lot of his work from the slot, positioned between an outside receiver and the last man on the line. The same goes for another oft-targeted wide receiver, Denver’s Emmanuel Sanders.
Jones can do what those three can do — while outweighing them by at least 25 pounds, standing four to five inches taller and running at a faster top speed.
“Julio is one of the few guys who as explosive as he is, is capable of running the entire route tree,” Shanahan said. “Sometimes when you have guys that big or that explosive they don’t break down as well, they are not as quick. But Julio can do it all. You’ve got to defend every route, and I think that’s what makes him so special.”
Jones can run shorter routes such as flats, curls, slants and tunnel screens with superlative quickness and change of direction for his size. And Jones can do what smaller wide receivers can’t: out-muscle defenders, high-point deep balls and run past defenders on deep routes such as fades, posts and corners.
Jones has 22 receptions this season. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s caught six passes behind the line of scrimmage, ten within nine yards of the line, three between 10 and 19 yards downfield and three 20 yards or more downfield.
“They through him stuff short, medium and deep,” Garrett said. “He’s able to make plays everywhere.”
What is a defense to do about Jones? Theoretically, it should be easier for opponents to limit a wide receiver than a running back. But Jones’ unique talents and the way he’s used in Shanahan’s offense make it difficult for the defense to key on him.
This was the quandary for Eagles coach Chip Kelly. The day after Jones had 141 yards receiving and two touchdowns in a 26-24 Falcons victory, reporters wanted to know why the Eagles didn’t double-team Jones more often.
“The plan with dealing with Julio is very difficult because he lines up in so many different spots,” Kelly said. “If you try to double him, where is he going to be? He’s going to be the outside right receiver, he’s going to be the outside left receiver, he’s going to be the second receiver, he’s going to be the inside third receiver. Then he’s going to go in motion.”
Jones is showing no weakness. Drops once were an issue for him but, according to Pro Football Focus, Jones has 59 consecutive catches without a drop, dating to Week 12 last season.
The Falcons haven’t had much of a running game, but it hasn’t mattered because their passing game has hummed with Jones as the linchpin. Jones said the Cowboys typically use a safety to help cover an opponent’s top wide receiver.
No doubt the Falcons will find a way to get Jones the ball, anyway.
“If he gets going, the offense really starts to roll,” Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee said. “Finding a way to stop him is something that we have to do and it’s not going to be easy.”
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