Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones can’t remember the last time he scored a touchdown or had a catch inside the 10-yard line, but he’s not frustrated with his recent dry spell.
“It’s been a long time,” Jones said. “I don’t get frustrated. The key is being positive.”
Although Jones leads the NFL in receiving yards with 1,338 (on 102 receptions), he hasn’t scored a touchdown since Nov. 1 in a loss against the Buccaneers.
Surprised that Jones hasn’t caught a touchdown in over a month, coach Dan Quinn said he sees nothing in the film to explain why Jones has not been receiving red-zone reps.
“There were some shots that went to him and for whatever reason didn’t go our way on some of them, so I don’t have a way to say this is why or this wasn’t why,” Quinn said. “He’s a huge part of what we do, and we’re going to try and use him in the very best ways and keep attacking every shot we get.”
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said plays that involve Jones in the red zone are in the playbook.
“We would definitely love him to score a lot more. It’s definitely something we’re trying to do,” Shanahan said. “It gets harder and harder each week, especially with how the year’s gone. The tighter you get in the red zone, the more double coverage he sees, the more people are taking him out.”
Quarterback Matt Ryan also wants to get Jones the ball and hopes to do that Sunday against the Panthers (12-0).
“We’ve got to be better in the red zone, and we have to be better at creating explosive plays and touchdowns from a little bit further out,” Ryan said. “That’s one of the things that we’re working on and trying to get done, but Julio’s a big part of that. He’s able to make plays, I mean, he showcased all year what he’s capable of doing.”
Jones has scored six touchdowns this season, the same number he had in all of 2014 under a different head coach and offensive coordinator.
Throwing Jones the ball in the red zone faces a new challenge Sunday, when Jones matches against Panthers cornerback Josh Norman. Norman expressed his excitement in playing Jones earlier this week, but Jones was unruffled by the talk.
“(Talking) is not going to make someone back down or run away. It’s all about your style of play and how you come to play,” Jones said. “Norman’s playing with a lot of confidence, but of course, he’s on a 12-0 team.”
Crediting Jones’ focus against tough opponents, Ryan said Jones uses his actions to lead the team on the field rather than using words.
“For a guy that’s such a high-caliber player and has such great individual success, he’s about as unselfish as it gets, and is all about the team,” Ryan said. “I’ve been certainly impressed with him and how he’s grown into a leadership role and become more of a veteran player and a guy that’s kind of mentored a lot of guys in our locker room.”
Jones appeared on the Falcons’ injury report as limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday.
After participating in the walk-through Thursday, Jones said his knee felt “great” and he’s ready to play Sunday.
“I don’t feel like it’s going to make me miss any time or anything moving forward,” Jones said. “I’m going to go out this week like any other week. I’m going to go out and play for four quarters and give it everything I have. Every week is a challenge. I got to continue to do what I do and be consistent.”
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