Julio Jones ready for season 6
Wide receiver Julio Jones insists he isn’t anxious as he heads into his sixth season opener as a Falcon.
Jones said he won’t get an extra adrenaline rush before the first kickoff against Tampa Bay on Sunday because of how hard he practices.
“It’s not an easy game to play by any means, but we feel very comfortable about going out there and practicing and knowing the material and knowing what we’re doing,” Jones said.
Jones, who limited on Wednesday, was a full participant on Thursday for the first time since injuring his ankle early in camp.
“He looked terrific (on Wednesday), battling and making a good number of catches,” coach Dan Quinn said on Thursday. “He looked like Julio which is a good thing for the Falcons.”
Since last season, over half of the Falcons’ receiver corps has left the team. Only Justin Hardy, Eric Weems and Jones remain from last season’s crew, which averaged 273.7 receiving yards per game, sixth in the NFL.
Taking the places of Roddy White, Leonard Hankerson and Devin Hester are Mohamed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel and Aldrick Robinson. All three have NFL experience, but received some advice from Jones prior to their first game as Falcons.
“The way we’ve been practicing, it’s been awesome,” Jones said. “For us to just carry that over to the game time, (we can’t) get tight when the game comes around. Just be very, very loose. (The new receivers) look up to me and watch the way I move and how I carry on. I’m doing the same thing.”
Although Jones led the league with 1,871 receiving yards and 93 first downs last season, he also drew increased defensive attention as the season went on, due in part to White’s decreased role in the offense. Jones knows that his fellow receivers will be put to the test on Sunday.
“Defensive coordinators though, they make (other receivers) prove themselves,” Jones said. “They’re going to come out, I feel like they’re going to try to (cover) me and do what they do to try and take me away from the game and make other guys prove themselves. But I have all the faith in the world that those guys are going to prove themselves.”
The Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator that will challenge Falcons’ receivers on Sunday? Ex-Falcons’ coach Mike Smith. While Jones respects the man that drafted him in 2011, he is also betting on himself over whatever Smith throws his way.
“Coach Smith is a great coach, but I work on my game so I don’t have any weaknesses,” Jones said. “They got to cover me. It’s not the other way around. But (I’m) practicing and doing what I need to do to get prepared, but Coach Smith will have something going, especially with his (previous) game records.”
Not only will Jones face a former coach on Sunday, he’ll be guarded by Brent Grimes, a Falcons teammate in 20011-12. Jones called Grimes one of the league’s best cornerbacks, but when kickoff comes, he won’t be focused on what he recalls about Grimes.
“I don’t look at this game, that game, trying to see who the corner is who I’m facing,” Jones said. “You know, at the end of the day, my mentality when I approach the game is, ‘They have to cover me.’ I look at tendencies that they have, but other than that, those tendencies tend to change when they’re trying to guard me. I just prepare during the week to be my best and be at my best.”
In addition to signing Grimes, the Bucs also drafted cornerback Vernon Hargreaves in the first round. Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan recognizes the new challenge Tampa Bay’s secondary poses.
“That’s where they probably improved the most in the past year,” Shanahan said. “(Grimes is) one of the better zone corners and even man-to-man corners that I’ve seen over my career. When you combine those corners with their pass rush, they definitely are players you should respect.”
