Julio Jones on Rhodes: ‘I’ve got to go play my game. I’m not really going to worry about Rhodes’

Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones discusses how he hopes to get man to man coverage against the Vikings, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and hi cause for cleats issue. Video by D. Orlando Ledbetter

Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones has a major matchup with Minnesota Pro Bowl cornerback Xavier Rhodes on Sunday.

Jones had 12 catches for 253 yards and two touchdowns last week in the 34-20 win over Tampa Bay.

Here’s what he had to say about Rhodes on Thursday:

On the keys behind the third down and red zone improvement: "Preparation. Just sticking to the process for us as an offense. Just really going out there doing our job and competing."

On the coverage he expects: "(Xavier Rhodes) is a very confident guy. Hopefully, man-to-man. We go out and hopefully we'll get man-to-man. We'll see. I don't know how they are going to play me. They have a little tendency a little bit to cheat the safety to the star. But we'll see Sunday."

On Xavier Rhodes' tendencies: "He's a long guy. He just tries to get his hands on you and jostle you around a little bit. That's it. I've got to go play my game. I'm not really going to worry about Rhodes or think about Rhodes in this game.'

On his my cleats, my cause show: "It's abused and abandoned kids. It's horrible. There are a lot of kids that are brought into this world and then people abandon them and abused them. For me, it touches my heart."