Here’s what the Falcons had to say about Julio Jones’ absence from minicamp on Tuesday:
DAN QUINN, Head coach
On Jones working out with Terrell Owens:
“I would say (they) are two of the hardest working athletes that I’ve seen. My first year in the NFL, I was out in San Francisco when T.O. was there. One of the remarkable things that I can remember from 18 years ago was watching him and the way that he finished plays. It might have been a 6-yard pass that ended up as a 76-yard pass base on the way that he finished.
“That’s one thing that stuck out for me, forever.
“The physical side and the gifted side, that part you could see easily.
“But the side of the work ethic that goes in, that part I know. ... Having certainly seen two of the best two guys I seen working out together, it’s nothing short of being really impressive.”
On whether Owens teach Jones something:
“I don’t know about that. They are both in a similar body type. So, maybe. That would be a good question for him.
Julio had a real clear vision of the things we wanted to improve on. That part is going to an emphasis for him this offseason.”
On if he’s disappointed in Jones:
“Sometimes circumstances change and as long as players communicate with me about why circumstances change, then I never am disappointed as long as the communication with me is very clear. …
“Any player as long as the lines of communication between coach and player are open then I’m pretty clear on things. The things that jam me up is when people don’t communicate. That’s true in most relationships. Teammate to coach. Coach to teammate. Husband-wife. Good communications usually make it work.”
ALEX MACK, center
On Jones absence:
“The biggest disruption is the questions that you guys ask. Everything else is business as usual.”
More on Jones’ situation:
“Someone’s contract or what he wants over there, is kind of outside or our control. He’s a great teammate. He’s a great guy. He works hard every day. I’m sure he’s going to ready to go whenever he shows up.”
DEON JONES, linebacker
On Jones:
“The type of player that (Julio) is, we know that he’s going to come in prepared and ready to go. We are just focusing on what we have here. When he gets here, it’s going to be back to work like it never happened.”
On the importance of OTAs:
“It’s a good opportunity for guys who just came in to get most of the reps and fly around, get some more of their tape of film before camp. It pretty much get their corrections in to work out before the break. That’s what I took from it when I was minicamp. It can help you make great strides and get you ready for training camp.”
RYAN SCHRAEDER, right tackle
On Julio Jones’s absence:
“Either way, whether if he’s here or not, we’ve got to get better at way we do individually and that’s what is going to make the team better. “
JUSTIN HARDY, wide receiver
On first thoughts about Jones:
“I’m just here to get better. I’m not really thinking about it. I know he’s going to be doing whatever he can do to be good when he gets here.”
On whether he talked to Jones:
“Yeah. All the time.”
On what’s he doing:
“Working out.”
On leading by example:
“We’re a brotherhood here. Everybody leads by example, everybody knows what they’re doing. We’ve got a lot of great guys in the meeting room, paying attention to what they need to do.”
MOHAMMED SANU, wide receiver
On Jones’ absence:
“We’re just practicing like we are any other day, just coming out here doing our job, whether Julio’s present or not, we just focus on what we have to do today to get better.”
On taking on more of a leadership role:
“I have a leadership role, whether he’s here or not. Me and Julio and a bunch of guys – Hardy, Marvin Hall – we all lead by example. Whether Julio’s here or not, we do what we do every day.
