Those who have been out to Flowery Branch might have noticed that a very familiar face is back on the field in wide receiver Julio Jones. The Falcons playmaker is back on the field and the big time plays have continued to come with his presence on the gridiron.
Thursday possibly saw the most participation in drills by Jones, since he made his return from foot surgery that knocked him out of most the 2013 season. That said, head coach Mike Smith isn’t going to push him too far.
“We have a snap count on Julio every day that he practices,” Smith said. “We have a snap count on a number of guys, not just Julio. We’ve got a prescription for him, Roddy White, some of the older guys, and Steven Jackson that will help us get healthy and fresh for the first game of the season. We’ll re-evaluate after the first week of training camp and determine if we’re going to up those snaps or make any adjustments.”
Jones has currently been taking part in a one day on and one day off practice schedule for the time being. That being the case, he says he feels like he’s back at 100%. However, he knows it’s a long season ahead.
“I feel great but the key is keeping me this way,” Jones said. “Not running me to death at practice, because it is practice. We’ve got to take those small steps to get me where they want me at, as far as being able to go out there to play a whole game and not have any doubts about my ability.”
Jones says that his gear sponsor Under Armour has made him new custom-made shoes to help keep his feet healthy all season long. The Falcons veteran receiver says they made the cleats wider and there’s a steel shank on the bottom.
Julio believes that his biggest concern in 2014 is to stay healthy and not worry about the individual accolades that could come his way. He believes Devin Hester’s addition to the team with guys like Roddy White and Harry Douglas can make this team even better.
Now, the team is beginning the post-Tony Gonzalez era. I asked Jones whether he takes it upon himself to really take charge of this offense now that he’s a year older in the NFL.
“It’s a team and as far as making plays but at the same time you don’t put that pressure on each other as far as making plays, because we trust each other to make those plays in those situations,” Jones said. “We’re going to take the matchup; it comes out of Matt’s (Ryan) hand so he has to make that decision. So whatever he sees as far as the matchups and he takes it. We’re going to trust in him.”
The Falcons very much welcome back Julio Jones for the 2014 season and hopefully beyond. This is an offense that is trying to find more balance and also trying to keep their quarterback off the ground. Having Julio back in the fold will definitely do more to ma
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