“I can’t even remember,” Jones said. “I mean, it’s kind of like a given people are going to double-team me down there.”
As Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter pointed out as the Falcons prepare to face the Denver Broncos (1 p.m. ET, CBS) on Sunday, that’s the ultimate sign of respect for a receiver. But it’s also a big reason why the Falcons have been unable to meet one of their preseason goals of getting Jones more touchdowns.
“It goes back to the defense really should dictate where the ball goes because if they really want to take a guy out, they can do it,” offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said. “And yeah, there’s times when Julio can beat double coverage. He does it all the time. But it’s hard to make a living that way.”
Despite being one of the best receivers in the NFL since he entered the league in 2011, Jones hasn’t been a high-volume touchdown guy anyway. He ranks 22nd all-time in receiving yards (12,709, the third-most among a player in his first 10 years) but his 59 receiving TDs rank 91st.
But it’s even tougher for him in the red zone. He has 30 TD catches there, which is little more than half of the 59 that tight end Jimmy Graham has caught since 2011. And it’s certainly not because quarterback Matt Ryan isn’t looking his way.
“We game-plan to try to move him around to get him one-on-ones,” Ryan said. “When we do, we take our chances and give him opportunities, but you mentioned it, we also have other great players that are capable of being explosive and making big plays for us. So, I feel like at the quarterback position, on the given play you go where the ball is supposed to go, where coverage dictates it should go and you trust your guys to make plays.
“That’s kind of always the way I operate, but we certainly try to scheme it up so we can get Julio into favorable matchups.”
