Larry Brown Sports

A security guard standing on the sidelines at the Georgia Dome was knocked down after wide receiver Julio Jones ran into him during the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

The security guard was facing the crowd and did not see Jones coming toward him on the play. Jones was trying to make a catch near the sidelines on second-and-10, but he only got one foot down, making it an incompletion. The receiver’s momentum carried him into the security guard a good five yards off the field. The guard went down after Jones rolled into his lower body, and there was a timeout on the field as a result.

People generally laugh when unsuspecting individuals are taken out in a collision, but this was nothing to laugh about. That’s exactly how people tear knee ligaments.

GIF via The Big Lead

Sunday’s game between the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons will feature some of the best receivers in the NFL. Back in September, Roddy White made the argument that he and Julio Jones are a better receiving duo than Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. White downplayed Cruz’s abilities by labeling him a slot receiver and claiming that the “big boys play on the outside.”

Unsurprisingly, Cruz disagreed with White’s assessment and reminded the Falcons star that he has a Super Bowl ring sitting at home. Earlier this week, Nicks echoed his teammate’s remarks.

“Numbers don’t lie, or Super Bowl rings don’t lie, neither,” Nicks said according to the Star-Ledger. “So when you get (into) that battle about who’s the best, I think you just let your play on the field talk for you. You ain’t got to be talking with your mouth.”

Nicks and Cruz have combined for 126 catches, 1,656 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Jones and White have been slightly more productive with 140 catches, 2,137 yards and 12 scores. From a talent standpoint, this one is pretty much too close to call. I would personally prefer White and Jones to Nicks and Cruz simply because Nicks has such an extensive history of injuries. He has yet to play a full 16-game season in his four-year career and Tom Coughlin admitted that he will likely never be 100% healthy this season.

Aside from that, the Giants win this argument. White can argue that he and Jones are the best pair of receivers in the history of the game if he wants, but none of that matters until you win a Super Bowl.

Many fantasy football experts had Matt Ryan and Julio Jones ranked highly entering the NFL season, and the predictions are looking clairvoyant through the first week of the season.

Jones, a first-round pick last year whom the Falcons traded several picks to draft, scored Atlanta’s first two touchdowns of the season on passes from Matt Ryan. The second-year wide receiver was targeted four times on the team’s opening drive and caught three passes for 39 yards, including an 8-yard TD. He was quieter on the team’s third drive as Roddy White caught three passes, but he scored a 14-yard TD.

Jones led the Falcons with 108 yards and two touchdowns in Atlanta’s 40-24 win, and he tied Roddy White for the team lead with six receptions. Ryan went 23/31 for 299 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also ran for 25 yards and a touchdown. The Falcons passed 31 times and only ran it 23 times (including Ryan’s scrambles), which is the type of pass-heavy offense many anticipated for Atlanta this season.

Jones had 54 catches for 959 yards and 8 touchdowns last season, so he already has a quarter of the TDs he scored last year. Jones displayed elite playmaking ability last season, but he was bothered by nagging leg injuries that slowed him. He still managed five 100-yard receiving games and scored in each of the team’s final four games, including two multi-touchdown games. Now that he’s healthy entering the new season, he looks like a difference-maker for Atlanta.

One game is too early to make conclusions about teams or players, but this was a great start for Atlanta. Sure, they were going against Kansas City’s secondary that lost Brandon Carr in the offseason and may have a weak pass defense, but Atlanta’s aerial attack looked strong. I don’t think they’ll be able to score at will against elite defenses, but the Falcons appear to have a passing attack that can light up many defenses.

Depending on how you judge draft success in the NFL, arguments can be made that the Patriots have been masters of the draft or have struck out quite a bit since Bill Belichick took over as head coach.  As far as dealing draft picks are concerned, New England has done well by grabbing guys like Randy Moss and Wes Welker at amazingly low prices.  In terms of actual picks, the Pats have had too many Brandon Meriweathers and Laurence Maroneys in the early rounds.  Perhaps that has something to do with why Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff, a former Patriots employee, ignored Belichick’s advice on draft day back in April.

As the Atlanta Journal Constitution shared on Tuesday,  Peter King recently reviewed Michael Holley’s book, “War Room: The Legacy of Bill Belichick and the Art of Building the Perfect Team.”  One of the more interesting stories Holley talks about deals with Julio Jones.  According to the book, Dimitroff called Belichick the day of the draft and asked if he thought it would be a good idea to trade up 21 spots to get the Alabama receiver.  Belichick advised against making the move.

Belichick recommended staying put at No. 27 and drafting Pittsburgh’s Jonathan Baldwin, but Dimitroff went ahead and pulled the trigger on the deal anyway.  Baldwin ended up being taken by the Chiefs at No. 26 and is just starting to emerge after being plagued by injuries this season.  Jones, who is ready to return from a hamstring injury, has had a very solid season with Atlanta.

It’s way too early to tell who made the right call, but at the moment Jones looks like an explosive receiver and an excellent complement to Roddy White.  The Patriots have always made a point to trade down and have rarely traded up during the Belichick era, so it’s no surprise he disapproved of trading up that many spots.  New England hasn’t really mastered the art of selecting players — especially in the early rounds — so Dimitroff ultimately made the right call in ignoring Belichick despite his experience.

H/T to Black Sports Online for the story.

The first round of the 2011 NFL Draft was filled with surprises, ranging from Jake Locker going 8th overall to James Carpenter getting picked by the Seahawks at 25. While fans were shocked left and right, one move that stood out to me for its outrageousness was Atlanta’s decision to trade five draft picks for Julio Jones. I like Julio Jones, but I’m not sure I’d deal five picks for a receiver guaranteed to be a combination of Calvin Johnson and Reggie Wayne.

Atlanta gave up the 27th overall pick, their second and fourth-round pick this year, and their first and fourth-round picks in 2012 just to move up to the sixth spot. That’s two firsts, two seconds, and a fourth all for Julio Jones. That’s close to too much to surrender for a franchise quarterback. What can a second receiver do for you?

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As if losing to South Carolina on Saturday wasn’t already bad enough for Alabama, they found out that wide receiver Julio Jones also broke his hand in the game. Coach Nick Saban announced that Jones broke the hand in the first half of the game and underwent surgery today. Jones had a plate and screw in the hand, and according to the AP, Saban said Jones’ ability to play on Saturday at home against Ole Miss depends on his pain tolerance.

If Jones broke his hand in the first half of the game like they’re saying, then I’m guessing he’ll be able to play this weekend. Jones made one of the sweetest catches I’ve seen this year, plucking a laser from Greg McElroy out of the air just before halftime. His catch resulted in a touchdown and made it 21-9. Considering that catch came a minute before halftime, I’m guessing he had already broken his hand yet he still made the grab.

On top of the touchdown catch before halftime, Jones had three second half catches. If he can make plays like that with a broken hand, I’m guessing he’ll be able to play Saturday against Ole Miss. They’re saying it will depend on his pain tolerance, but the pressure to suit up will be great. This is the SEC schedule now, not San Jose State.

Photo Credit: Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images