Check out Julio Jones’ Twitter account and there’s not much going on.
“11 days…#riseup” was the Falcons wide receiver’s tweet on Wednesday. On Tuesday it was, “Dreamt about this big game as a kid. Now I’m fortunate enough to be able to share the experience w/2 of u,” referencing a ticket giveaway linked to his apparel company.
There were no pictures of being shirtless on a boat in Miami or trash-talking about whipping the Packers in the NFC Championship or what he plans to do against the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. Jones falls short when it comes to being a diva wide receiver in the NFL, and that is absolutely refreshing.
Jones lets his actions speak louder than his tweets. That is one reason the Falcons have reached the Super Bowl. In playoff wins over the Seahawks and the Packers, Jones has amassed 247 receiving yards and three touchdowns, doing it all on a bad toe, which he will rest this week.
“He never ceases to surprise us,” Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said. “He makes the extraordinary plays seem ordinary. And that’s not a very typical thing to do. He’s a heck of a competitor.”
Wide receivers are some of the biggest showmen (showoffs?) in the NFL. Everybody has a touchdown dance and can’t seem to stay out of trouble on social media. Steelers wideout Antonio Brown sold out his coach with a post on Facebook. And when it comes to Odell Beckham Jr., between proposing to the kicking net, jostling with opponents, and spending time choreographing his pregame and end-zone dance routines, you wonder if it is more about him than the team.
For all Beckham’s antics and talent, when he got to the biggest stage of his pro career — the Giants’ wild-card game at Green Bay — he dropped two critical passes that cost his team. Big players are supposed to make big plays in big games. Beckham came up small.
Jones, meanwhile, seems to thrive when the spotlight is on.
He had nine catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns in the Falcons’ 44-21 win over the Packers in the NFC Championship, dominating the Green Bay secondary with his size, speed and tenacity.
“Grown man,” tweeted Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
Jones had 11 catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns in the Falcons’ 28-24 loss to the 49ers in the 2012 NFC title game, making him the only player in NFL history to have two postseason games with at least 180 yards receiving and two touchdown catches.
After his scores, he can be seen handing the ball to an offensive lineman to let him join the celebration. No moonwalking.
“The offensive line does a great job for us throughout the whole game,” Jones said. “We give them the ball and let them spike it. A lot of times they get overlooked for all the hard work they do.”
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan expects the Patriots secondary to be a big challenge for Jones.
“They do a great job of limiting explosive plays and keeping things in front of them,” Ryan said. “They’re very rarely out of position. They’re very sound and they don’t make a lot of mistakes.”
Jones (toe) and center Alex Mack (ankle) won’t practice this week as they rest their injuries in preparation for the Feb. 5 Super Bowl in Houston. Ryan said he doesn’t think it will hamper preparations.
“Obviously, you’d love to have everybody out there practicing, but this time of year that’s not realistic,” Ryan said. “Both of those guys have played so many snaps this year that they’ll be ready to go regardless. They’re both two very diligent guys when it comes to their preparation. I think both won’t miss a beat.”
Jones insisted his toe will be fine for Houston: “I’ll be ready to go,” he said.
Don’t expect any more hype than that from him on Twitter.