Julio Jones proved why he deserved the lengthy contract extension he earned with the Atlanta Falcons over the offseason. After signing a five-year deal that makes him the highest paid receiver in the league, Jones went out on Monday night and put up 141 yards and two touchdowns off nine catches. That performance earned him NFL Offensive Player of the Week and a lot of bumps and bruises. Jones' name popped up on the injury report following the performance, but no one is concerned about his availability in Week 2.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Jones is listed as having a hamstring injury which kept him out of practice on Wednesday. However, head coach Dan Quinn said that it is merely soreness from the turf at the Georgia Dome and some knicks and bruises that earned the receiver a rest day. Quinn made it clear that Jones is not at risk of sitting out the Week 2 game against the New York Giants.
"We were laughing during the game," Quinn said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "[Jones said,] 'I'm going with rule two, no excuses.' He's a battler."
With Jones limited at best, the team will look to Roddy White to continue his momentum after a solid debut. White had his knee drained in the offseason followed by elbow surgery that kept him out heading into Week 1. That clearly played no part in his performance as he put up 84 yards off four catches. White looked like his regular self, but could see a few more targets coming this way with Jones resting.
The big debate for Atlanta will be Justin Hardy. The rookie wide receiver was inactive for Week 1 following a solid training camp and preseason. The team went with Nick Williams instead who had one catch for five yards. It is unclear if Hardy will be active in Week 2 or if Williams will get another chance to play. They are battling for attention with Leonard Hankerson who was solid in the slot position against the Philadelphia Eagles.
According to Vaughn McClure of ESPN, Tevin Coleman is expected to start once again over Devonta Freeman. Quinn held true to his word that the running backs were going to split carries, but it was the rookie that left fans impressed. He proved why the Falcons opted to go with youth at the position as his speed and agility made a big different on Monday night. Freeman is still returning following a hamstring injury, but will get an increased work load once he is at 100 percent.
