Julio Jones is making it very clear, he will play on Sunday against the New York Giants. The wide receiver had a solid start to the season after earning a five-year contract extension. He put up 141 yards off nine catches for two touchdowns, but nagging hamstring soreness left him out of practice for the past two days. Of course there is concern now surrounding the franchise wide receiver, but both Jones and head coach Dan Quinn denied the idea that the receiver would not be playing on Sunday.
According to ESPN's Vaughn McClure, when asked about concern Jones would not play on Sunday, Quinn responded, "None." Jones followed that up by telling the media via ESPN.com, "By me being able to go back out there, it wasn't nothing serious. Didn't go yesterday. Just precautionary. ... I'm going to be ready to go (Sunday)."
There is little concern that Jones will be limited on the field come Sunday. The Falcons are preparing to face off against the New York Giants and have every plan to run Jones just as much as they did in Week 1. The same can be said for running back Tevin Coleman who is likely to see more playing time after a strong debut in Week 1. Coleman proved why the Falcons opted to go younger in the ground game instead of staying with players like Steven Jackson. The rookie had 80 yards off 20 carries. Fans likely cannot remember the last time a single running back had 20 carries in a game. According to Coleman, he wants 100 yards every game.
"It would mean a lot [to reach 100] because you want to be a back that can rush for over 100 yards," Coleman said, via ESPN.com. "That's one of my goals: to do that every game. I'm trying to play right now and trying to play fast. If it comes, it comes. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I'm just trying to do my job and help my team win."
The chances Coleman continues to have 20 carries a game are slim. The Falcons want to have an even rotation with the rookie and Devonta Freeman who is continuing to heal from a hamstring injury suffered in the preseason. Once Freeman is back to being fully healthy, the run game will be more of an even split between carries. Quarterback Matt Ryan is encouraging using the ground game more in order to open up the receiving game. That worked on Monday as players like Roddy White and Leonard Hankerson also got involved.
