Buccaneers: NFC South opponents I’d rather see somewhere else
By Brian DeFeo
Atlanta Falcons
Wide Receiver Julio Jones
The Atlanta Falcons are the defending NFC Champions and have one of the most explosive offenses in the league. Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman, and Tevin Coleman create a dynamic quarterback and backfield but Julio Jones is the scariest wide receiver in the league. Jones has been dynamic since day one when Cleveland traded the No. 6 overall pick to Atlanta for its first, second, and fourth-round picks in 2011, plus its first and fourth-round picks in 2012. No other team but the Browns could make a move for five players that don’t even combine the stats that Julio Jones does by himself. Teams only make a trade like that if you’re a on the cusp of something special and making the Super Bowl before the Browns even made the playoffs definitely made it worth it for Atlanta.
Jones has been a constant thorn in the Buccaneers side forever because of his machine like combination of size and speed. In 10 games against the Bucs, Jones has 68 catches, 1106 yards, and eight touchdowns. That’s fantastic numbers for a full regular season and it’s in six fewer games. No one on the Buccaneers secondary has his height or speed so every time he’s on the field it makes me nervous whenever Matt Ryan drops back. Julio can go over the top or burn pretty much any one in the league and I would really like to see him do it to someone else two times a year.