Julio Jones Is A Living, Breathing Nightmare For Defenses

For four seasons, Roddy White has been The Man in Atlanta.

With his impeccable route running and excellent hands, White took the league by storm in 2007. He followed that up with three excellent seasons in a row, capitalizing on his rapport with Matt Ryan and wreaking havoc upon the league. 

Just how good has Roddy been? From 2007-2011, he's piled up 371 receptions, close to 5,100 yards and 34 touchdowns. That's an amazing stretch by any standard, and Roddy's dropsy start to the 2011 season notwithstanding, he's still off to a great start. 

Yet Julio Jones has the potential to be even better, and he presents a matchup problem no defensive coordinator is relishing. Close to 6'4", supremely athletically gifted and developing as a route runner every week, Jones has taken the NFL by storm aside from a middling game in Week 2. 

Now he's got 24 catches, 342 catches and a 14.2 yards per catch. He's on pace to put up 96 catches and more than 1,300 yards. He probably won't equal that, but it's pretty clear that Jones is not your average rookie wide receiver. He's borderline exceptional, and the Falcons play relatively few great secondaries the rest of the way that can put a stop to his rampage. We may be calling him The Man before very long. 

Why do I bring this up now? Because Jones will be going up against a woeful Packers secondary this week, one that is ill-equipped to stop him. Couple that with the fact that the Falcons will be throwing all day long and you begin to understand why I think Waffle House will continue his dominant streak. 

What do you think of Jones thus far?