Julio Jones, Man Of Steel With Cleats Of Steel

Due primarily to the injuries he's suffered, it's easy to forget that Julio Jones isn't just talented, but also supremely productive. In just 34 games, he's hauled in 174 catches for 2,737 yards and 20 touchdowns, or an average of 5 catches and 80 yards per contest.

The Falcons need that production and Under Armour wants one of its star athletes to stay on the field and wreck defenses, which increases his marketability. That's how you get something like this, from D. Orlando Ledbetter.

"Under Armour built me a cleat from the ground up," Jones said after practice Thursday. "It’s working good for me. They made it wider. There’s a steel shank the bottom as well. They made a great cleat for me."

Many have assured fans that Jones' chances of injuring the foot yet again are not increased by what's happened previously, but no one feels 100% confident in that. How could you? What Under Armour has done is create a shoe that should reduce the chances that Jones gets another fracture, however slightly and however freak the first couple of injuries may have been.

This is obviously reassuring, as is Jones' rapid progress. Because he's making cuts and flying down the field already, I think we're all ready to see him get out on the field and hopefully start wrecking the Saints on September 7th.

Your thoughts?