Falcons Ping Pong Power Rankings, Week 13: Julio Jones remains on top

If you weren’t aware, the Atlanta Falcons renovated the locker room at the team’s practice facility this offseason, taking out the row of lockers dividing the room down its center and adding comfortable chairs and ping pong tables for the players to enjoy.

The idea behind it was to facilitate unity. Now, instead of being divided up by position group, players are scattered all over. Julio Jones is next to Devonta Freeman. Mohamed Sanu is over by De’Vondre Campbell and Alex Mack, who is next to Matt Ryan. Dan Quinn wants the Falcons to be a brotherhood, and the redesigned locker room is certainly one step toward accomplishing that.

One of the perhaps unintended results, however, is that the media gets to watch Falcons players play ping pong regularly, and that’s a delight.

Think about the skill a player like, say, Jones has on the field. Remember him snatching that pass out of the air right over Luke Kuechly’s head last season, or any other wildly acrobatic catch he’s had in his career. Now imagine that you get to watch a player with that level of athletic ability play ping pong. It’s pretty fun.

I want to note that, with Taylor Gabriel’s speed and instincts, he would probably land pretty high on the ping pong power rankings — if he played.

The Falcoholic isn’t the only news resource bringing you Falcons ping pong power rankings. Curtis Jackson from the team’s media relations office — not to be confused with the Curtis Jackson who is also known as 50 Cent — ranks the top five players weekly. Here are Jackson’s most recent rankings.

Based on my observations and an in-depth conversation with practice squad wide receiver Nick Williams, here are the official Falcoholic ping pong power rankings for Week 13.

1. Julio Jones
2. Josh Harris
3. Eric Weems
4. Matt Ryan
5. Patrick DiMarco
6. D.J. Tialavea
7. Nick Williams
8. Mohamed Sanu
9. Aldrick Robinson
10. Robert Alford

Jones is a no-brainer for first place. He’s an incredible athlete, and those skills translate well to ping pong.

Long snapper Josh Harris beat Patrick DiMarco, who had been ahead of him in Curtis Jackson’s rankings, so he moves up to second. Weems is just a pure competitor, which serves him well on the ping pong table.

Perhaps as a nod to those who thought Matt Ryan was the fourth-best quarterback in the NFC South prior to the season, he comes in at fourth place on our power rankings. During yesterday’s matchup against Mohamed Sanu, Ryan made a strong case for his spot.

I want to note that I do have Nick Williams a little farther down the list than Nick Williams had placed himself. Williams’ rankings were:

1. Julio Jones
2. Josh Harris
3. Eric Weems
4. Nick Williams
5. Patrick DiMarco
6. D.J. Tialavea
7. Matt Ryan

Mohamed Sanu, Aldrick Robinson and Robert Alford round out our top ten for Week 13. Check back next week to see if your favorite players are moving up in the rankings.