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Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones can't seem to shake his toe injury. Truth be told, it's the worst damn toe sprain that doesn't technically qualify as turf toe I've ever seen. But heck, I'm no doctor. I'm just a casual observer cursing that damned toe.
Let's start with the easy part. For Julio, sitting out is a non-option. He's going to gut it out and do whatever it takes to stay on the field as much as possible. That's commendable, but there's some method to the madness. In short, the coaching staff has adopted what is essentially a two-part approach. First, they limit him during the week, getting him some limited reps where it's absolutely necessary. Second, come game time, they use him wisely, treating him like a possession receiver and letting the healthier guys run the difficult routes. (Credit to Vaughn McClure for the quote.)
"For us, we're going to stick with the same plan: We'll limit him throughout the week, and then as the week progresses, we'll give him a little more at the end," Quinn said. "That will be the plan moving forward for us. He's excited to play, but we'll make sure he gets the looks that are really specific to him. For him and his foot, he'll be ready to rock."
I'd imagine we are going to see more of the same come Sunday. Julio will catch somewhere between 5-10 balls, racking up some first downs in the process. He will find the sideline as needed and if we find ourselves ahead, they will pull him early. It'd be great if he were 100 percent healthy right now, but he's not. It is what it is. That said, I'm glad they've found a way to deal with the injury and still keep him involved.
Your thoughts?