Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones is working his butt off during his “holdout”

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones is nowhere near Flowery Branch right now. In case you’ve been under a rock all week, let me bring you up to speed: Julio is skipping mandatory minicamp. His representatives are asking for a restructured deal, for logical reasons if you stop convincing yourself this isn‘t a business. Half of the fanbase is losing its mind. The other half understands where Julio is coming from and, given his extraordinary body of work, is willing to simply wait and see. That about sums it up.

So what is Julio up to right now? Is he sitting on a beach somewhere, drinking daiquiris and getting fat? Not exactly. Check out this video, if you have a moment.

We already knew about Julio’s Terrell Owens connection. But it appears Owens is currently putting Julio through the ringer on a sandy hilltop in Manhattan Beach, California. Why does that matter? It matters because Julio is doing what he needs to in order to stay in shape and prepare for the regular season. Is there a certain team-centered opportunity cost associated with Julio’s holdout? Yes, to a degree. But it’s not nearly as significant as many of his detractors are making it out to be. And ultimately, Julio continues to hone his craft, which is what‘s most important until training camp rolls around. So let’s just all take a deep breath and trust that Julio will Julio when his name is called.