There are two draft picks former Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff can always hang his hat on: Taking Matt Ryan No. 3 overall out of Boston College in the 2008 NFL Draft, and then trading up to No. 6 in a deal with the Cleveland Browns so he could draft Alabama wide receiver Julio Jones in 2011. Together, they spent 10 glorious years together, helping Atlanta stay playoff viable.
Given that Jones is my peer, having been taken two picks after my Georgia classmate A.J. Green in the 2011 NFL Draft, I always found myself rooting for my contemporary to try and help turn this dysfunctional NFC South franchise around. It was not always pretty, but it became apparent almost immediately that Jones was worth every penny to trade up for. We knew we were watching greatness.
So what I want to do today in the extended wake of Jones announcing his retirement is highlight some of my favorite plays of his throughout his career. I remember this all quite vividly, as Jones played for the NFL team I root from from our early 20s into our very early 30s. There was not a more impressive physical wide receiver in his prime quite like Jet. He will go into Canton on the first ballot.
Here are my five favorite plays from Jones' illustrious first-ballot hall of fame career with the Falcons.
5. 2019 game-winner from 54 yards out to shock the Philadelphia Eagles
This is probably my last favorite great play of his. Jones was still in the midst of his prime, but you could start to sense he was breaking down physically. I mean, he had a screw put into his foot in the early part of his 2013 season. Part of me wonders what could have been had he not gotten hurt in his third professional campaign. We all missed out, but at least we got to see his greatness in full effect.
This particular play vs. the Philadelphia Eagles resonates with me so much because I remember where I was. I was in FanSided's old River North office in Chicago, helping us do a live stream for the game. This game was the peak among a valley filled season under Dan Quinn. I felt like Jones took it upon himself to go 54 yards to pay dirt, just to keep a very popular Quinn coaching for a bit longer.
The combination of Jones' catch and run, Matt Ryan's throw and Jake Matthews' block stick with me.
4. First career touchdown reception vs. Indianapolis Colts way back in 2011
Not going to lie, I was a tad skeptical of the Jones draft pick when it happened. I knew that he was an exceptional player for Alabama, as those Nick Saban teams were loaded. The idea behind Atlanta trading up for Jones was to get a more explosive vertical threat to pair with Roddy White in the receiving corps, as well as accent Tony Gonzalez at tight end in the passing game for the Falcons.
Atlanta was coming off a brutal divisional round playoff loss to Green Bay the year prior. While the Falcons would be knocked out right away in 2011 by the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants, Jones' first career touchdown grab vs. the Indianapolis Colts was the epitome of a highlight reel. He went deep and dove for it right by the goal line for six. Just like Dimitroff and Ryan drew it up!
Jones never approached 100 career touchdowns, but his first was among his most electrifying.
3. 70-yard touchdown to put Luke Kuechly on a poster to stun then-undefeated Carolina Panthers
I wanted to put this higher, but I think you can argue any of Jones' three signature plays with the Falcons in any order. The reason I have him Moss-ing Luke Kuechly at No. 3 is it was a sign of what was to come, and not what happened. Atlanta was a .500 team in 2015, still trying to figure it out what it had with its first-year head coach Dan Quinn and its new offensive coordinator in Kyle Shanahan.
The 2015 Carolina Panthers may go down as one of the greatest teams to never win a Super Bowl. We are talking about NFL MVP Cam Newton as the peak of his powers. The Panthers were 14-0 heading into this road date at the Falcons. Jones' 70-yard touchdown grab over Kuechly's head helped seal the deal for Atlanta. That would be one of Carolina's two losses on the season that year.
This will go down as the greatest individual game Jones had in his playing career with the Falcons.
2. Toe-tip grab that should have sealed Super Bowl LI vs. New England Patriots
This would be No. 1 for most, but not for me. We all know what happened next... One of the very first things I thought of when I saw that Jones had retired was how much I cannot stand Dan Quinn and Kyle Shanahan. Those guys' utter buffoonery cost this man and Matt Ryan a Super Bowl. Jones made the signature play of his life in the biggest game of his life, and this is how you reward him. What a joke!
The play in question saw Jones use every bit of his frame to come up with a sideline grab from Ryan to move the sticks in what should have sealed the deal for the Falcons to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Ryan and Jones did their part in that game. Coaching malpractice and the meds wearing off on center Alex Mack's broken leg contributed to the worst sports memory of my lifetime.
Of course, there was no way on god's green earth I would say Jones' best play came in a tough loss.
1. 73-yard trip to pay dirt in NFC Championship Game vs. Green Bay Packers
Not to say this particular play tied a bow on the Julio Jones arc, but it certainly did a better job of that than I ever realized. Keep in mind that Jones was drafted because Atlanta lost as the No. 1 seed to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers six years prior. Atlanta drew Green Bay at home for the NFC Championship, the final game to be played at the Georgia Dome. What an ending!
Atlanta was already up big on the Packers in the early part of the second half. When Matt Ryan connected with Jones on a 73-yard touchdown strike, there was no chance the Falcons were not winning that game. There was no chance they were not going to the Super Bowl. It was a season 18 years in the making, righting a wrong from six years previously in our familiar house of Atlanta horrors.
If anyone ever asked me why Jones is a first-ballot hall of famer, it is the one play I would show them.