Getty Julio Jones #11 of the Atlanta Falcons.
Tennessee Titans wideout AJ Brown showed Falcons star, Julio Jones, some respect on Sunday by repping Jones’s No. 11 jersey during warmups before taking on the Jaguars.
“I wanted to show him a little love today,” Brown said via the Tennessean. “He’s the best receiver in the game. That’s where I want to be. That’s who I’m chasing. I just had to remind myself before the game that’s who I’m chasing. To be great.”
AJ Brown showing big love to Julio Jones in warmups 🔥 @Brown1arthur @juliojones_11 @Titans
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It was only fitting that Brown played well after rocking a Jones jersey ahead of Tennessee’s win over the Jags. The young wideout made a spectacular, must-see one-armed catch.
AJ BROWN ARE YOU KIDDING? @Brown1arthur
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Brown Looks Up to Julio Jones
Brown also reps No. 11 for the Titans because of Jones and the two talk often. Last season Julio Jones exchanged jerseys with Brown and gave him some advice.
“He is a great one and one day I want to be like him. I want to be better than him.”
A.J. Brown Shows Out for “Big Bro” Julio Jones 📰 » t.co/4c4yTqQiRI
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“(Julio) told me just keep playing, keep balling, keep getting open,” Brown said Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “He said, “Don’t let it be just one week, be consistent. You have to be reliable in this league.’
“It means the world to me, talking to him.”
Brown is en route to a 1,000-yard season. He currently leads the team with 837 yards and will need at least 54.3 yards over the next three games. The 2019 second-round pick said last fall that he plans on following in Jones’s footsteps with hopes of being better than him one day.
“He taught me everything I know, and he don’t even know it. I think so much of how he plays. I was watching him today, trying to steal something to put in my bag. He is a great one and one day I want to be like him. I want to be better than him.”
Julio Jones Could Be Sidelined for Rest of Season
Jones missed his third game of the season on Sunday due to a lingering hamstring injury, so Brown showing Jones some love by wearing his jersey was perfect timing and possibly some motivation for Jones.
He first injured it in Week 1 and since then, reinjured it in Week 11 and it has only gone downhill from there. Interim coach Raheem Morris will have to make a choice as to whether or not he will want to keep Jones sidelined for the remainder of the season or not.
If the Falcons choose to keep Jones sidelined, the All-Pro wideout would finish the season with 51 catches for 771 yards and three touchdowns, a career-high 75 percent catch rate, and 11.3 yards per target. This would mark the first season in six years that Jones wouldn’t break 1,000 receiving yards.
At 4-9 on the season, the Falcons are officially out of the playoff race, so it wouldn’t make sense for Jones to risk a more serious injury. Also, with Jones sidelined, it would give third-year receiver Calvin Ridley a chance to out-do his goal of 1,000 yards this season.
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