Julio Jones toe-tapping along the edge of immortality - nile sport

You probably don’t remember the most acrobatic catch in Super Bowl history. You probably don’t remember when Atlanta’s Julio Jones leaped into the air, reached over the outstretched fingertips of New England cornerback Eric Rowe, " target="_blank" class="link"> caught the ball at roughly a 60-degree angle to the ground, landed on his left foot, tapped his right toe in bounds, tucked the ball to his chest, then rolled his body completely over to protect the crucial fourth-quarter catch.

You probably don’t remember that catch because it came in the midst of the Falcons’ epochal 28-3 collapse, a disintegration so all-consuming and diabolical that it obliterated all the good works that had come before it, and cast a shadow on everything the franchise has done since.

Jones’ catch was the last chance Atlanta had to salvage its Super Bowl and its dignity … and you probably do remember what happened next.

That moment, more than anything, defined Julio Jones’ football career — the most talented player on the field making the most spectacular plays of his era, but nonetheless buffeted by events far beyond his control.

Jones, who retired Friday after a 13-year pro career, stands as one of the 2010s’ finest players, an Avenger in a football helmet. Whatever technique, scheme or defender you threw at him, he had an answer for it — height, speed, hands and body control all combined for a virtually unprecedented NFL package. Two separate Southern football institutions bet big on Jones, and both times, he paid off huge.

There aren’t many players in NFL history you know by their first name alone. It might be too much to say that Quintorris Lopez Jones — better known only as “Julio” — started the Nick Saban era at Alabama. But then again, it might not.

The Alabama of the mid-2000s wasn’t a dynasty. Hell, it barely qualified as a functional program. After suffering through four straight coaches who ranged from overmatched to incompetent to flat-out laughable, Alabama had pinned its hopes on Saban — a national championship-winning coach who, at that point, had a well-earned reputation as a cold-hearted mercenary who’d leave town the moment a better offer came along.

Saban understood recruiting, though, and he knew that he needed to establish beachheads in several key football hotbeds — like, for instance, the Gulf Coast. It was there, in the town of Foley, Alabama — also the home of Alabama legend Ken Stabler — that Saban spotted, targeted and zeroed in on Jones. The most prized high school senior in the Class of 2008, Jones was one of the first recruits to broadcast his selection — complete with school hats — live on ESPN.

With hats from Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma and Alabama in front of him, Jones opted for the Crimson Tide — showing that Saban could out-recruit the best, for the best. Jones was the top recruit in a class that included Dont’a Hightower and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, a class that would form the foundation of Saban’s decade-plus of college football dominance.

As usual, Saban already understood what the rest of football would soon learn.

Jones’ statistics at Alabama aren’t necessarily overwhelming — 2,653 receiving yards and 15 touchdown catches over three seasons. Future Alabama Heisman winner DeVonta Smith had 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2020 alone. But Jones played in the run-first, crushing-defense era of Saban’s run. Where later receivers caught passes from quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones and Bryce Young, Jones lined alongside John Parker Wilson and Greg McElroy — well-regarded Tide quarterbacks, to be sure, but not exactly in the same tier.

Still, there were moments. In the 2008 “Saban Bowl” — that would be Alabama vs. No. 1 LSU, Saban’s former school — the young freshman grabbed national attention. Lined up in overtime against Patrick Peterson — like Jones a future NFL All-Decade star — Jones simply out-jumped Peterson to fight down to the 3-yard line and set up an Alabama victory.

Jones and the Tide would win the first of Saban’s six titles with Alabama the next season, and after his third year, Jones opted to turn pro … and that’s when another Southern football concern remade itself to chase him.

The Atlanta Falcons of 2010 were shedding the last vestiges of the Michael Vick era, and with young quarterback Matt Ryan under center, were starting to put the pieces in place. But then-GM Thomas Dimitroff knew Atlanta needed a standout receiver to match with then-WR1 Roddy White and unlock Ryan’s true potential.

In the 2011 draft, Atlanta was picking 27th. Dimitroff packaged that pick, Atlanta's 2011 second- and fourth-round picks, and its first- and fourth-round picks in 2012 to move up 21 spots into Cleveland’s No. 6 position. That’s the definition of an all-in gamble, and it paid off better than the Falcons could ever have imagined.

The Falcons first began playing in 1966, and didn’t post back-to-back winning seasons until 2008-09, so this isn’t exactly a franchise with a record of accomplishment. But with Jones in uniform, Atlanta reached the playoffs four of his first seven years, culminating in that Super Bowl. Along the way, Jones led the league in receiving yards twice, earned two first-team All Pro and seven Pro Bowl nods.

Plus, every year he delivered a moment or two like this " target="_blank" class="link"> one against Carolina.

But the Falcons as a franchise haven’t been able to write much of a new chapter since that Super Bowl. Except for one run-it-back season right after that year, Atlanta hasn’t returned to the playoffs.

Throughout his career, Jones struggled with injuries; he played every game on his team’s schedule in only four of his 13 years. By 2021, he and the Falcons had grown apart, and in June of that year, Atlanta dealt him to Tennessee. Two more unremarkable seasons in Tampa Bay and Philadelphia followed, and he didn’t suit up for the entirety of the 2024 season.

Although his tenure in Atlanta ended on an ugly note, Jones put the past in the past as his last act as a pro ballplayer. He announced his decision on April 4 — 4/04, a reference to Atlanta’s area code — and was clearly emotional as he spoke on the social media app Squad.

“I'm making this announcement today because of the city of Atlanta,” Jones said. “Thank you man, I appreciate y'all. It's nothing but love. I'm doing this on ‘404 Day.’ It was a hell of a ride.”

Jones ends his career 16th on the NFL’s career receiving yards list, more than any active player. Pro Football Reference puts his chances of making the Hall of Fame at better than average.

Before that day, what’s next for Jones? Who knows? The traits he brought to the game, like height and hands, can’t exactly be taught. Maybe he’ll serve as a mentor for the next generation of spectacularly athletic young receivers, the way he has for Tennessee and Philadelphia teammate AJ Brown.

Maybe he’ll just head back to Foley, Alabama, and tell stories about that Super Bowl, and what could have been. And then he’ll tell stories about games like the LSU and Carolina ones, and remember what true greatness looks like.