Julio Jones is a team captain and has earned the respect of everyone in Atlanta's locker room.
So, when Jones says the Falcons need to focus on their upcoming matchup with the Tennessee Titans (1-2) and not focus on the past, that's the tone he's setting each day at practice.
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This doesn't mean the Falcons are ignoring what happened in Indianapolis when Atlanta committed 16 penalties and lost 27-24, that's actually the opposite of what they're doing. Dan Quinn has brought in a full crew of referees to help enforce and educate the players during practice.
The hope is if a player is flagged during the week during practice, the mistake won't be repeated in the game. Jones spoke on the addition of the referees and the mindset of the team during his weekly press conference on Thursday:
Adding refs to practice
The Pro Bowl wide receiver said the referees will help the Falcons play fast and that's the focus of the week.
"For us to be able to play fast and not have to think about it," Jones said. "If a penalty happens, we did it playing full speed, but we'll know what we need to do to fix it because we have referees out here to help us with it.
Falcons focused on Titans
In order for the Falcons to earn their second win of the season, they can't beat themselves with the self-inflicted mistakes they made against the Colts. The focus starts in practice and Jones is hopeful that translates to Sunday for all four quarters.
"Last week is last week," Jones said. "We just need to get off to a fast start. Start fast and finish fast."
Ridley isn't a guy 'to play with'
Ridley is off to an impressive start in his second year and the attention he now draws in addition to how teams attempt to cover Jones makes the Falcons a tough matchup for opposing defenses.
Jones reiterated just how much of a weapon Ridley is for Atlanta's offense.
"With Cal, they keep playing with him," Jones said. "But he's not a guy to play with. He can make those plays. He can make explosive plays down the field. He can do it all. He's a complete player, a great wideout and he's going to be a great wideout in this league for a long time."
