New England Patriots: Falcons and Julio Jones Praised for Their Speed

The New England Patriots are going to have their hands full with one of the best offenses in the NFL. Speed seems to be one of the things that worry the Patriots.

The New England Patriots will be playing the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51. The Falcons enter the Super Bowl with the best offense in the NFL. Quarterback Matt Ryan is the likely MVP in the NFL this season. Also, he has one of the best wide receivers in the NFL in Julio Jones.

This combination has helped lead the Falcons to the Super Bowl, and they have obviously caught the attention of Bill Belichick. One of the things that Belichick has noticed about the Falcons is their speed on offense.

“The thing I notice most is just the team speed the Falcons have. They’re either as fast, or faster, than probably what the average speed of their position is in the league,” Belichick said to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. “They look like they’re faster than almost every team they play.”

One of the fastest players on the Falcons is Jones. As shown against the Green Bay Packers, Jones has the ability to outrun an entire defense. Unlike against the Packers, Jones will be facing a much better defense in the Super Bowl. Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is fully aware of how good Jones is.

“We saw him a couple years ago and studied him; he’s one of the most dynamic players in the league,” defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. “He can run underneath routes, has great speed, great hands, body control and is very, very strong. He gives you a lot of problems.”

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In the Super Bowl, we can expect to see a lot of Malcolm Butler on Jones. Against Antonio Brown, Butler along with some help from his safeties was able to limit what Brown was able to do. With a couple of weeks before the game, the Butler vs Jones matchup will certainly be one to watch.