Julio Jones to sit out Falcons' practices this week
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The Atlanta Falcons aren’t waiting until they get to Houston to install their Super Bowl game plan.
Head coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday the Falcons are treating their three days’ worth of practices at their training facility outside of Atlanta like a regular game week, and plan on installing as much of their game plan for Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots as possible before departing.
“In your mind, preparing that the game is still this Sunday, so you have that sort of pressure on yourself to get ready,” Quinn said.
That’s one of the lessons Quinn took from two recent trips to the Super Bowl as part of Pete Carroll’s Seattle Seahawks staff. Quinn knows how crazy the early days of Super Bowl week can be for the players, notably with increased media obligations starting Monday night, so he wants to make sure his players are focused before the trip.
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The Falcons will begin resume practices at Rice University on Feb. 1, three days after arriving in Houston.
Wide receiver Julio Jones and center Alex Mack are expected to be on the field with the team for those practices in Houston. Neither will practice this week in Flowery Branch, Quinn said Wednesday.
Jones is dealing with a nagging toe injury that he re-aggravated in the divisional round against the Seahawks. He did not practice much in the days leading up to the NFC Championship Game last week.
Mack suffered an ankle injury last week against the Packers. He missed only one snap, but the team wants to give him time to rest this week.
Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.
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