In May, several members of the Steelers shared their belief that wide receiver Antonio Brown could become the first player in NFL history to reach 2,000 receiving yards in a season.
It’s a reasonable thought given that Brown had 1,834 yards last year while playing with backup quarterbacks for four full games and parts of others. The only player who finished with more receiving yards than Brown seems to agree.
Falcons wideout Julio Jones had 1,871 receiving yards last year and is seen as another player with a shot at reaching the milestone. He discussed the possibility on Sirius XM NFL Radio with Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt Monday.
“It’s definitely difficult to even think about doing,” Jones said. “My thing is, when I go [into] games, for me, personally, I don’t think about 2,000 yards. I had 1,800 yards last year, but I wasn’t even thinking about it. Everyone was like, ‘Oh, man, you’re so close, you’re so close. Are you trying to get it? Are you trying to get it?’ I’m like, ‘I’m trying to go out here and get a W, I’m trying to win the game.’ But I think it’s possible, though. I definitely think it’s possible, but it depends on the defense, if they’re going to let that guy beat them that day.”
Unlike Brown, Jones had his starting quarterback in the lineup for all 16 games last season. Despite Jones’ heroics, it wasn’t Matt Ryan’s best season and the Falcons have more offensive questions across the board than the Steelers. Ryan’s showing optimism about what the unit can do, though, and making good on those hopes would likely lead to another monster year for Jones.
