Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn is hoping to get the ball into the hands of his offensive weapon more often.
Quinn provided a direct response when asked if he's happy with how wide receiver Julio Jones has been used through the team's first five games of the season.
"No, and the reason I say that is that he's such a factor," Quinn said, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN. "We've got to get more possessions, more time, more plays. And I think that's more a byproduct of getting Julio the ball more. It's not where he needs the ball more. We need more plays so he can get the ball more."
Jones currently ranks 40th in targets, 33rd in receptions, and 18th in receiving yards across the NFL this season. He's yet to score a touchdown on the campaign.
Quinn says the Falcons don't want to force the ball to Jones, but he's one of the few receivers in the league who allows teams to take a few more gambles.
"He's 100 percent our guy. But wherever the coverage takes you, there's time where, 'No, you can't do that.' They're going to say, 'He's not going to beat us on this play.' And so then, that might not be the time to do it.
"But there's times that it is, even if he's got two (defenders) on him," said Quinn.
The Falcons' red-zone efficiency has dropped from 64.56 percent in 2016 to 60 percent through the first six weeks of the season, according to TeamRankings.com. A large reason for that could be the fact that six other Falcons pass-catchers have received as many, or more, red-zone targets than Jones' two.
