ladies and gentlemen, your rookie of the year
(part two)


the actual facts of the matter:

preseason game 2: 2 catches, 31 yards
preseason game 3: 5 catches, 59 yards, one very memorable "almost"

"game two" of julio's rookie of the year campaign was predictably different than his debut. his debut was in front of the home crowd, the same home crowd that had been anticipating his arrival since draft night. how did the falcons organization and coaches reward their fans? with an incredible sense of awareness. the first two plays of his first offensive series were aimed at him. in fact, in the three possessions he was on the field, you could argue that he was the focal point of the offense.

meanwhile, roddy white played the role of mentor and cheerleader. there wasn't even a hint of displeasure in white's body language. after all, even the most ardent julio fans knew that preseason, game one was not indicative of things to come (at least in the short term). roddy white was the all-pro. julio was the new toy underneath the christmas tree.

"game two", then, would be another experiment, this time showcasing the feature back, michael turner. julio and roddy white both ran routes, but they weren't terribly involved in what the coaches had in mind.

if the stubbornness towards the run was obvious in miami, the polar opposite was on display in pittsburgh last night. matt ryan threw the ball FORTY-TWO times in the first half, and roddy white collected 100 yards and a touchdown along the way. oh yeah! he's really good too! neither road trip was purposed towards balance. both trips were meant to kick the tires on the new offense in the hopes that the falcons could inventory what, exactly, is under the hood on this flashy new sports car of an offense.

"game four" will feel like none of the above. the starters will play a series or two in front of the home crowd and waive good-bye to them for a couple weeks before starship 7 comes back to the dome on sept. 18th.

the highlight of last night and the last two weeks and this julio preseason was recorded as an incompletion, but, if you've seen sportscenter, you know the play i am speaking of. the color guy on the falcons broadcast, charles davis, went nuts as julio blew past a corner and safety on a 50 yard deep route that bounced off his hands in the end zone.

"every defensive coach the falcons will play just saw that play!", exclaimed davis.

for as good as roddy white is, he's never materialized as a deep threat for the falcons. after three preseason games, julio has already established "run fast, go deep" hangs from his utility belt.

charles davis also made an incredible observation that i wish i had made first while commenting on how he sees julio fitting into the falcons plans. "he's going to be reggie wayne to roddy's marvin harrison." god. yes. yes, he is. when wayne came to the colts, he was already more talented than one of the greatest receivers of the last 20 years, but he didn't diva up or expect anything. he played his role. he excelled at what the colts asked of him. he caught tons of passes, and now he's been the primary target for peyton manning for the last five years. if julio can mirror that career path, he would have done himself proud.

it's just the preseason, and the preseason is all about getting ready for the real season, but julio's impact is already on the rise.

impact: 7