FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- There was one aspect of Julio Jones' career day last week that Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter appreciated more than anything else: Jones' humble approach.
Jones had every reason to celebrate his 10 catches for a career-high 189 yards, considering eight of those catches came against Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson. Remember, Peterson ran his mouth before the game, saying he wanted Jones one-on-one and claiming he won most of the battles against Jones during their college days.
"What impressed me personally the most was the fact that when you look at the tape, Julio, every time he made a big play, he tossed the ball to the official and hustled back to the line -- when we were in no-huddle -- or hustled back to huddle," Koetter said. "He wasn't showy. He didn't do any taunting. He didn't do any talking. He let his play show what he could do. And he was outstanding. Julio had a heck of game. And when he plays like that, it makes us tough to beat."
Jones admitted Peterson's bold claims bothered him, but he refused to engage in a war of words.
"People call you out, man ... it's part of the game," Jones told ESPN.com after the game. "People talk trash all the time. But I'm not a guy to talk and down-talk and say I got the better of someone because you're going to have to face a person again, and there's always ups and downs. You're not going to win them all."
Koetter was asked if he was surprised Peterson would go the trash-talk route, knowing it would ignite Jones even more.
"I don't think it's silly," Koetter said. "I think everybody gets motivated different. I think some guys, if that's what they need for motivation ... what coaches and media don't talk about is teams have rivalries; different players have rivalries.
"Let's face it: This is an incredibly popular game and people are talking about best at this position, best at that position. You've got unsung guys trying to make a name for themselves, trying to prove themselves. You've got guys that are elite players. And then you've got other guys that maybe their reputation is bigger than they are as a player. I'm not naming any names. I'm not even trying to do that. I'm just saying, you have all kinds of different combinations. And the way the media might look at them, the way the fans might look at them, the way coaches might look at them, the players don't always see it that way. .... They might have a vendetta that goes back to college, goes back to where they were drafted, or maybe they even played with them on another team. So players have great memories on stuff like that."
It will be interesting to see if anyone else on the schedule tries to call Jones out or trash-talk him on the field. A prime candidate for Monday night's game at Green Bay would be Packers cornerback Sam Shields, who got into a scrap with Falcons receiver Devin Hester when Hester played for the Bears. But Shields' status is unclear as he is going through the concussion protocol.
Koetter mentioned how the Packers like to play six defensive backs a lot, so one can assume they will roll an extra defender toward Jones.
Jones enters the game third in the league with 1,169 receiving yards. He's on pace for over 1,500 yards, which would be his career-high. His current season-high is 1,198 yards (2012).