All NFL teams want to have an elite-level player at a few places on their roster. When you have one, you know good things will happen, but when you have two, great things can happen.
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com put out his Top-10 duos in the NFL last week and a Falcons pair has made the list.
Julio Jones and Roddy White are listed among great offensive duos around the league from the New York Giants to the New England Patriots. Jeremiah thinks after just one year together, Jones' rookie season in 2011, No. 11 and No. 84 are truly exceptional.
The Falcons traded five picks in 2011 to move to the sixth pick to take the former Alabama receiver. Some have criticized Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff for the bold move, but from the early looks of it, it appears to be worth it. In his rookie season after playing in 13 games, Jones had 959 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Along the way he displayed game-breaking athleticism, speed and ability. Look no further than his 17.8 yards-per-catch average last season for proof of that.
Paired with White, arguably the NFC's best receiver, the Falcons have a tandem of pass catchers that can create havoc. It remains to be seen what new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter's Falcons offense will look like, but he's got plenty of weapons to work with, starting with Jones and White. Koetter will be game planning each Sunday with more talent than he has ever had during his five-year NFL coordinating career.
White has average 97 catches per season over the past four years, hitting at least 100 catches each in the last two. He's done much of this as the primary receiving option for quarterback Matt Ryan. With Jones a full year into his young career in the NFL, the possibilities for White are just as exciting as Jones' potential.
A duo like that calls to mind Peyton Manning's heyday with the Indianapolis Colts when he had receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne in their prime. The three seemed in sync constantly because they all worked hard and worked together to ensure they were seamless on the field. Between Ryan, White and Jones, a relationship like that can exist.
Already one of the top duos, White and Jones could be on the verge of being the top two offensive threats in the entire league.
