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Julio Jones, University of Alabama |
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| Julio Jones, the Most Explosive Wide Receiver Prospect in the 2008 Recruiting Class, Offers up some of his own Personal Training Tips |
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| "Once I get the ball I’m a very physical player. It’s going to take more than one guy to bring me down." |
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DSU: Outside of your Head Coach did you have a personal wide receiver coach that you worked with at Foley HS?
JJ: When I was growing up I played the running back position. It wasn’t until my 9th grade year I started playing wide receiver. That helped me out a lot with field vision. When you’re a running back there are more people in the box and you have to make moves to avoid a lot more people. So when I switched over to wide receiver it’s like one-on-one. Well, maybe a double team here and there, but there are a lot less people to avoid than when I played running back.
DSU: A double team here and there? I bet you’ve become quite accustomed to having two or even three defenders covering you.
JJ: They really didn’t know about me until after my junior season when I had around 75 catches and 1,300+ yards.
DSU: What would you describe as your biggest strengths of being a wide receiver?
JJ: I try to do everything. I don’t try to just run fades and posts. I try to run it all. I try to be effective in the quick game as well. From the hitches, the screens, slants, I try to do it all just to get the ball. Once I get the ball I’m a very physical player. It’s going to take more than one guy to bring me down.
DSU: As a wide receiver, when you’re standing at the line of scrimmage before the snap looking ahead at the defense; what are some of the things you look for?
JJ: First I see if they’re going to roll. If the linebacker is creeping up, sometimes they can fake it though because the free safety has to come down and replace him. You have to see that or you have to see if they’re going to roll into double coverage on you. You also have to see where the cornerback is lined up. If he’s playing five yards off you, he’ll probably back up and try to catch you or he’ll come up in your face and play a bump and run.
DSU: In recognizing whether you’re facing a zone or man-to-man defense, how do you go about adjusting your route?
JJ: Well if he’s man-to-man and up in my face, I get low and hide my numbers so he can’t get in my chest. When I run my route I don’t pop up right away. A lot of guys pop up right away and the defensive back get right in their chests. You have got to come out of the ball low and hard then make a move. You can hit him with a quick step or you can hit him with a double move or anything like that.
DSU: You’re no secret to opposing defenses. They know where you are on the field at all times. How do you go battling off double teams and even triple teams sometimes? How do you get open with all that attention around you?
JJ: I like to work hard. If somebody tells me I can’t do something I like to prove to them that I can.
DSU: What have you seen the best results from in your endurance training?
JJ: I do an NFL type workout. Each day I do some type of conditioning. I run sprints, takeoffs, and a lot of other drills that help improve my endurance. The biggest thing if you’re going to be a great wide receiver is to be conditioned. You can wear and tear on a cornerback because he doesn’t know where you’re going. You could keep running here, there, here, and there; he’s going to get tired and give up on the play. Then you can kill him.
DSU: Give me a detailed description of a speed & agility workout you’ve seen results from.
JJ: I run suicide type drills. I sprint 20 yards out, then come 20 yards back. Then go 40 yards out, 40 yards back, then 60, 80, and 100. It’s a simple drill, but one I’ve seen results from.
DSU: How do you try to sharpen up your routes and perfect your route running ability?
JJ: It depends how a defensive back plays you. Some DB’s are physical and are on you the entire time and some DB’s will play off of you. If a DB is on you the whole time, if you run the route and he’s still on you, just step in front of him and get him on your back side. You can beat him then because he’s in the trail position. If you run at him and he’s pressing still, you come off the ball, be physical, stay low, you hit him with one move one way, and then come back and hit him with a double move inside then you can beat him there. If a guy is playing off of you it’s easier because he is just going to back pedal and you can do a hitch real quick and start killing him that way. That should force him to start playing man and come up and press on you. Once that happens then you can go over the top on him.
DSU: Leading up to game day, how much time do you commit to film study?
JJ: I put in 45 minutes to an hour everyday watching the defensive backs on film. I watch how big they are, what they do, and what their habits are. I also take notes on whether or not they jump routes, that kind of stuff.
DSU: Obviously at the college level the speed of the game is something that is going to dramatically increase. What is something your high school coaches have done to prepare you for this change?
JJ: I feel my coaches have done a great job of preparing me for the next level. They don’t baby you at all. Some athletes who are good are babied by their coaches and their work ethic starts dropping. He stays on you and forces you to continue to work hard. That’s really what got me here. He told me to keep working hard.
DSU: What is something you would tell a younger wide receiver in the program who wants to become a D-1 prospect some day?
JJ: I would tell him to work hard. There is no substitute for hard work. The ultimate goal is to work hard because everybody wants to be this and be that, but you have got to work for it.
DSU: Describe the moment you found out you were an Under Armour All-American. I imagine it was a huge feeling of accomplishment.
JJ: I don’t really look at it like that. If we don’t accomplish anything as a team, I don’t like it. I don’t like all these individual awards. I get a lot of individual awards, but I don’t really like it that way. As for my team, I love those types of trophies.
DSU: What factored into your decision to go to Alabama?
JJ: It was the place I felt most comfortable at. Location was not really a big thing. It was just a place where I felt comfortable that runs the spread offense and gives me a shot at winning a National Championship.
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