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It was just another routine throw in practice Carlos Zambrano Jersey , a rookie quarterback tossing the ball to a rookie receiver.

When the two failed to connect, Julio Jones stepped in.

Do it again, he ordered.

"What a pure example of what we stand for as a group," said Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn, clearly pleased that one of the NFL's top players would even take the time to notice. "It doesn't matter who the quarterback is. It doesn't matter who the receiver is. What matters is getting it right."

Jones' leadership qualities could take on special importance this season.

Calvin Ridley was the Falcons' first-round pick .

Like Jones, he went to Alabama. Like Jones, he plays receiver.

The Falcons are counting on the rookie to quickly carve out a role in an offense that has plenty of weapons but needs to find ways to lure coverages away from Matt Ryan's favorite target.

Jones is certainly doing his part of help Ridley 鈥?and, by extension, his own pass-catching prospects.

"Everybody knows Julio is really, really good," Ridley said. "But people don't really know how good he is. He's so detailed in the plays. He knows everything. He's like a coach. He coaches me on everything."

Early in Tuesday's practice, undrafted quarterback Kurt Benkert 鈥?a longshot to make the team 鈥?was working with Ridley on a particular route.

They haven't gotten a lot of time together in practice, so it wasn't all that surprising when the two were out of sync.

That wasn't acceptable to Jones.

"Julio was like John Ross Bengals Jersey , 'Do that one again,'" Quinn marveled. "That might've gone unnoticed to some people."

Even when Ridley makes a catch in practice, he usually has Jones in his ear.

"He says, 'You can do it better, you can lean on him, whatever it is,'" the rookie said. "It's like having another coach on the field. He's watching everything that all of us do."

While Jones took some heat from fans and the media for skipping offseason workouts and a mandatory minicamp in a bid to land a new contract 鈥?he agreed to report to training camp only after the team adjusted his deal for this season and promised to renegotiate in 2019 鈥?there is no question about the commitment to his teammates.

He shows it with his willingness to work with anyone who has a desire to get better, whether it's a first-round pick such as Ridley or a fringe player such as Benkert.

Jones is impressed with Ridley's work ethic and potential.

"I knew he was going to come in and be a hard worker," said Jones, a two-time All-Pro who has gone four straight seasons with at least 80 receptions and more than 1,400 yards receiving. "He definitely has all the tools to be a great wide receiver. The game just has to come to him. Just seeing things on the move and not thinking, that's the only thing. He's a rookie. He's going to have to think. He's going to see unscouted looks, things like that. You can't make that transition on the run."

While Jones has enormous physical skills Corey Seager Jersey , he knows his success as a receiver goes beyond his speed, size and hands. He keeps telling the rookie to pay attention to what's going on around him.

The eyes might be the most important attribute of all.

"Watching safeties," Jones said. "Watching what people are trying to take away. Different concepts. Knowing what he can and cannot do on a route to help his teammates."

To give all the rookies an idea of what they're up against in Friday's first preseason game against the New York Jets, Jones showed a tape of his very first exhibition contest against the Miami Dolphins in 2011.

"We have a great group of young receivers on our team," he said. "But it's going to get blurry out there. You're out there at full speed, and you don't know what to expect. I told 'em, 'Just do what you do. Do what got you here. You don't have to go out there and make up things. The game will come to you.'"

Someone asked Jones for a critique of that younger version of himself.

"I was flying around," he said, breaking into a big grin. Just as quickly, he turned it into another teaching moment. "If you're a young guy, you don't want to bust a play and start looking around. If you bust it, go full speed. You'll get the next one."

Notes: Longtime Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed attended practice Tuesday at Quinn's invitation. In particular, the Falcons coach wanted Reed to stress the importance to creating turnovers. "One the best ball hawks of all time Dante Pettis Youth Jersey ," Quinn said. "It was important for him to spend some time with the DBs."

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at s://apnews/search/paul%20newberry

Johnny Manziel spent much of the first day of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' training camp as an observer.

The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner watched a lot of the session Sunday, a day after signing with the Canadian Football league club. Manziel threw while working with the five other quarterbacks and did short tosses to receivers, but knelt off to the side or stood with quarterbacks coach Dan Morrison during 1-on-1 pass drills and 7-on-7 sessions at Ron Joyce Stadium.

"That's because he doesn't know the terminology, he doesn't know anything," Tiger-Cats coach June Jones said. "Dan was walking through each route as it was called. But (on Monday) guess what? We're going to walk in and start taking a couple."

Manziel has plenty to learn about Canadian football. Standing on the field for the first time only served to further drive that point home.

"Spacing is a little bit different on the defensive side if I had to look at anything," Manziel said. "On offense, I've never ran this many routes that are predicated off of one defender ... every route has an opportunity to break three or four different ways, which is different.

"But I think it gives you the versatility and offensive weapons to be able to attack coverages more intensely than it would just running a fixed route. I know it's going to take some time but now I see it more-so and my expectations are tempered."

Hamilton's other quarterbacks include starter Jeremiah Masoli, CFL veterans Vernon Adams Jr., and Bryant Moniz along with youngsters Dane Evans and Chris Merchant of the Vanier Cup-champion Western Mustangs.

Jones said the Ticats aren't waiting for Johnny Football to become familiar with their offensive terminology and schemes.

"He's got to catch up because we've got guys in there and he will," Jones said. "We have plenty of time in camp. I'd say in 2 1/2 weeks he'll have a handle on everything."

The 25-year-old former Texas A&M star was selected in the first round 鈥?No. 22 overall 鈥?by the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 NFL draft. He was released in March 2016 after posting a 2-6 record over two tumultuous campaigns.

Manziel actively pursued an NFL contract this offseason, throwing during pro days at both Texas A&M and the University of San Diego, and participating in The Spring League 鈥?a development circuit for players overlooked by the NFL.

He has dealt with several off-field issues. In 2016 Adidas Derick Brassard Jersey , a domestic assault charge against Manziel in Dallas was dismissed after he took an anger management course and participated in the NFL's substance-abuse program. In a recent interview, he said he's been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has stopped drinking.

The CFL approved the signing, saying that in December it began the process to determine if Manziel could join the league. Manziel had to meet certain conditions, including an assessment by an independent expert on domestic violence, a review by legal counsel and a discussion with Commissioner Randy Ambrosie.

"I've been very upfront with my past and the fact that I haven't been perfect by any means," Manziel said. "Obviously, the magnitude of my mistakes in the past are something I'm definitely not proud of but at the end of the day I feel like I've come a long way from that person that I was at that time.

"I feel I've grown a lot and feel through the mistakes I've made they've turned me into a better person, they've turned me into a man. I'll never be able to outrun my past . . . the only thing I can do is grow and hopefully be a better person moving forward and I have every intention of doing that."

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