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The last time the Atlanta Falcons picked an Alabama receiver in the first round of the NFL draft http://www.kansascitychiefsteamonline.com/patrick-mahomes-ii-jersey , it worked out pretty well.

So, when Calvin Ridley was still on the board Thursday night at No. 26, they knew what to do.

Roll Tide!

The Falcons landed another Nick Saban receiver for their offensive arsenal, adding Ridley to a unit led by Julio Jones .

Jones, of course, played at Alabama.

Now, he's one of the NFL's best pass catchers.

Ridley can't wait to team up with him.

"I'm very excited to be coming in with Julio," Ridley said in a conference call, shortly after the Falcons announced their pick near the end of the draft's first day. "I know I'm going to learn a lot from him and become a better player, a better wide receiver. I'm just very, very happy to be in that organization."

His excitement was tempered somewhat by where he was picked in the draft .

Flashing the confidence that is a trademark of all great receivers, Ridley was clearly surprised that he didn't go much higher.

"I'm going to prove a lot of people wrong," he said. "I'm happy the Falcons selected me, but I could've been picked way before. I'm going to work hard and I'm going to prove everybody wrong who always doubted me. I'm going to make everybody believe."

The Falcons were eager to give quarterback Matt Ryan another deep threat, bolstering an offense that dipped in production last season after leading the NFL in scoring in 2016.

While defensive tackle was a priority, Atlanta couldn't pass up the chance to grab the 6-foot-1, 189-pound Ridley patrick mahomes stitched jersey , who managed to stand out even while playing in a run-oriented offense on Alabama's national championship team . As a junior, he had 63 receptions for 967 yards and five touchdowns.

"This is another firepower weapon for us," general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. "He will mix in very well in our offense."

In 2011, the Falcons pulled off a major trade with Cleveland to move up to No. 6 overall so they could grab Jones. He quickly emerged as one of the league's most dominant receivers, including 88 catches for 1,444 yards last season.

While Mohamed Sanu has put up decent numbers as the No. 2 receiver, he's not the sort of game-changer who can draw coverages away from Jones.

The Falcons feel Ridley has that potential.

"His ability to create separation from the defender is really powerful and explosive," coach Dan Quinn said. "We have a clear understanding of how to feature this guy in our system. We're real excited about the things he can do."

In an interesting twist, the final game of Ridley's college career was at the home of the Falcons. Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted this year's thrilling national championship game , in which Ridley caught a 7-yard touchdown pass that tied the game in the closing minutes of regulation before Alabama defeated Southeastern Conference rival Georgia 26-23 in overtime.

Ridley will also be reunited with Steve Sarkisian, who was briefly the Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator before taking the same role with the Falcons.

"He was real cool," Ridley recalled. "He was trying to get me that ball, I know that."

While the Falcons had no overly pressing needs after their second straight trip to the playoffs, they were looking to bulk up the interior of the defensive line. Dontari Poe was lost in free agency, signing with division rival Carolina to leave a hole in Atlanta's run defense.

But with Ridley still on the board, the Falcons decided to address those needs later in the draft. They passed on the chance to draft another SEC player, Florida defensive tackle Taven Bryan patrick mahomes authentic jersey , who went shortly afterward to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 29.

"We definitely had other guys in our sights," Dimitroff said. "They're both very good football players. In the end, we decided to go with offense."

It was a change of philosophy from the last three years.

Since Quinn came aboard as coach in 2015, defense had been the No. 1 priority. The last three first-round picks were all from that side of the line: defensive end Vic Beasley Jr. in 2015, safety Keanu Neal in 2016 and end Takkarist McKinley a year ago.

Quinn smiled when asked if it was difficult to pass up another defensive player.

"We were prepared to go a couple of different ways," Quinn said. "When this opportunity came about, we felt it was the best one for our team."

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

The Tom Brady-Bill Belichick dynasty actually lacks something: a 100-yard rusher in the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots.

Perhaps that’s the best way to explain why it’s been a decade since a title game winner reached a mark often reserved for Super Bowl MVPs. It also illustrates how the game has changed since Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Terrell Davis were carrying the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos to championships.

Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles will be the 20th since the last time a running back was the MVP: Davis.

”I think gone are probably the days of the one running back that carries the ball 35 times,” Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. ”People use running backs in a lot of different roles and they use running backs, I don’t want to say by committee, but by specialty.”

That’s a pretty good way to describe both these teams, who have combined for just three 100-yard rushing games all season.

Jay Ajayi, the heralded midseason acquisition by the Eagles in a trade, doesn’t have the one for Philadelphia. It belongs to LeGarrette Blount, who led the Patriots with just 31 yards last year when New England threw almost non-stop in the second half while rallying from 25 points down to beat Atlanta.

The most recent Super Bowl winner with a 100-yard rusher was Indianapolis with Dominic Rhodes in 2007, which incidentally included a 100-yard game for Chicago’s Thomas Jones.

The last 100-yard rusher in the Super Bowl was Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch against the Patriots three years ago, when the Seahawks infamously threw an interception at the goal line instead of giving the ball to their bruising runner for the potential winning touchdown.

”There was a period of time where the running back position was being – quote, unquote – devalued in some way Jim Plunkett Jersey ,” said Ajayi, who had two 100-yard games for Miami before the trade and is averaging 59 yards in nine games, including the playoffs, with the Eagles.

”As of recent, if you look across the league, especially on our team, the running game is essential,” Ajayi said. ”For me personally, I take pride in showcasing how the position can be a game-changer in every game.”

The Eagles finished third in rushing during the regular season and had a pair of 200-yard games. They have restored a three-back rotation despite the season-ending injury to Darren Sproles. Ajayi and Blount get help from third-down back Corey Clement.

”I think the teams that have an opportunity to go to the postseason, they do have the ability to run the football,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. ”You have to stay patient and diligent there. That’s something we’ve been able to do all season long. It’s something we stay committed to.”

Dion Lewis had both of New England’s 100-yard games and averaged almost 5 yards per carry. He also had three receiving touchdowns to go with six rushing scores. James White and Rex Burkhead also had three receiving TDs apiece.

”There’s no position group that’s going to touch the ball more than the running back except for the quarterback,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said.

”Whether you hand it to them, throw it to them, screen it to them, spread them about, throw to them outside the backfield, they’re going to have the ball in space because they’re the best runners on your team. We’ve always believed in that.”

The closest thing to a 100-yard Super Bowl rusher for the Patriots under Brady and Belichick was in their first trip. Antowain Smith had 92 yards when New England beat St. Louis in 2002.

”Game’s different than the way it was when I first got in the league Keith Tandy Jersey ,” said Lewis, a seventh-year pro. ”I think as a running back, you’ve just got to be more versatile, be able to do a lot of things so you can get the ball in your hands as much as possible.”

Some of those things aren’t necessarily new – swing passes to running backs, screens to receivers, other glorified running plays that count as passes.

And Schwartz says the run-pass options the Eagles use aren’t really new either, even though it seems that way as a popular Super Bowl week topic with backup quarterback Nick Foles finishing Philadelphia’s path to the title game after Carson Wentz’s season-ending knee injury.

There have been other tricks through the years as well.

”The Patriots used to do a little jet sweep where they’d tap the ball forward from the quarterback, almost like a volleyball tap,” Schwartz said. ”That goes down as a pass. When it’s all said and done, you don’t get any extra points for running the ball across the goal line.”

While Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley agrees that it’s a passing league, he doesn’t think much of it being so long since a Super Bowl winner had a 100-yard rusher.

”All I know is for the Eagles to win,” the former Philadelphia running back said, ”we’ve got to run the ball.”

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