It was just another routine throw in practice Youth Seattle Seahawks Jerseys , 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 �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 �a longshot to make the team �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 Adidas Dustin Brown 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 �he agreed to report to training camp only after the team adjusted his deal for this season and promised to renegotiate in 2019 �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 Packers Josh Jackson 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 Devin Hester Bears 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 â€?The Baltimore Ravens got another ball-swiping performance from their opportunistic defense, and this time â€?for a change â€?the offense also contributed to a significant victory.Joe Flacco threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, and the Ravens forced three pivotal turnovers Sunday in a 44-20 win over the Detroit Lions.Flacco helped Baltimore take a 20-0 halftime lead and directed three scoring drives in the fourth quarter to keep the Ravens in front.After relying heavily on their defense for much of the season, the Ravens (7-5) finally received an ample boost from the league¡¯s 31st-ranked offense.Flacco went 23 for 36, Alex Collins ran for 75 yards and two scores, and Baltimore stretched its season-high winning streak to three games with its most complete performance of the season.¡°The offense kept answering. That¡¯s what team victories are all about,¡± coach John Harbaugh said. ¡°It was a team victory across the board.¡±Matthew Stafford completed a team-record 20 straight passes in the second half, twice cutting the deficit to a touchdown. But Detroit (6-6) lost a second straight following a three-game winning streak.¡°Get within one score, and the bottom falls out,¡± coach Jim Caldwell said.Stafford left late in the fourth quarter with a bruised right hand after being stepped on. He went 24 for 29 for 292 yards.¡°You know, that¡¯s a really, really good defense we just played,¡± Stafford said. ¡°We knew it was going to be a tough game and we knew there were going to be times we were going to struggle on offense. We just had to keep trying to plug away.¡±Despite getting the Lions within 20-13 and 27-20 Andrew Miller Jersey , Stafford never could quite make up the difference.Maybe it¡¯s because Flacco wouldn¡¯t let him.¡°I really felt good about how we responded to them scoring some points in the second half, and we were able to keep getting into the end zone as well,¡± Flacco said.¡°We¡¯ve struggled to get the ball into the end zone at times, so it was really big to get the touchdowns today when we really needed them.¡±The Ravens came in with three shutouts and an NFL-best 26 takeaways.They upped that total to 29 with three huge plays: A strip-sack of Stafford by Eric Weddle that led to a touchdown in the second quarter; a fourth-quarter interception that set up a game-clinching TD run by Collins with four minutes to go; and a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown by Weddle against Jake Rudock with 2:26 remaining.Baltimore¡¯s third straight victory came at a price. Standout cornerback Jimmy Smith left in the second quarter after hurting his Achilles tendon without being touched.¡°Looks like Jimmy has a torn Achilles,¡± Harbaugh said. ¡°That¡¯s tough. It looks like he¡¯ll be out the rest of the year.¡±Smith has been bothered by a sore Achilles for much of the season. The seven-year veteran has missed several practices, but started all 12 games and is second on the team with three interceptions.He was replaced by rookie Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore¡¯s top draft choice. Humphrey intercepted Stafford in the fourth quarter.RECORD BREAKERStafford¡¯s 20 straight completions broke the record held by ¡­. Matthew Stafford. He threw 13 successive complete passes on Dec. 4, 2016, against New Orleans.PRATER PULLS ITDetroit kicker Matt Prater was wide left on a 43-yard field goal in the second quarter and wide left on a conversion kick after Detroit¡¯s second TD.INJURIESLions: Former Ravens OT Rick Wagner (ankle) was carted off the field in the second quarter and did not return. ¡­ DE Ezekiel Ansah left with an ankle injury and returned. ¡­ G T.J. Lang was sidelined with a foot injury and returned. ¡­. DE Cornelius Washington left in the third quarter with a shoulder injury.Ravens: Smith has battled injuries throughout his career. Only twice has he played 16 games in a season. ¡­ LB C.J. Mosley underwent concussion protocol early in the second quarter and was quickly cleared.UP NEXTLions: At Tampa Bay on Sunday.Ravens: Sunday night showdown against AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers, who beat Baltimore 26-9 in the first meeting..