OCT. 7 COLUMN: Julio Jones' numbers not so disturbing

There was a time when an Alabama football player sacrificing individual statistics for team offensive success wasn't a cause for alarm. In fact, it was understood.

That doesn't mean that Julio Jones, whose 2009 production through five games has caused some conversation, if not outright consternation, is 'sacrificing' himself, exactly. He's a team player, just as he was a team player last year. The concerns about his numbers — he has nine catches for 133 yards and one touchdown — are understandable, in a way, but there are plenty of good reasons for that.

First, he hasn't played five games. Essentially, he has played only three full games. He bruised a knee early in the Florida International game, sat out the rest of that game and missed the following game against North Texas as well. He probably wasn't at 100 percent in the Arkansas or Kentucky games, either. Nick Saban pointed out all of that at his Monday press conference.

Second, his presence on the field creates opportunities for others. Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy forcefully pointed that out as well. Every time Jones is double-covered, and that is more often than not, he creates a mismatch somewhere else. McElroy has displayed a notable talent for finding those mismatches and exploiting them.

That's not to say that Jones can't play better than he has so far. He'd be the first to say that he could get open more often and do a better job of catching every ball that comes his way. That makes him no different than every other player on Alabama's team, or any other college football team in the country. There is room to get better.

He also seems to be the kind of young man who would be perfectly happy if he doesn't catch another pass this season, as long as the team keeps averaging 40 points per game and rolls along with an undefeated record. That's an extreme example — obviously, Jones is going to catch more balls this season. But there seems to be a public concern about his numbers, in and of themselves, not being 'high enough.'

That's hardly unique at Alabama, though. For instance, more than a decade's worth of running backs saw their touches limited and their yardage totals reduced because of playing in the Wishbone offense, a style that emphasizes multiple ball carries. Even the great Johnny Musso gained less yards as a senior in 1971 than he did as a pro-set tailback in 1970. The drop in production was marginal (49 yards, from 1,137 in 1970 to 1,088 in 1971). But the trade-off was that Alabama went 6-5 in 1970 and then went 10-0 and made it to the national championship game in 1971. So which do you think is considered Musso's 'signature' season? 1971, of course.

As the wishbone era progressed, lots of backs who could have set records at other, I-formation schools were content to trade those individual marks for team success. The only Alabama back to gain more than 2,000 yards in his career in the wishbone era wasn't a halfback at all — it was bruising fullback Johnny Davis. (That doesn't include Musso, who spent just one year in the wishbone.) There were many backs in that era — Willie Shelby, Calvin Culliver, Tony Nathan and Major Ogilvie — who stand among Alabama's best. But don't look for them in the Top 10 career rushing list at Alabama, because they aren't there.

The situation isn't entirely analogous, but there are enough similarities to make the comparison. One reason Jones' numbers aren't eye-catching is that Alabama is spreading the ball around instead of force-feeding it to him, making the overall offense more effective. His production will increase, partly because the players around him are putting more pressure on opposing defenses, partly because he should be getting healthier and partly because he's as good as he ever was, which is very good. But that rise in production will come because it will help the team — not because someone decides that Jones' numbers need any extra padding.