re: Dilin Jones says he will be back next season

I’d argue he is the MVP of the offense, if not the whole team. He does so many little things that aren’t as obvious watching live. You have to watch some experts break down his film to get a full appreciation of what he does. We can see his how ridiculous his jump cut is and how he can make a guy miss and then turn it up to get vertical. How hard he runs. But there’s so much more.

He’s super patient. We pull a lot, and he waits to let the blocks set up, before exploding. His vision is elite. And there’s way too much talk about his lack of top end speed. He’s plenty fast enough, especially in short bursts, and gets from 0-60 about as fast as anyone I can remember. Because he’s not running through big, gaping holes. He gets up to speed AFTER making a guy miss, then after breaking tackles. And he’s still fast enough to break off a 30-40 yarder every now and then. Who cares if he doesn’t have the speed for a few 75+ yarders? This offense doesn’t need that from their RB. They need someone to move the chains, and he’s about as good as it as anyone.

It’s all the hidden yardage too. He’ll turn a 3-yard loss into 1 yard gain. Turn a 1-yard gain into a 5 yarder, a 5 yarder into a 13 yarder, etc…He keeps us on schedule. And his pass pro is elite, but more nuanced than at 1st glance. He’s not just physical. He’s willing, which is a big part. But he also understands how to block, angles and leverage. Fun fact—he was a wrestler in high school. That certainly has helped.

But he’s really smart in pass pro too. I saw Hester and Flynn breaking it down from the All-22 a few weeks ago. He recognizes stuff lined up before the play. Knows who’s coming and who’s not. And he and Sam communicate non verbally. AND, he keeps his head looking in a direction to not give away what he knows. He’s not looking right at and pointing at the guy he thinks is coming. So they don’t adjust.

Just a ton of little stuff that adds up. He’s got to be way up there on yards after 1st contact. And now we’ve gotten him involved in the passing game. That’s been a huge part of the offense the past 2 games. I’m not football savant, and it took watching much more knowledgeable guys than me pointing things out to really appreciate all that he does. But after the Clemson game, I realized depth was goin to be an issue this year. And we had a handful of guys that were basically irreplaceable and an injury to any of them would be devastating. He was one of the 6 or 7 guys I listed. Harlem Berry might break off a few 60+ yarders if given enough carries. But with him, you’re living in 2nd and 12, 3rd and 10. Gimme the guy that keeps us in 2nd and 3 every single time over the other guy.