Green Bay, Wisconsin – AJ Dillon weighs 250 pounds and has a redwood-sized quad. run back.
Last season he led the Green Bay Packers in rushing yards with 803. Dillon has emerged as one of the NFL’s most reliable and effective pass-catching backs, as he’s more than just a buttering he’s a ram. While their styles are vastly different, the dual-threat abilities of Dillon and his co-pilot Aaron Jones will be a key part of how the Packers adjust to life without Davante Adams.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said a few days ago, “Let’s take a look at the Door County mayor,” he was the big back we expected him to power really well when he got here. Of all the people we’ve met in the last three years, he has to be on the very short list of those who have improved so dramatically.
“His pass-catching ability is really solid and he’s shown difficult catches with ease over the past few years and in this training camp. ’28’ and his approach, this locker room player, a rising player.” Not only that, but I can’t be more proud of the way he handled being a member of this community. AJ Dillon, he’s the man from Green Bay now.
It takes a lot to become a “Green Bay Man.” Rodgers was alluding to doing the right thing on and off the field. Having embraced the area like no other over the years, Dillon has done just that. But being a “Green Bay running back” means you have to be an “APB” or all-around back, as Dillon called it during the offseason. Dillon stood out as an APB last season as he caught 34 of 37 targets for 313 yards.
how good is that? Of his 44 backs who have been targeted at least 35 times, he ranks third in catch percentage and eighth in yards per catch, according to Pro Football Focus. rice field.
“For me, I didn’t throw the ball at BC, so it was definitely an opportunity,” said Dillon, who has carried the ball 845 times but caught only 21 passes at Boston College. “Our offense was just that. Here, the ball is thrown all the time. It’s in.”
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Running back AJ Dillon heads to Packers training camp on a slightly smaller bike. (Dan Powers/USA Today Sports Images)
Dillon knew he had to get better to fit in on Matt Ruffler’s offense. was doing. Combined, Jones and Williams gave 78 receptions. Dillon only played 97 snaps.
“They are both playing at a very high level, both can catch, both can run routes,” Dillon said. “I was like, ‘Okay, this is what it takes to be successful in the league, this is what it takes to get a second contract in a row, to be on this team and play in ’12.’ Coming into the offseason, that was something I was working on.”
And continued to work on it this past offseason. Training In his first nine practices of his camp, the outlet occasionally seamed his shot during team practices as his receiver, and during one-on-one periods linebacker he played with De’Vondre Campbell. He played against Quay Walker and he excelled.
“It’s just about being confident,” he continued. “Go out, run those routes, do it over and over, and then trust your hands, trust your body in the air, etc. It’s just repetition and trust.”
An unstable group of receivers and potential injury issues on the offensive line have left Ruffler and Rodgers relying more on their running backs than usual. That doesn’t mean simply handing the ball to Jones and Dillon and hoping they can score first down after first down. That also means mixing them into the passing game and making them work against the linebackers.
Dillon, who has a 750.5-yard over/under rush record in the FanDuel Sportsbook, says he’s up for the challenge.
“I feel really good,” he said. “I’m not 100 percent yet, but what I’m most excited about is that I feel I’m having more fun with myself. I never really thought about stopping thinking, I know most of the crime, I know most of the protection and how things play out.
“I enjoy it. ?” It just doesn’t come to mind. I’m just reacting the way I should.i think it will be my greatest [thing] Play free, have fun, enjoy the whole process, enjoy the grind with your teammates, and just play free. ”
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