As Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel pushes the NFL forward with his unique pre-snap concepts and utilization of speedy wide receivers, it’s easy to forget he worked with one of the best offensive players of a generation early in his coaching career.
McDaniel was an assistant on the legendary 2016 Atlanta Falcons offensive staff that featured Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur, Raheem Morris, Bobby Turner and Mike LaFleur scheming up one of the best scoring offenses of the decade.
The fixture of that offensive attack was wide receiver Julio Jones, a likely first-ballot Hall of Famer who Shanahan featured as an unstoppable force during his time calling plays in Atlanta.
While the past couple of seasons might’ve clouded Jones’ absolute dominance on the field for some, McDaniel had no trouble remembering the time the NFL veteran receiver torched the Carolina Panthers secondary to the tune of 300 yards while speaking with This Is Football’s Kevin Clark.
However, the touchdown catch that McDaniel referenced, one where Jones mossed Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly and hauled it to the end zone, actually happened in 2015, Jones’ first year in a Shanahan offense.
Mike McDaniel remembers a badass: JULIO JONES “He was doing things on a route tree that a 180-pound guy [does] and he was 230 pounds.” From Tuesday’s This Is Football. pic.twitter.com/Ux7BJpGIv4
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) March 27, 2024
Julio's 300 yard game was against the Panthers in 2016, but this specific catch that McDaniel is referencing actually happened the year prior in 2015 during a 9 catch, 178 yard game from Julio in Week 16.
The catch 👇 https://t.co/3WcUDpsubO pic.twitter.com/8vhRqGw6Km
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) March 27, 2024
One of the game’s brightest minds reminiscing over just how special Jones was at his peak is yet another reminder for why the former Falcons superstar might be one of the most underappreciated players ever at his position.
For starters, Jones was one of the four wideouts to make the NFL’s All-Decade Team alongside Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson and Antonio Brown.
He also led the entire NFL for the 2010s in yardage (12,125), was first in receiving yards per game (96.2), was third in receptions (797), was fifth in targets per game (15.2) and was 11th in total touchdowns (57).
If not for that whole 28-3 blown lead business, Jones’ Super Bowl 51 catch would be more immortalized as one of the greatest-ever in the big game.
Heck, all you really need to do is watch Jones’ NFC championship game performance against the Green Bay Packers in 2017 to know just how game-changing of a talent that he was.
As McDaniels put, Jones was just doing things that defied expectations in his prime. He really is one of the best receivers to ever play in the NFL, and he deserves to be talked about as such.
A gold jacket and an eternal spot in Canton should await him once his career is over, though we’re curious if he’ll try to play another season to chase that elusive Super Bowl ring.
