Yeah neither am I, I just think we all need to find a happy medium with Woodhead. People are either overrating or underrating him, let's just take him for what he is, a project of a player who is just easy to root for.
That's fine. I agree with your assessment. that would be his absolute ceiling. If he wants to develop into a trusty slot guy that sanchez can dump the ball off to, great. But some want him to be that #2 guy out of Hofstra who is a rare case. He's far from the "White" Wes Welker. Its comments like that that make it hard to take the praise of a new, very specific role player seriously. I think Woodhead can be a slot guy on third and shorts to get that 1st down. But that's with 20 games experience. Woodhead will continue to have one nice play a game, which will fuel this idea that he can be something "marquee." He's a really long ways away from making an impact. Same with Westerman. They show flashes, but they need a lot of time to develop.
Wheel route = solid contribution. No reason you can't use him similar to Welker and/or L. Washington - drag routes, underneath, out of the backfield stuff. If nothing else, he's going to occupy a defender...provided he doesn't have to beat a jam and gets a free release.
I'd rather not lose draft picks and millions on an underachiever, seems the Jets excel at that. Given the rest of the season and next year's TC... I wouldn't be surprised if Woodhead turned into a Darren Sproles/Wes Welker type hybrid player, albeit with much fewer touches per game. On top of that it just seems like Woodhead has heart and will do his damndest to make the most out of every play. Plus it's fun when you can consider him our 'Rudy'.
woodhead is one solid hit away from either a broken bone or concussion. there is a point at which size does matter and i think his small stature/frame is pushing the laws of physics.... the players he is being compared to in this thread, while being relatively short in stature, have/had plenty muscle mass and a noticeably larger frame made for the beating on sundays. but hey if the kid can make a play or 2 and survive - good for him. jil
OK, so special teams outside confinement isn't his thing. Let's see, he lined up as a receiver. He got the ball thrown to him as a slot receiver. He got open. He caught the fucking ball. He didn't drop it. He moved the fucking chains. Sounds like a pretty friggin good candidate for a Jets receiver to me....... All this shit about him being too small is a bunch of bullshit. Wes Welker = 5'9", 185#,4.6 40 time. Danny Woodhead = 5'8", 200#,4.3 40 time. So what's so hard to envision about Woodhead being on the field in the slot ? Welker's pretty fucking good at it, and he's BOTH slower and smaller. He's not Wayne Chrebet. There was only one of those, and we were lucky enough to enjoy his play for as long as he could do it. This kid has yet to prove he is as tough as Chrebet or has as big a heart, but he sure looks like the heart is there, and he sure is having to endure all the same idiotic "you can't do it" rhetoric that Chrebet had to..... As long as he keeps trying, I'll keep pulling for him.......
Hopefully Woodhead can bring some of the depth in the running game back that we have lacked since Leon went out. I thought the early swing pass to Greene was stupid, on the other hand. That probably would have been more effective if it went to Woodhead.
You have proved my point. Trying and getting the job done in the NFL are COMPLETELY different. Some Jet Fans are rooting for him cause he's a Div 3, white kid, underdog......which is fine. I want him to do well. I never mentioned his size!! You don't build NFL teams with feel good stories, you put the best 45 players on the field each week. If Woodhead can't contribute on Teams and sees limited to no action as a 3rd string player....he doesn't deserve a roster spot. Let's get real, if a better player comes along to take his spot he's gone.
I'd be happy if the little guy could just come in situationally and get a few 1st downs per game.......
Size was mentioned in some of the other posts. Sorry if I somehow inferred that comment was aimed at your's. I think the fact that he failed at the containment assignment was more a result of rookie experience than his size or where he went to college. Besides, it was one game. No one ever said he couldn't learn it. Who said he couldn't contribute on teams? I didn't. I said that maybe outside containement isn't his thing..... He has made plays on special teams. Agree with the last sentiment, but then again, that's pretty much true of any roster spot, isn't it.......
As said earlier, Woodhead can run some of the routes Leon ran from the backfield. Possibly a draw play, etc. He can possibly be useful on third downs since the other RB's are a liability in that role. Think a Kevin Faulk type instead of these silly comparisons to Chrebet and Welker. Greene looked terrible on the one pass thrown his way.
How about we see what happens on each of his one or two plays per game go before we worry about how much he can contribute? David Clowney was awesome in preseason and has yet to make any impact even with an increased workload in-game. The 3rd-string superstars always look great because they're low-end second-stringers playing competition that won't even be on a roster come September. I'm all for seeing what Woodhead's ceiling is, but I don't honestly believe that it's very high, and I am certain it's nowhere near Welker's.
Put him on punt returns too, get Cotch out of there. The last thing we need is Cotch getting hurt on a punt return.
Great teams are loaded with 3rd string superstars. It's called quality depth. I'm not sure what we have in Woodhead, but he brings something to the running and passing games that we have lacked since Leon was injured - quick hands and feet and the ability to run a route. David Clowney came through against the Dolphins in the first meeting, while Cotchery was injured. He's not a starter but he brings a lot of value when key players are out. He's had one drop ni his career as a Jet, I believe.
Why do some people love to hate Woodhead? He is a long shot for ever being an important part of the Jets, but is there something intristicly wrong with hoping a player like Woodhead can beat the odds? Welker beat the odds. Chrebet did too. While I don't think Woodhead will, what the heck is wrong with hoping he might? I would still prefer to see him on punts returns, I hate the injury risk of putting Cotch out there... Woodhead is expendable, and he's fast enough. He's pretty wreckless too, a good thing for a return man. Jets fans are a strange bunch.
