TJ needs to come back. First of all, he's still under contract, so this isn't a contract-extension type of deal. Second of all, Jones is durable. What happened against the Colts was tough to watch but Jones was clearly gassed. This is what happens when you run the ball more than every other team in the league. If we had our stable of backs, who knows where we could've been this year. Add to the fact that we plan on having a more balanced attack (I'm not buying that 100%) next year and maybe Jones holds up longer into the season. But Jones is a workhorse. 1400+yds and 14TDs last year hardly tells me he's done.
I like bringing back TJ. Greene might never be able to carry a full load so if we can have TJ getting 5-10 carries next year it'll help out. Greene: 15-20 Leon: 10-15 TJ: 5-10
I'm definitely worried about a backfield of just Greene and Washington, because both are real injury risks at this point. The Jets need to have a backup RB who can shoulder the load of taking 250+ carries if Greene or Washington goes down next year.
The Jets could spend a draft pick on a runningback, which is hard to imagine given the number of picks they spent to get Greene, although I suppose if they had a late rounder they really liked that could be an option. They could sign a cheap free agent and hope to get lucky. They could keep Jones. They really don't have great options here. If it's a capped year then their options increase a bit because they can dip into the FA pool like everybody else, although I think the possibility of a capped year is low at this point. Their best option might well be to keep Jones and give Greene the job. Then if Greene goes down at least they have Jones as fresh as he can be to step in and try to salvage things. If Jones doesn't get any significant number of carries until next December he'll have had 11 months to recover some from the beating of the last 5 years.
Wait. All of a sudden TJ is injury-prone? Chances are, because of his running style, Greene doesn't stay healthy for a full season if he becomes our feature back. The punishment his body takes will not make him last very long in the NFL. I love the kid and how he bulldozes over people, but we need to be realistic here. I'm sure had Washington remained healthy this year, Jones wouldn't of had that big a work-load and would've remained a bit more durable.
Jones back as depth/short yardage guy in an uncapped year makes a ton of sense. Jones back as a starter does not. He is a warrior. He was never a fast back, but a very good, durable, one cut runner who didn;t drop the ball very often. Sadly, 32 is a death sentance for most NFL running backs and it looks more and more like Jones is at that point. He can no longer take 20 carries a game for a full season and playoff run.
of course he is. he may not have been injured recently, but a running back up their in age is injury prone i.e. CMart
I think we are witnessing the death of that trait. He will be hurt next season, sooner and more severe than he was at the end of this one. Look at his carries over the last five years, not a season under 290. He was second in the league this year with 332, losing to Chris Johnson and his ridiculous 358 carries. The guy has been pounded into the turf too many times and it's beginning to show. Be wary of that late season production. Curtis Martin had the best year of his career before completely falling off thanks to a hit by Zach Thomas. The older he gets, the more susceptible he is going to be to injury, especially when he is trying to recover from such a heavy season as this. We need to look for another halfback, especially with Leon coming off such a major injury. Jones, in my mind, constitutes a major question mark right now as far as his ability to stay healthy. He's 32 years old and the wheels are starting to fall off. He had a slow start to the season, and was completely gassed by the end. Let's not forget that Leon Washington will be 28 by the start of next season. We need more youth here. If we do wind up keeping Jones, it should be at a much decreased work load.
TJ has been durable since his Bears days. He learned how to 'die another day' as a running back.. As opposed to staying up and trying to fight, he takes what he is given and saves his energy for a play where a hole actually opens up. People love runners who make something out of nothing, and I do not blame them. But, that style of running is not conducive to a healthy season or ball security.. Just look at AP and Ronnie Brown, these guys fight hard on every run play; And consequently get gang-tackled with 2 guys having their hands on the ball and lose it.
What the F are you talking about? Coherent sentences please. Jones is anything BUT injury prone. Few RB's can carry the load Jones did this year without getting hurt, regardless of age. Jones-Drew, Stewart, D Williams, R White, C Williams, M Barber, there is a long list of RB's who got hurt this year. Jones has been as durable as they come. Now, if you want to say his legs got tired, that I can agree with, and that is likely age related. He needs to be kept around 200 carries next year. Greene, hopefully, who IS injury prone, can take a lot of the load off of Jones.
I agree. I mean, look at guys like Shaun Alexander as well. The thing with TJ is, once you get rid of him, you're throwing durability and leadership out the window. If the FA doesn't work out (think Cedric Houston & Kevan Barlow), you have to put Greene in a feature back role and the way he runs doesn't guarantee that he will finish with a full season under his belt. Then, we're left to turn to LW, which is another question mark and ANOTHER RB that we aren't sure can handle a full workload. I think bringing TJ back for his last year wouldn't be as bad as people make it out to be. He will start slow (cause he always does) and get his yards as the season goes. Leon will test that leg and spell TJ all the while leaving Greene out until necessary for late in the game or the season.
No one should be saying that Jones is injury prone. Jones has not suffered from any major or consistent injuries in his recent career, therefore he is not injury prone. However, his knee problem this season, his clearly diminishing speed, his 332 carry season(290+ in the past 5 years), and his age are going to make for a difficult recover which would likely see him either injured next season or ineffective if the Jets treat him as a starter. Given his age, knee problem and, Leon's broken leg, I would not be surprise nor angry if the Jets decided to part ways with Jones in order to pick up a younger back.
Right now, I don't think any of the running backs on the roster should be receiving a clear majority of the carries. I'd would much rather see them being split up like the Ravens did with Rice, McClain, and McGahee in 2008 at close to an even 1/3 apiece. I'd probably put Greene in early but mix Leon and Jones in heavily. Greene's running style is ideal for beating up defense and still getting big runs which would give Jones a better chance against worn down opponents in the fourth quarter and goal line sets. Obviously, if the Jets drop TJ then they are going to be in the market for a halfback with durability at it's height. I'm not too worried about losing any leadership roles on offense. Sanchez looks like he can take command of the team and the rest of the offense has a few players with great leadership ability (Faneca, Cotchery, T-Rich(if he gets resigned). Overall, I'm hoping the Jets go with fewer runs and let Sanchez throw the ball a little more with a year of experience and a whole off season to work with Braylon Edwards. The more Sanchez can do through the air, the less stress it would be for Greene, Leon, and Jones.
TJ was injured. I like Thomas Jones though he's not quite as explosive as the other two. The way I see it is you use TJ for the bulk of the running for the first half of the season and SG for the second half with fresh legs. Leon does kick returns, sweeps and tosses, and wildcat stuff. Oh and of course he lines up in the slot as a receiver. I think this is a winning combination where all three backs can be really useful. Not to mention if one of them gets hurt we have an appropriate backup. I say we keep all three.
I can agree with this. This will relieve a lot of pressure on all ends. On a side note, what was your last screen name?
The problem with this game plan is that it relies on all three RBs staying healthy all season and I can see at least one of the first two being taken out of a game with either a rib or knee injury. They should just split them evenly and keep their carries down as much as possible. The high number of carries this season was to help a rookie QB learn how to play in the NFL. Sanchez has his experience, it's time to throw more, especially in a WC system.
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