That doesn't say anything about the Jets not using Chauncey Washington. If Leon isn't on the Jets or someone gets injured, he's the next guy in line...only if the Jets don't draft a back.
No, I'm not kidding. Greene and LT enter the season getting the vast majority of the carries, but neither one made it through the whole season healthy last year. If --IF-- one of them gets injured, which is far from an impossible event, Leon gets heavy carries. That's what he's going to have to bank on if he tries to earn a new contract this year, and it's certainly worthy of a conditional, hence the if. IF you think you know for certain that Greene and LT will remain healthy all season and Leon's carries will DEFINITELY be limited for the full season, more power to you.
Leon is 3rd string until/unless some gets hurt. If he gets back to 100%, I agree with Rex that he should return (lol) to returning kicks next year and hopefully he'll also be able to regain 3rd down duties sometime this season.
Being a professional athlete, Voluntary should mean to every player mandatory. Over here if a footballer did that the fans would be on him and he would be pretty much pushed out the club. Need to put as much effort as you can into being the best you can be.
He's still trying to catch on with another team, why would he commit to this one? It's not like Florham Park has the only workout equipment in the state, either. He's probably working with a personal trainer and still rehabbing his leg which won't be ready for him to plant and run on for at least a week.
Last year everything wrong that could go wrong for Leon went wrong., an injury, the emergence of a rookie and the Jets going to the AFC champ game without him. Wow., thats a lot and now he doesn't participate in training. This spells "B-A-D" for a guy looking for a new contract.
TheJetsStream Rex Ryan comes down hard on Leon Washington, says he's making a mistake by rehabbing away from Jets trainers.
Yeah, I know. It's why I offered it as a quote with the source and nothing else, I'm reserving opinion until I see the context.
Here is his full article- "Rex Ryan disappointed that Leon Washington decided to skip NY Jets' voluntary workouts"
I hope he's missing for other reasons rather than just holding his breath because of his contract situation.
Keel's Response To Rex March 25, 2010 9:17 PM 4 Comments Leon's agent responds to Rex » By Rich Cimini It's turning into a bit of a ping-pong match, but Leon Washington's agent, Alvin Keels, responded today to Rex Ryan's recent comments. Keels' reply came in the form of an e-mail to the Daily News. Keels didn't rip the Jets, but he made his points. "Leon is a bit taken back about the reports of him taking a reduced role in 2010, especially since we are 4 months from the opening of camp," Keels wrote. "However, Leon is focused on rehab right now so that he can be the dynamic player in 2010 that he has always been. "How the Jets plan to use him is totally up to the coaching staff, he just wants to be totally prepared for whatever his role will be. Leon has always been a team player and that isn't going to stop now. Coaches tend to find a way to utilize a guy with his play making ability." Keels took issue with Ryan's contention that Washington is hurting his rehab by working out on his own and not under the supervision of the Jets' medical staff. "Leon is currently rehabbing in Florida at the Andrews Institute, one of the best facilities in the country. He would not be able to participate in team drills at this time, so basically he would be coming back to NY to rehab," Keels wrote. "He is a veteran and is familiar with the system so his time away shouldn't hurt much. Players choose to rehab away from the facility all of the time. Leon has simply gotten into a routine that has been working well for him. "The Jets have been in constant contact with both he and his therapist throughout the rehab process. Him not signing his tender has absolutely nothing to do with being unhappy about a contract, but more to do with the fact that rehab is going well and the deadline for RFA's to sign offer sheets in April 15th. His progression in recovering from this injury will play a large role in possible offers, so why not do as much as you can as far as rehab goes before making any decision on a contract?" And the beat goes on. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/#ixzz0jFM34V9p