I don't think he'll be inactive for half the season.. they're going to need him as a jack of all trades kind of player.
I think McKnight really has to develop an NFL RB body this year and will only be a major contributor in 2011. This year he's behind Greene and LT who, hopefully, will both stay healthy.
The way the depth chart is going to shake out either him or the terminator are not going to be active on sunday.IMO Conner as a special team player will get the nod over mcknight.
I like that the offense will be able to have some versitility. Not Manish mentions formations with both LT and McKnight. Run? Pass? Who is the defense keying on? Pick run and that just leaves Keller, Holmes, Edwards and Cotchery to run all over the field. This is going to be one well balanced attack this season and will be very hard to defend with all of the moving parts. My hope is Sanchez will be able to just take the keys and drive this offense.
Jets hope rookie RB Joe McKnight can be versatile piece of offense - Manish Mehta Jets hope rookie RB Joe McKnight can be versatile piece of offense By Manish Mehta The education of Joe McKnight begins in the least likely of places: Between the tackles. For all his explosive play-making ability in the open field, McKnight is hoping to master running in tight quarters typically reserved for much bigger backs. Here’s the Jets’ three- pronged blueprint for the fourth-round pick from USC: 1) Gain 10-15 pounds Running backs coach Anthony Lynn would like the 196-pound McKnight to eventually get to 210 pounds (and get stronger) without sacrificing his quickness or long-range speed. “He’s 6-feet tall, so he’s got the frame to put on more lean muscle,” Lynn told me. “I don’t think it would slow him down if he put it on the right way.” There’s no deadline for McKnight to gain the weight. Perhaps the biggest myth surrounding McKnight is his inability to run between the tackles. Sure, he’s not going to asked to consistently run inside, but he proved to be an effective inside zone runner in limited opportunities in college. “When he does run between the tackles, he’s so shifty,” Lynn said. “He doesn’t take direct hits, so that’s one thing that works to his advantage.” 2) Lower his Pad Level The coaches hope to break McKnight’s tendency to run upright, a style that rarely hurt him in the past “because he’s always been able to out-run everybody,” Lynn said. To that end, the coaches have worked with McKnight to look for more cut-back options rather than jump-cuts to the outside. “You can be a little guy, but if you run with good body lean and pad level, you can be effective between the tackles,” Lynn said. “A back that has the instincts that he has (can succeed) in there. Once we have him going through the tackles, he’ll be fine… A lot of small backs can run between the tackles because they don’t take direct hits.” 3) Directional Awareness McKnight’s greatest strength - his shiftiness - could be an anchor if he’s not careful. Lynn has preached the importance of not trying to get too cute. For example, Reggie Bush -- who McKnight was compared to in college -- has yet to master north-south running. It’s a trap Lynn hopes McKnight will avoid as a pro. McKnight, who averaged 6.4 yards per carry in three seasons at USC, has already logged plenty of hours watching film of what not to do, cautionary tales of running backs’ failures, to alter his mindset. The message was simple: Sometimes going for the home run is a bad thing. “He’s a big-play back,” Lynn said. “He’s always been able to create and make things happen. In this league, you’re going against great athletes and you sometimes have to put your foot in the ground and go north and south. Three-yard gains are sometimes really good in this league…. He’s receptive to it, but that’s something that he’s going to have to train to do.” Here’s the scary part of McKnight’s skill set: He could be a triple threat if he learns the nuances of the slot receiver position. “That’d be great, but I got a long way to go,” McKnight told me. “I’m just going to make progress as I go.” Although offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer told me that there’s no defined role for McKnight yet, he has big plans for the rookie, including playing in the slot. (McKnight had 66 receptions in 36 games in college). “LT has some of the same characteristics, but Joe’s role will be defined by Joe,” Schottenheimer said. From a schematic standpoint, the Jets would like to use McKnight all over the field. Schottenheimer admitted that there are certain packages that call for Tomlinson and McKnight to be on the field together. Translation: He’s going to give McKnight opportunities to thrive as a slot receiver. “He has the ability to play in there,” Schottenheimer said. “I wouldn’t say today -- right now - ‘Wow, this guy is a great slot player.’ But from the skill set that I see, I don’t see any reason why once he learns the system he couldn’t function in there.” For McKnight, the first order of business has been putting the memories of rookie mini-camp (when he threw up a couple times due to a lack of conditioning) behind him. “It was embarrassing,” McKnight said. “You don’t want anybody making excuses… I just felt like it was an excuse… This is a job now. You can’t have excuses. So I felt embarrassed and I just took it to heart.” So, he worked on his conditioning, bent on showing everyone the real Joe McKnight when he returned. “When I came back, (the veterans) were on me, making jokes,” McKnight said. “That’s all for the (best). I took it and I’m just trying to make things better now and trying to change everybody’s perception of me.” “I’m just trying to show everybody I’m tough,” he added. “We’re out here in New York. It’s a tough place to be in. So I got to show I’m tough too.” Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/2010/06/jets-hope-joe-mcknight-can-be.html#ixzz0qeQ3ToDf
Man is Manish an awesome beat writer. This article is a real stand up job by Manish, he is so much better than Cimini.
I was at a fashion event in midtown and met Shonn Greene (Hakeem Nicks was there too). Asked him about McKnight, his fitness and he backed him up completely (preparing for combine etc). Said all rookies run into that problem (himself as well). Also said Vladimir will likely start, looking good so far.
I really do love Manish. He makes Cimini look like a fat clown. What a guy this Manish is, real bang up job he did on this one.
In Cimini's defense... he has done a lot better lately. However I do agree that Manish is doing an excellent job Hope they both keep up the good work during this off-season...
I have enjoyed Cimini's stuff the last week or two. I was just going off what I assumed was Puck making fun of the guy who told everyone to get of MM's balls earlier in the thread.
LOL sometimes the joke is missed by people. It happens. BTW have you noticed how much better Manish is than Cimini? He is really turning into a great beat writer. I know I did.
i dont know if its been mentioned yet, but manish mehta is the king of the beat writers and i hereby give him permission to impregnate my future daughter.
