To me, it has to be getting close to put up or shut up time for Greene. He doesn't look fast, and he doesn't make anybody miss. This is the 2nd straight year we've tried to hand him the job. Last year, LT outplayed him, this year, he hasn't been impressive. The offensive line has completely sabotaged him this season, no doubt about that, but at the same time, he's still producing next to nothing, and this was true vs Dallas and Jacksonville while Mangold was playing as well. Greene's track record of success is a few weeks at the end of 2009, a year where whoever the Jets plugged in at RB had a ton of success. The next three weeks will be huge for him. The bye is in week 8, and if we haven't made strides in the running game, it could be time to give our backups a chance to see if they can get something done, and the bye week would be the best time to make changes like that. We drafted a runningback this year in the 4th round both this year and last year. We still have LaDainian Tomlinson. At some point, I wouldn't mind seeing what McKnight or Powell could do and see if their skillsets are better suited for making plays for us. The offensive line is the biggest issue. I don't think anyone can disagree with that. But eventually, handing the ball to Greene and getting 3 yards a carry turns into banging your head against the wall. Even the few times he's had a hole, he's not really making things happen. Maybe McKnight or Powell could. You never know til you try. I still like the idea of using Greene in the 4th quarter when we're winning against tired defenses, but unless he plays significantly better, I wouldn't mind throwing McKnight or Powell out there for some carries to see if one or both of them can. New England averages 4.8 ypc, and now Jerod Mayo is out. Plus, with their well-documented secondary issues, they probably can't stack the box as much as they would like, or Sanchez, Holmes, Keller, and Plax could burn them outside. Miami has a slightly better run defense, but they still allow 4.1 ypc and 107 ypg against them on the ground. San Diego has similar numbers. Like I said, I get that running the ball is hard when you don't have holes to run through. The offensive line is the biggest issue right now, not runningback But Greene has never been that explosive a runningback, except when our line was fantastic in 2009, and even then, it was just a few games. If the line doesn't improve, there's a good chance McKnight or Powell won't get it done either. But there's also a chance there is. If it doesn't work, you can always just go back to using Greene more. Hopefully, Greene steps up along with the offensive line, and becomes the answer. But we have far less invested in him than we do in Sanchez, and runningback is one of the few positions we've drafted guys as depth. If Greene continues to not get it done, give one of the young guys a chance.
I've been vocal about going with McKnight immediately. Greene is just like Thomas Jones. Sure, they'll get you 3-4 yards per carry, practically every carry. As soon as there is contact though, they go down. That's nice for a guy in a tandem when you need a few yards, but not your #1. John Connor has the single longest rush on the team this year. That's pretty sad.
I've defended Greene a lot but I think McKnight should definitely be seeing some carries at this point. Pure speed might be the only way to deal with the sheer amount of defenders our line lets through.
Yeah, I was hoping Greene would turn the corner by now....and he still might (the season is young). But we need to inject some life in the run game. McKnight has earned his shot. Give him some carries.
If he still sucks after Mangold comes back, I hear you. But until then I just can't judge a player that seems to have defenders in his face as soon as he takes the handoff. The same thing is happening to Rashard Mendenhall in Pittsburgh. He doesn't suck and neither does Greene. The offensive line completely dictates whether or not the running back can make a play. Some might disagree but when you have three guys in the backfield as soon as the ball is snapped, the running back is not going anywhere.
That's not necessarily true. Steven Jackson had some pretty good days with a shitty oline blocking for him. I'm not saying you're wrong...just saying it's not that cut & dried. Adjustments can be made.
The offensive line has been the biggest issue, no doubt about that. But Greene hasn't been particularly impressive for a long time now. This OL is hurting him a lot, but either way, as Badger said, we might need to get the ball to someone faster. Plus, we draft these guys for a reason, I want to see what they can do. Except Ducasse.
How many times is it gonna have to be pointed out that Shonn Greene has nowhere to fucking run when he gets the ball? The OL has been the problem these first four games.
That's why I mentioned about 100 times in my original thread that the OL is the biggest issue. Clearly, it is. But it wasn't last year, and Greene still didn't really get it done. Even the few times Greene does have holes to run through, he's not really making plays. He just hasn't earned the #1 runningback role enough to be above reproach. We tried to hand it to him last year, he couldn't handle it. We're doing it this year, same results. And he had 26 carries for 75 yards in the first 2 games, mostly with Mangold playing. That's not getting it done. I would like to see McKnight start getting a few touches on offense. Just because the OL is sucking doesn't mean we can't try new things to jump-start the offense. And I'm not saying to take his job now. But he should be on the hot seat.
This thread isn't about bashing Greene - the point is that Greene's running style won't work with a bad OL and maybe McKnight or Powell (doubtful because he's similar to Greene) can turn chicken shit into chicken salad.
Don't blame Greene for struggling. I'm sure that majority of the fanbase is aware the O-Line is biggest issue and hurting passing/running game. At the same time, when you're struggling at something why not change it? Even if you don't change permanently, try it temporarily. I'm not saying to throw away Greene but these other RB that have been drafted, let them get a shot. McKnight seems to have more burst, how about trying to run him off the edge or pitching to him & have him run (somewhere that's not up the middle). Just 3-6 carries a game & see where it goes.
We used a platoon last year. LT started carrying the load and Greene finished. I thought the run game was good last year and their (Greene & LT) combining for 1700 yards appears to back up my view. I don't think anything any of our RBs have done so far this year can be used as a performance barometer. The line has been that bad... Only Barry Sanders could've gained yardage @Baltimore last week.
great post.... good comparison with Mendenhall, because that really is the same thing that is happening
Schotty is a lot to blame here. Firstly the runs are so predictable that even casual Jet fans can predict the play-call and side it is going to. If I as a football fan can predict this, surely NFL players and coaches can as well. Secondly, If your line is blocking poorly, running to the outside is a better bet then up the middle because it allows the back to at least attempt to make a move. http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/splits/_/id/12500/shonn-greene Although he only has 6 carries on the outside he has 41 yards on those runs. It is not really fair to expect him to make a play up the middle when no hole exists. Give it to him on the outside and he at least has the possibility to make a play.
Ddue, dude, dude......Greene isnt even as good as the 35 year old T Jones. If you consider JOnes as a younger back, the two dont even belong in the same sentence! Youre talkin bout a guy who won a rushing title versus a guy who has done absolutely zero in the NFL. Zero.
Why has he earned his shot? Because he's made some fantastic ST plays? I'm sure the coaches would go to LT or McKnight if they didn't have faith in Greene. I agree with Mack. Next 3 weeks against mediocre run defenses. Even with our decimated line Greene should be able to have some kind of impact. I believe the CS is thinking about a short leash as well, just given the tone of Rex's Presser yesterday. Rex wants to run the ball, and he'll see who can give it to him. I don't see how anyone (save for maybe LT) has earned their shot to be the starter. Let's see how Greene does with Mangold in against some porous defenses, with Rex's demand of Ground and Pound being the focus of the offense.
