The guy people are not talking about is Chris Ivory who may not ask for much money wise but just wants a place that'd let him be a fulltime back. He did very good things as a Saint.
Im not sure how great of a fit in the WCO offense he'd be... But if we needed to resort to FA (which I would prefer not to), he would be a good option. Probably an upgrade over what we currently have.
Ivory's not a bad receiving back..its just NO had so many toys he wasn't necessary in the passing game. I think Ivory could be what Michael Turner became, maybe to a less extent to what Turner produced...good backup in SD but a very solid starter in ATL when given a chance.
Ivory is a restricted free agent so he's not going to come dirt cheap. The Saints probably won't pay him the more than $2 million they owe him next year so they'll be looking to trade him.
How exactly am I an apologist? I'm not saying Mcknight should be starting or anything. I just disagree with the your reasons as to why he doesn't get more playing time. Putting the ball on the ground and not pass protecting are the position's cardinal sins and he does both. And regarding the average, McKnight shouldn't have to "apologize" for breaking that long run. If Greene or Powell could pull off 60 yard runs every once in a while, maybe their averages would be better too. It's the nature of the position. You routinely pound it in there for 3, 4, 5 yards and you eventually break the occasional long run. You are entitled to your opinion but IMO if McKnight held on to the ball and pass protected, he would be playing regardless of his running style. Last note, there are many running backs past and present that are guilty of running too high. Though, it's not ideal it's not something that would keep a RB from getting playing time.
Stepfan Taylor is going to be our RB pick in the draft Idzik and co were all over him at the Senior Bowl
Most complete back I watched all year and at the senior bowl. Here's Rex, Woody and Bradway watching him this week. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...erformance-will-have-rb-climbing-draft-boards I saw him play at least 5 times and came away equally impressed every time. Hits the hole hard, makes the first defender miss, can truck people, powerfully built. I think he's the steal of the draft at RB. His stock is rising though so the Jets are probably going to need to take him in Rd 2.
Whoever we get, can we get a runningback who can contribute to the passing game? This is 2013, and we need to have a guy we trust catching passes when we're playing from behind.
I used to be really high on Stepfan Taylor a while back, but I cooled down on him as of late, and I really started liking Gio Bernard much more (damn you laxin). I wonder if Stepfan can make people miss at the next level. He can do it all though, protect run and catch. He's a great fit for the WCO though
Bernard can do all that as well and I think he is a better runner and the best back in the draft My rankings go Bernard, Lacy, Jamison, Taylor, Ball, Barner, Bell Lacy isn't the best receiver but he is an amazing blocker and a dominant runner but I would love to see Gio on this team for the rest of his career
If Giovani Bernard isn't there when Jets pick second round, what do you all think about: 2nd round pick = Zack Ertz 3rd round pick = whoever is left between Jawan Jamison & Stepfan Taylor Really liking Ertz but I'm aware RB is needing an upgrade pretty bad. After Giovani, I think the difference between Lacy/Jamison/Taylor is small enough for Jets to address their TE in round 2 & still get RB upgrade round 3. Or maybe it's too big an assumption that either Jamison or Taylor will be left on the board for Jets 3rd rounder?
I was thinking about this scenario in the 3 round mock... IMO though, Lacy is clearly better than Stepfan Taylor and even Jamison. I think him and Gio are 1A and 1B. Lacy, I think, is actually the better pure runner. He's also a lot more durable than Gio... I think both are early 2nd round picks in this draft while the other 2 are 3rd rounders.
No one has really brought up Christine Michael as a real running back prospect in the draft class most mocks have him going in the 3rd or 4th
Reflecting on your post & think you're right. It's just that I wanted to add starting TE so bad. TE + RB means we'll have two viable long-term options for our fancy, new West Coast Offense. Also, the more I'm watching the Stanford TE the more I like him.
His name was brought up a few times in the East/West Shrine thread. Jets have spoken to him more than once so he's grabbed the interest of some people within the organization also. Personally, I'm scared off by his injury history. If Jets took him, I'd be excited because I'll assume they checked him out physically and got medical advice to look beyond those college injuries.