Courtesy of our friend Mr Randy Lange. 12/21 ? Leon Washington may have missed out on his first Pro Bowl invitation earlier this week, but today he got an award that is very important in its own right. Washington has been named the Jets' Most Valuable Player. More precisely, Washington, the second-year RB-KR, has been presented with the Curtis Martin MVP Award as voted on by his teammates, named after Martin just last month. Head coach Eric Mangini made the announcement at today's news conference. "Leon's an excellent example of a young player who came in last year, had a rocky start, put the ball on the ground, ran a lot of laps, but kept working at it and continues to keep working at it," Mangini said. "I really like his approach. The way he plays is always bigger than his height and weight." Chad Pennington also garnered an honor, the Dennis Byrd Award for being the most inspirational player. In fact, it's the second year in a row the quarterback has won the award, named after Dennis Byrd, who was paralyzed on the field late in the 1992 season, and also voted on by the players. "When you look at Chad," the coach said, "you look at his professionalism, the way he carries himself, and also personally the things he does in the community and in the building, the things he does for the team." Laveranues Coles, who already was announced as the Jets' Ed Block Courage Award winner, got another plaque today, this one from the team's beat reporters for being the most cooperative and insightful player. John Beattie is planning to talk with Leon about his MVP award after today's practice and we should have a story for you later this afternoon. Mangini discussed the award winners and the ongoing preparations for Tennessee. The last question of the news conference, posed by my good friend Dennis Waszak of The Associated Press, was along the lines of, "This is a tough question but I've got to ask it: Has anything changed with your quarterback situation?" "It's exactly the same," Mangini said with a smile. "And I appreciate you asking." Kellen Clemens has been listed the past two days as being limited at practice with a rib injury. Today's injury report will be available and on newyorkjets.com shortly after 4 p.m. Both Pennington and Kellen Clemens are preparing for the Titans. Who'll start? Will both play? As new Dolphins executive vice president of football operations Bill Parcells would always say in response to similar questions, "Fellas, you're just going to have to come to the game."
You kow you're having a SAD season when your KR/ spell-RB is the team MVP... Not to say he hasn't done a fantastic job, because he has, but if a guy who touches the ball so rarely is the most valuable player, you know something's wrong...
^^somewhat agree. But it was voted on by the players, so it most likely means that he is the hardest worker and a likeable guy.
Because the Players vote, I think it really is about who works the hardest and who is just out there putting it on the line all the time. To me I wasn't surprised in the least that Leon got it. Coles, last season's winner has been hobbled by injuries, you cant give it to a QB neither has started most of the games. Name me a deserving defensive player? only three names come to mind, Revis, Harris, and Rhodes. If a rookie ever wins it I will be beyond shocked, leaving Rhodes who had a mediocre year until the last 5-6 weeks. Leaving the only guy who has been steady in his production throughout Leon.
If we used Leon more the way Philly uses Westbrook, he's have well over 1000 yards receiving. He's a serious weapon.
Congrats to Leon. He is this team's best playmaker and is getting better every week. The more he is involved in the offense, the better. He really deserves this, especially after being snubbed out of the popularity contest.
I agree, or at least in utilization. Running Thomas Jones between the tackles on virtually every down with this O-line is more than mundane and ineffective. There have been more than a few times this season that a well-placed shovel pass or a well-timed screen have made our running game scream what it is behind this O-line... a joke. I dig the hell out of Leon, he's the type of guy that can turn a game around with his speed and quickness.
when i thought about the team?s MVP, the player that came to my mind was Brick. Not that Leon doesn?t deserve it, but i thought about Brick first. He did a great job all year, shutting down some of the best Passrushers in the League. And when you think about who?s next to him, his year becomes even more impressive.
don?t you remember the first few weeks of the season, when we tryed a lot of that screen, swing and draw stuff. We just couldn?t fool anybody. Not that i wouldn?t agree, that leon could do a lot of damage with that stuff, but we just need a OC that knows, when and how to call it.
That was with Chad though , now we have a QB with an arm it frees up the option a little more. The o line whilst still shite are playing alot better than they did and occasionally have the odd good game , 2 games left to try it out.
If the Jets draft McFadden I'll be pissed. Here's why: 1. What good is a RB if there are no holes and no threat of a passing game? The OL needs to be addressed before the Jets spend millions on a RB. Thomas Jones was ordinary behind this line. What makes anyone think that McFadden will be better? The Jets don't have Minnesota's line - so don't throw me any Adrian Peterson comparisons. 2. If you examine past drafts, there are more early first round RB busts than at any position. You just can't predict success at the NFL level when these RBs have to run through smaller holes against faster defenses and have far less time to react. 3. NFL teams are moving away from dominant RBs to RB by committee. RBs are easy to find - look at how many good RBs there are in the NFL. There is no need to use a top 5 pick and tie up that much cap money in an unproven RB when RBs are so easy to find. 4. RBs have the shortest shelf life in the NFL. 5. The Jets have far more pressing needs - particulary on the OL and DL. Anyone watching the Jets this year with a semblance of knowledge should know that the Jets lose the battle in the trenches every week. Passing up the opportunity to take an impact lineman in favor of a skill player with the obvious weaknesses on this team would be a terrible decision. McFadden may be the "sexy" pick, but it will not bring the Jets any closer to a SB. The last teams to win a SB with a high first round RB having an impact was Baltimore in 00 (Lewis) and St. Louis in 99 (Faulk - acquired in a trade). The only recent teams to get to a SB with significant contributions from a first round RB are Seattle (Alexander) and Chicago (T. Jones, who was in his 7th year and then was traded). McFadden is not the right pick for this team.
