How many teams run an every down back out there? Who IS an every down back? Michael Turner? Nearly $6 million per season without proving anything. Marion Barber? $6+ million. Frank Gore? $7 million. Adrian Peterson? Still on his rookie contract. $4 million per season isn't every down back pay. It's what you pay a back who is the most explosive part of your offense AND your ST, and who could very well be the centerpiece of the RBBC approach that most teams in the league currently employ. If you can't see that, I'm going to agree with KOZ and say you weren't watching very closely.
No question. Hes an explosive player who doesn't piss and moan.Those are few and far between. I'm not saying hand him a blank check, but if we pay him a few extra $$ bucks, your not gonna hear me complain.
He doesn't have to be an every-down back. He is a five-tool player. Runs in between and outside the tackles, catches passes out the backfield, returns kicks and punts, and could even line up at WR in some packages. He does ALL those things effectively.... I agree he isn't an every down back but he's a championship calibre player. He has the skill to take any play all the way. Open your eyes bro.
Ignatius j reilly, don't much care who you agree with. jake, i'm not your bro. AND I AGREE with most of what you'll say. but 4 MILLION $ a year for a player who averages 12.5 touches a game. including kick offs and punt returns, (please), what ever happened to earning your money.????? He is 1 of the best skill player we have on the offensive side of the ball, and if we could lock him up for 5 to 6 years at 2 to 3 mil a year, increase his touches to 17 or 18 ( on par with barber and gore), i would do back flips. but please don't compare him to turner, 24 touches a game peterson 23.8 touches. IMO he will never be that kind of RB, nor should he be. :finssuck::bills_suck:
Wow. Ok, let's try this again. You said that he'd never be a feature back, and is thus undeserving of $4 million per year. I pointed out that feature backs are few and far between, not to mention unnecessary for most teams' offenses today. Feature backs, with their command upwards of $6 million, as I also said, not $4 million like you seem to think. Oh, and Barber and Gore each averaged over 20 touches per game before their injuries. I never compared Michael Turner to Leon. In fact, I stated that Turner, Peterson, Barber, and Gore were feature backs. They get paid a much higher rate because of that. Leon was misused by the previous coaching staff, and this staff plans to get him more involved with the offense. He may even be our primary back this season (again, different from a feature back) if TJ doesn't get his act together. You're right, he's not a feature back. He's not asking to be paid like one. BTW, the true measure isn't how many carries you receive, but what you do with them: Marion Barber scored 9 TDs last season on 290 touches on offense. Frank Gore scored 8 TDs last season on 283 touches on offense. Leon scored 8 TDs on 123 touches on offense. You're right, I'm totally overstating his value. He's clearly not as valuable as backs like Derrick Ward, Warrick Dunn, etc. Hell, Ryan Grant makes $5 million a year, and Leon is absolutely not worth more than half of that. Seriously?
You're nuts. Now I wouldn't give him a shitload of money, but I hope we pay Leon good. He's too valuable to lose in my opinion.
Talented NFL FAs are a lot like any other precious quantity in a capitalist environment. They are worth whatever someone is willing to pay. Like Jake pointed out, LJ does a lot more then take handoffs. He could shop the market and find he is worth as much as an "every down back" to teams who put a high emphasis on special teams. Good returners are quantities that all teams want. Not just for the added possiblity of special teams scores but also for field position. How many other guys in this league can take a handoff for a 60 yard TD and a kick for a 60 yard TD?
scoring 8 td on 123 touches is alot easier when you start from inside the ten. and how do you know this staff is going to use him more.??? and if Green bay and tampa want to overpay for there backs, does that mean we should to.??? look i know he is going to get the money, all i'm saying is 4 mil + a year for a part time back is to much.
Leon's TDs came from: 11, 18, 60, 7 (rec), 61, 4, 47, and 10 yards. So, that's ONE carry and ONE reception for TDs from inside the 10. It's a good thing he started inside the ten every time. All 3 of his TDs over 20 yards were rushing. Are you sure you watch the Jets? Oh, for comparison's sake, Barber had scoring plays of 1, 1, 17, 1, 2, 70 (rec), 1, and 2 yards. Boy, it's a good thing the team created all of those opportunities for Leon. It's too bad he's not more explosive. Personally, I'll take the guy who averages 5 YPC and can score from anywhere on the field and pair him with a short yardage back like most teams in the NFL, especially when he's going to cost me less. Rex Ryan has stated that he wants to use Leon more at tailback. It's one reason why Leon will no longer be returning punts. You'll see him up his touches to 15 per game, or about 2 fewer times than Brandon Jacobs averaged when he was healthy last season. It's too bad the Giants are so unsuccessful without using him as an every down back. Green Bay and Tampa haven't overpaid for their backs. You just don't understand the current economics of the NFL and player salaries. Take it up with the NFL as a whole. The league disagrees. Leon's not a backup. He's part of a backfield that is increasingly RBBC, and he's a stud on ST. $4 million is about average for his role on this team, but he clearly hasn't demonstrated that he deserves that kind of money, right? Would you care to continue this discussion?
the guy is a "threat" every time he touches the ball..in any capacity...since DAY 1. He's certainly worth 4 mil+ a year. Anybody who says otherwise...hasn't watched a Jets game in the last 3 years....or has suffered a lobotomy.
NO I'M DONE your point was and is very well made i stand corrected on my comment about inside the ten. I guess i will have to watch a little closer this year, being i was so impressed with his work last year.
Seems like a lot of money. http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2009/04/new_york_jets_rb_leon_washingt.html#more
Leon Washington is not even close to being as good as Maurice Jones-Drew. Washington's value is as a kick returner and as a third down back. Jones-Drew is an every down back.
Alabama?s Smith files paperwork to fire agent this guy represents LW.... I don't like this dude. Bad vibes about him from the start and now this.
