This right here. The biggest reason why I grew to support this, despite Leon being my favorite player heading into the 2009 season and STILL Top 2 with Revis, is that we never got out of him what we all figured we should. I'm not saying that's his fault. I'm just saying that we never used him in a way that made him nearly as valuable as he could have been. We couldn't keep him on the promise that Schotty would wake up and make him a big part of the running game this season. With LT in the fold, that wasn't going to happen. By getting McKnight, we get someone who we can pair with Greene for years. Someone who is a better RB than Leon, but will likely be less explosive than Leon could have been for us. I'm guessing in a couple of years, we'll all look back on this as the right move for our team. Sooner if Leon doesn't come back healthy and productive.
See, this is what I mean. Late in the year Sanchez wasn't throwing picks, and Greene wasn't fumbling. That's the key. These players broke out under the big lights of January. The expectation is obviously that they will carry those performances forward. If they don't? Well, then we'd have still been screwed even with Leon or Faneca or Jones still here because we were going to put a heavier load on both Sanchez and Greene either way. This is fair. Leon was surely not used to the potential everyone believed he had. Is that Schotty's fault though? Or was it perhaps due to something the CS saw in practice? Who knows? We may never get an answer on that one. My opinion is that Leon is overrated. Not that he isn't talented or that he isn't electrifying. Just that maybe he isn't the huge weapon we had all once hoped he'd be. As a returner, he was huge. As a running back? Not nearly as much. I agree that we'll all eventually see this as having been the right move for the team.
I have bashed the hell out of Chad Pennington, but that guy got more out of Leon than Schotty ever could on designed plays - maybe it was Chad's ability to get the ball off to an intermediate man before he actually ever had to get out of trouble. He had great timing with Leon.
This reminded me of something, but it's certainly not directed at you. IMO, there were 5 possibilities for dealing with Leon: 1) Draft day trade; cut losses, acquire what we can, move on. 2) Keep. Leon doesn't fully heal, misses time this season, and no one wants to offer him much of a contract. He leaves anyway. We get nothing. 3) Keep. Leon is underutilized this season with two backs ahead of him on the depth chart. Leaves disgruntled, doesn't get much of a contract because of his lack of production the past 2 seasons. We get nothing. 4) Keep. Leon rises up to become a huge weapon ahead of Tomlinson. He signs a good contract with another team because we have other needs to address, we don't sign a FA of similar value, get a good compensatory pick. 5) Keep. Leon rises up again, but we find the money to keep him. We lose another member of our core because we gave the money to Leon. IMO, 1 - 3 are the realistic options, while 4 and 5 are rather far fetched. There are other players more valuable to us on this team, with contracts due next year, who DON'T have agents who make life a living hell and DON'T already want out. Out of those Top 3, what's the best option?
They are both encouraging, especially how they did at the end of the year and in the playoffs, I agree. It just seems like we're basing a lot of the future of our team on a handful of games. Sanchez I'm not too worried about long term, but I still don't think we should put it all on him to be an aerial show just yet. Greene to me is still unproven to a large extent. It's easier when nothing is expected of you and Jones can come in the next series or Leon can set you up on the 40 or break one off for a TD, now they don't have that, it's all on them. When Leon got the ball he did great things, it didn't matter how they got it to him, either. It's not his fault he had games witrh 1 carry for 43 yards and a TD, that was Shotty and that was inexcusable.
Isn't it ironic he will be behind Julius Jones on the depth chart? The comments I see here by some lead me to believe you think he will get a much bigger piece of the load in Seattle. Only time will tell but I don't think so and if anything he won't have near the support by those fans that he had here.
If leon proves himself to be ready for the season and ready to handle a decent load, Julius Jones will be cut. He sucks. They will go with Lendale White, Forsett, and Leon as their backfield committee.
No. He won't. Jones is already on the block, and will be cut if there are no takers. That's also not irony. It's amusing coincidence.
His brother Vince posted that it was #20. Unfortunately there are about 4 Kyle Wilson threads so I'm not sure which one it is. EDIT: Here's one of the posts
Neither the Jets website nor the NFL website have a number listed. I find it really difficult to believe that Wikipedia has the information first.
Hey now, Wikipedia is perhaps the best source of information in the history of mankind. It's not like there are any holes in its methods of acquisition.
I keep hearing that we traded Leon because we didn't need him anymore because we won two playoff games without him. If we didn't really need (or want) what he brought to the table I don't think we would have traded up for McKnight (a move I really like). This has all to do with the red flags surrounding Leon including the health of his leg, his age, and the fact that he turned down quite a generous offer (which I'm quite glad about right now) last offseason.
