If there was one running back in the NFL, former or current to compare Greene too, who would you guys say? Jamal Lewis? The only thing that scares me is that the NFL-Life of running backs these days are getting shorter and shorter. Hopefully L.T. and McKnight step up and can get some productive carries while Greene gets some rest. With Greene's running style and the life of running backs these days I can't seem him being a very productive Jet for many years like we are used to.
Man, funny you should say that; because all I ever think of when I see Shonn Greene running is a mini-Earl Campbell. Honest to God.
Now that you mention it, he does run ALOT like Big Earl used to do. If he were a lil bit faster, I'd throw Eric Dickerson in there too. I hope Shonn doesn't come to a similar end as hits are cumulative..
The Question (and big key to your offense) is whether we see the Regular Season Shonn Greene or the Post Season one. Obviously he got more of the load in Cincy and San Diego than in the Regular Season, but he also ran much better. Maybe I'm just pulling this out of my ass as I did not watch them as much as you guys obviously were able to, however I didn't see the confidence or explosiveness in Greene in the Regular Season. People want to blame the O-line, Sproles taking carries away from him, the injury, etc. But LT is worn out. I've watching him play a few times the last couple of seasons, (including twice against Miami), and he just does not have it. It's sad to see as he's one of my favorite non-Dolphins of all time, (or at least used to be before this off season ;p). He looks slow, not nearly as powerful through the hole...his once menacing stiff arm is non-existent. Also, in the open field he looks lost. Part of the reason I think some of you will be disappointed and surprised by his lack of production on 3rd down. To me, Greene needs to be a beast this year in order for the Jets to have any success offensively. Jones and Washington are big losses, and to me LT and McKnight significant down grades from those 2.
I never saw Earl Campbell play but I find it hard to believe Greene is mini anything when it comes to RB's.
Greene averaged 5 YPC during the regular season but only had 108 carries. The only question mark with him is whether he can stay healthy. He is obviously a more effective RB than Thomas Jones if you've watched them both play.
I'm surprised there is so much hate on here for Jones. He lead the AFC in rushing over the course of the last 3 seasons. That has to count for something. Also remember that Green was brought in as a change of pace for Jones and really made it easier for him, IMO. Before Ronnie Brown went down, Ricky was averaging 5.3 ypc. He ended the season averaging 4.7. My point is just that I think you guys will really have to rely on Greene this season. LT is not what he once was, and if he is forced to carry the ball more than 10 or 11 times per game, you guys are in trouble.
I don't hate TJ, I was one of the people who always supported him when people shit on him. He was never a flashy back, but he is extremely reliable and consistently gets the yards over time. That said, Greene took the starting job from him last season and was more effective when he got more carries as you already pointed out. I agree that if we need to rely on LT for a lot of carries it's not a good thing. He needs to be a 3rd down/change of pace/goal line back (yes goal line). And so Greene needs to stay healthy and that's really my only concern with him replacing TJ.
I don't know why I can't use the quote feature. But in any case I meant hating on him, more than having hate for him if that makes any sense. I am with you. Very consistent, has the ability to come up with the big run but seemed to always fall forward. I don't know if he "won" the starting job from Jones as much as it was the fact that you had a 30+ year old RB who had taken the load all season, and a fresh young rookie who had the perfect running style for playoff football. Just makes sense to bring in the young legs. Shonn does run hard, but if Adrian Peterson can stay healthy, I think Greene should be fine.
The injury concerns stem from him missing time last season. He was banged up all training camp/pre season, then early in the season, then he went out again in the AFCC game effectively killing our rushing attack when we needed it most.
he won the starting job from Jones. It was obvious to all of us well before the playoffs that Greene was the number one back on the team. The best part about TJ was that he was always suited up on game day. For much of last season he simply compiled stats by taking just as much as the offensive line would give him on any particular play. There is certainly something to be said for what he did for us but what he did is not as irreplaceable as his stats would indicate. From the moment Greene started getting carries it was obvious that he was hitting the holes much quicker and much harder than TJ was. He did display a bit of a fumbling problem early on but based on his play in college and his play down the stretch and in the playoffs I would say that was just a small blip on the radar for him. As WSW has already pointed out, the only concern about Greene stepping into TJ's role is durability.
I'm positive T Jones' gaudy numbers were a reflection of the superior OL play. The guy never breaks tackles or makes defenders miss, he's a cut-back runner with good vision to find the hole (which was pretty much always there with our OL). Greene looked much more physical and even faster too (both during the reg season and offs). I think the only thing that can hold back Shonn Greene from a 1200 yard season is injuries. If he goes down, I agree with the Fin fan we could be in trouble.
Wow, that's a bold statement. The only reason I hope that's not true is that might mean Sanchez isn't playing like we'd like.
Greene didn't get a lot of carries due to injury in the early part of the season and also due to the presence of Leon Washington. When Leon went down against the Raiders, Greene came in and rushed for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns on 19 carries. The following 9 games, Greene averaged less than 10 carries a game (82 carries) although when he was given the opportunity he gained around 4.5 YPC. That isn't monumental, but it's not bad considering that he was never given the chance during the remainder of the season with the exceptions of Cincy and Indy at the end of the season to get a rhythm. Not sure how you can judge a player by that few carries, though. You're correct that they saved Greene's legs for the post-season. They knew TJ wasn't going to have what it took to run in the playoffs so they gassed him in the regular season and then set him on the shelf and put the rookie in. But it was obvious to me and too a number of people during the regular season that Shonn Greene was the superior runningback for the Jets during the 2009 season. It was also frustrating to watch Jones run his trademark 2 and dones while we had a tougher and more dynamic runner standing on the sideline. We didn't know Schotty's plan to save Greene's legs, but in retrospect it was pretty sly. A healthy Shonn Greene is an easy upgrade over Thomas Jones. The 'healthy' part of the equation is what concerns me.
