Posts Tagged ‘Shonn Greene’

One off-season move can have a domino effect on the rest. As it stood prior to the trade with San Diego, Jets general manager, Mike Tannenbaum, had his sights set on selecting a cornerback with the 29th overall pick in the draft. By acquiring Antonio Cromartie, the Jets will be able to use their first round pick on a different position. 

Now that Thomas Jones has signed a two-year deal with the Chiefs and won’t be returning to New York, my question is where do the Jets get a running back from? If Leon Washington ends up remaining on the Jets, they should be content with going into the season with Shonn Greene as their premiere back and Washington as a change of pace and third-down back. I ‘d be elated if this happened for the reason that they wouldn’t have to acquire a new running back; one less need. If Washington signs with another team, then what? With Shonn Greene the lone running back left on the roster of their former three-headed rushing attack, would it make sense for the Jets to use a draft pick on a running back and have a rookie and second-year back making up their backfield? Do they instead sign a veteran back to split time with Greene? In this case, who is that veteran? 

The Jets could benefit from adding depth at some positions but before they add depth, they need to take care of some positions that could use a makeover at the top of the depth chart like an outside linebacker across from Calvin Pace, defensive end, running back (depending on Leon), safety and third receiver. 

Getting an outside linebacker is currently the Jets most critical need. For the people who question Cromartie’s skills, putting pressure on the quarterback will make Cromartie better. 

For now, Jets fans, we’ll have to sit patiently and wait for the next move and see how it effects other potential moves.

A league source has told Pro Football Talk that the Jets plan to cut running back Thomas Jones on Friday, then try to re-sign him. 

If the Jets had decided not to cut Jones, they would have owed him a near $3 million roster bonus.

With the possibility of Leon Washington being signed to an offer sheet, the absence of Jones and Washington would leave the Jets with one running back, second-year man Shonn Greene, out of the NFL’s best rushing unit in 2009. 

It’s uncertain if a team will take a chance on Washington and send a second-round pick the Jets’ way, but the Jets will still need another running back, preferably a veteran, to help carry the load with Greene. 

The release of Jones caused a stir in Jet land, but it was a financial move. Re-signing Jones would allow the Jets to fill other needs this off-season without worrying about getting another running back. It also allows them to wave goodbye to Washington (if a team really wants him) and happily accept a second-round pick for him in order to fill other concerns through the draft or even sign a tendered player from another team. 

I’m interested in seeing if Thomas Jones personally wants to come back to the Jets. Once he’s released, the ball’s in his court. The Browns and former Jets coach, Eric Mangini, are rumored to be interested in Jones. If the Jets released Jones in order to sign him for less money, and Jones decides to bolt to another team, the Jets may have created a hole in their roster that could have been avoided by just putting up the cash.

The Jets have placed a second round tender on fan favorite running back and kick returner Leon Washington. The explosive back missed the second half of the 2009 season due to a broken leg. 

Washington’s agent, Alvin Keels, said, “I expect there to be a market for Leon during free agency and would say his return to the Jets will be 50/50 at best at this point.” Keels added, “He is ahead of schedule while rehabbing from his week 7 injury. He will be 100% healthy and ready for camp either in NY or elsewhere.”

As steep as a second rounder sounds, I expect there will be a team that makes an offer for Leon. He is an explosive back that can score any time he touches the ball. He can help a team that is on the edge of being a Super Bowl contender. He is valuable on special teams and on third-downs. 

If the Jets decided not to match an offer made by another team for Leon, getting a compensatory second round pick would help them out. What makes me feel better about this situation is that the Jets went on a deep playoff run in 2009 without Leon. What’s startling is that if they lose Leon, they’ll have just one running back remaining on the team out of their big three running backs that they had last season. That means Shonn Greene is the one remaining running back and the Jets would desperately need to get another difference maker to support the second-year back.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Jets try to bring Jones back on a cheaper deal, but don’t count on it. 

The Jets have created a hole for themselves and the hole may widen if they let Leon walk. A second round pick is tempting, however, and I wouldn’t put it past the Jets. The Jets must think extremely high of Shonn Greene. 

It’s going to be a very interesting off-season for the Jets when you take into account the rules of an uncapped year and the holes they need to fill. The draft is going to be critical for the Jets and receiving a second round pick for Washington may be worth it for the Jets.

The Jets also placed a second round tender on Brad Smith.

In the last two days two star running backs have been cut from the teams they have spent their entire careers with. The Chargers released LaDainian Tomlinson yesterday and the Eagles released Brian Westbrook today. Both players are going to turn 31 years old in 2010.

A number of teams are being tossed around as possible suitors for the running backs, but the Jets should stay away. Westbrook dealt with concussions in 2009 and health will be a concern for him in 2010. Tomlinson posted career lows in rushing yards and cards per carry in 2009. At best, his production will remain similar in 2010 as it was in 2009 (730 yards, 3.3 yards per carry, 12 TDs). 

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The Jets finished the 2009 regular season ranked number one in total defense, passing defense, points allowed and rushing offense. It didn’t translate into an 11 or 12 win season because parts of the Jets went AWOL in particular games. Their special teams took a day off in one loss to Miami and their defense was nowhere to be found in the other. Mark Sanchez threw five balls to Bills players in an overtime loss and the Jets held the Falcons to just a field goal until under two minutes left in the game and lost 10-7. The Jets lost five games by five points or less. 

A top rated defense and a top rated running game is a formula for success in the NFL. In the past, teams that have led the NFL in those two categories usually have had postseason success. The Jets were no different until they ran into Peyton Manning and the Colts Sunday in the AFC Championship. Amid all the disappointing regular season losses, the Jets still made a nice run in 2009, but it ended two wins short. What they did in the latter part of the regular season and playoffs is showing of a team that will be a contender for quite some time.

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The Jets’ improbable run is over. Their season ends one game shy of the Super Bowl, in the AFC Championship. Peyton Manning had his way with the Jets secondary and the Jets offense wasn’t able to score any points in the second half. The Colts beat the Jets 30-17.

The game shifted momentum when Peyton led the Colts to a scoring drive with under two minutes to go in the first half. The Colts didn’t get into the end zone until that drive. Instead of going into halftime with a 17-6 lead, the Jets led by four, 17-13.

The Jets offense was doing well in the first half thanks to some well called and well run passing plays. They didn’t run the ball all that well, but they weren’t on the field often since Peyton was picking apart the Jets defense.

The Jets dealt with some injuries in the game. They lost cornerback Donald  Strickland and running back Shonn Greene to injuries. The loss of Strickland hurt the Jets secondary and caused some inexperienced players to get in the game.

Peyton picked apart the Jets secondary and picked on Dwight Lowery most of the time. The Jets covered Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark well, but let Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie rip them apart. After Revis, the Jets’ cornerbacks weren’t good enough to cover the Colts receivers. Revis didn’t have an unbelievable game either, which added to their defensive woes.

The Jets had a great run and should be proud of how far they came, but disappointed that it ended two wins short fa championship.

It takes an entire team effort to get where the Jets are, but credit Jet rookies and first year Jets for changing the culture of the organization.

It starts with first year head coach Rex Ryan, who was brought over from the Ravens. Ryan is one of the top defensive minds in the NFL. Ryan brought over linebacker Bart Scott, safety Jim Leonhard, defensive end Marques Douglas and a few coaches with him from Baltimore and those guys are a big reason why the Jets’ defense has been so successful in their first year under Rex Ryan’s scheme. Without Scott, Leonhard and Douglas, the Jets defense would have probably been lost. They are the coaches on the field that know the defense as well as Rex does because they’ve been in his system for so long. Those guys have helped the Jet defenders learn the scheme. 

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When the Jets and Chargers meet Sunday in the Divisional Round of the playoffs all eyes will be on the battle between the Chargers offense and the Jets defense. This is the classic strength vs. strength match-up. The Chargers were among the regular season leaders in most offensive categories and the Jets defense led the league in total defense, passing defense, and points allowed.

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Mark Sanchez’s smile and childlike demeanor running off the field after the game said it all. The Jets beat the Bengals 24-14 in the first round of the playoffs and the Jets rookie quarterback was impressive. Sanchez became the fourth rookie quarterback to win his first playoff start. 

Sanchez outplayed his fellow USC alumnus, Carson Palmer, and set a rookie record for completion percentage in a playoff game. Sanchez connected on 80% of his passes (12-15) for 182 yards and a touchdown.  

Another rookie, running back Shonn Greene, played a major role in the win. Greene ran for 135 yards on 21 carries and broke away for a 39-yard touchdown on a well drawn up play by Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Sanchez faked the run to the fullback up the middle and pitched it to the left to Greene which was wide open.

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