Why You Shouldn't Be Down on Joe McKnight
by John B on Apr 25, 2010 12:59 PM EDT
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PrintA lot of people were surprised by the selection of Joe McKnight. I was one of them. Initially I was a bit turned off by the pick, but it is growing on me. I started thinking of the reasons I didn't like the pick at first.
The most obvious is probably the Reggie Bush comparison. Bush has been a disappointment as a pro by almost any standard. He was the last really athletic running back to come out of USC. The two have been compared from the second McKnight set foot on USC's campus. We associate Bush with disappointment and underachieving.
Is it really fair to hold McKnight accountable for Bush's failures, though? The answer is no. They are two separate people. They may have gone to the same school. They may have similar attributes. They are not the same player, though. Because of their similarities, there is a tendency to think they will turn out the same, but think about it. Did Matt Leinart's failures as a pro mean Mark Sanchez would be a bust? Did how Curtis Ennis, Blair Thomas, or Ki-Jana Carter failed as pro running backs prevent fellow Penn State runner Larry Johnson from becoming a good pro? How about Jeff Tedford quarterbacks Kyle Boller, Joey Harrington, and Akili Smith? Should they have made teams pass on Aaron Rodgers?
McKnight should be judged on his own merits. Can he carry it 25 times per game? Maybe not, but that's not what the Jets need. It's not why they took him. They want a speedy outside runner who can receive out of the backfield. They want a homerun hitter dangerous in space to compliment Shonn Greene. McKnight can do all of these things. I think back to when he played in the Rose Bowl his freshman year, and he looked like he was playing two gears faster than Illinois defenders who didn't belong on the same field. I remember how he kept making clutch play after clutch play on the final drive last year at Ohio State facing the eventual Big Ten champion in one of the most difficult road venues in all of sports. He lifted a team with a true freshman quarterback on his back. I think of his almost super human agility. It's better than Bush's. He makes people miss like he was born with an innate ability to do so.
The Jets got a back capable of taking over a game with a few touches. They felt he was a better bet than a back coming off a catastrophic injury who team doctors weren't confident would be ready to start the season. McKnight was a fourth round pick. In hindsight, that may have been where a specialist like Bush should have gone. Had he, we may not have this subconscious fear McKnight will be a disappointment.
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I was a big proponent of us getting a big back. When we made the pick for “Not Your Average” Joe, I had a nice long, hard WTF moment. But after watching some tape and reading some scouting reports the pick is really starting to grow on me.
I don’t think Leon will return to form this season, if ever. We needed to replace him. I also liked that we jumped directly in front of the Pats to snag this guy, not by coincidence IMO. But most of all, I think the guy can play. Like JB said, his elusiveness jumps off the screen. That he already has a relationship and comfort level with Sanchez is gravy. He will be an excellent receiving option for years to come and will quickly make us forget all about Leon. Im excited to watch this guy play.
I think we all have our preference when it comes to style of player we want. Generally speaking, Crack, it seems to me like you’re the kind of guy who prefers the big guys who you can pound between the tackles. I personally like speed, a guy who can take it to the house whenever he touches the ball. At the end, both styles can be productive, and it seems like the Jets are building a nice mix.
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My wanting a big back had more to do with my doubts about Greene’s ability to stay healthy. No doubt I prefer having a big, nasty ground game, and I think that Greene provides that, but I think that players with that style will break down if we don’t limit their carries. I love having guys like Leon/McKnight as well. But I think that having a punishing run game really softens up a defense and opens up things a little more for the passing game. Plus it lets you grind out the clock and convert on short yardage plays.
Im hoping that we add another big guy after we’re through with LD. Plus I think that Greene is best suited for the role we had him in at the end of the year last year: the Will Breaker. He’s the big, nasty explosive guy that jumps all over you when you least want to deal with it; and if you hesitate for even a fraction of a second he will either punish you embarrassingly or run right by you to the house. I think he will be less effective in that role if he’s absorbing hits all game.
He needs to hold on to the football.
Hopefully he can correct his fumbling woes because defenders are far more tenacious in the NFL ripping, pulling and separating the ball from the ballcarrier. Just ask Shonn Greene, and he didnt have fumble issues in college.
Shit or get off the pot!
I think our RB's mirror the Cowboys
Marion Barber = Shonn Greene….The guy who will run the D over.
Felix Jones = Joe McKnight…Athletic guy who will break the D’s ankles.
METS
JETS
NETS / LAKERS
Down?
Who’s down? I love having McKnight as our number 3 back! I think this was the right move, unsure of what Leon can do. Plus, LT can mentor him for the 2 yrs he’s here.
I think a lot of people are down on McKnight mainly because he is Leon’s replacement, and Leon was a fan favorite. That’s the impression I’m getting anyway, it’s not always easy to embrace the player taking over from the player you admire the most. People will get over it though, and come to love McKnight.
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I agree. I think at first people might be down on him, but I think that won’t last long once he starts playing.
Leon
As much as I liked Leon, and the fact that he was a homerun hitter/awesome KR guy. He needed to go. He shattered his Tibia, I believe? Well I know someone who had the same injury, and he never walked right again. Granted, having Millions, and being on an NFL team will help with the Rehab process but still. I don’t think he will be the same, and I think he is at LEAST gonna have a slow start. Also, he was getting too big for his britches, mostly due to his agents, who the Jets despised. The franchise tag messed it up for us, if Sproles hadn’t gotten 6-7 mil. Leon probably wouldn’t have wanted as much. That being said, they needed to get something for him, and I’m VERY happy with the McKnight pick up, I think its gonna be good for Sanchez.
Still don't like it. At all.
He’s got injury issues which hampered him throughout college. I think that unless he bulks up considerably he’s going to be an injury risk even in a really limited role. Reggie Bush (who—by the way—is much better than Joe McKnight) is pretty much the same exact size and build and he getting hurt left and right, and I don’t remember him having injury issues coming out of college. McKnight when healthy can be Reggie Bush-esque, there’s no denying that, but can someone explain to me the point of replacing our injury-question-mark RB with a guy who hasn’t proven he can stay healthy?
I really really hope he turns out to be awesome and kicks ass and takes names, but until I see it happen I’m gonna remain skeptical as all hell.
I think there was no chance that Leon was going to be fully healthy at any point this year. People try to throw the broken bones heal stronger stuff, but I don’t buy it. Maybe thats the case with fractures, but Leon snapped his leg in half. This guy can come in and do what Leon does/did right away, and we had the added value of stealing him right from under the Pats’ noses. He will rarely run between the tackles, like he did at USC (so he’ll be less prone to injury), and will probably be mostly a receiving option out of the backfield. A receiving option that Sanchez has comfort in, and one that is explosive and deadly elusive. Its a can’t miss pick.
We're missing out on an important point.
Reggie Bush has been disappointing because he was Reggie Bush, the second overall pick in the draft. He’s basically been Leon Washington for the Saints, and never the every down back and multi-purpose threat that they expected him to be.
Reggie Bush, 3rd round draft pick, would be a perfectly acceptable contributor on any football team. If Joe McKnight has a similar career, he’ll have reached the exact value that we expected by selecting him at his pick.
Like it
I have to say i really like this pick. The guy can take it to the house anytime in the game when he touches it.
Oh an i hate to tell you this but leon wasnt worth the money he wanted especially coming off an injury like he had. towards the end he turned into a bit of and a** so yeh lets move on with someone who i think will turn out to be much better for us than leon was.
Inclined to agree with CB
I really dont know iF LD can carry the load because for Greene to be as effective as he was last year, he has to be Kobe esq., (the finisher). Let these guys carry the rock all game and then late third quater and forth, THEN let Greene become the primary option. I think this is the only way we emulate our sucsess from last year because all of us here know that Greene was only as effective as he was in the playoffs because he was on fresh legs i.e. his carries were down. Now after 16 games of wear and tear idk if he can go off like he did last year in the playoffs. Hope our coaching staff realizes this.
by Dirty Testeverde on Apr 25, 2010 3:46 PM EDT reply actions
Don't forget Chauncey
I like the pick up of Joe M cause even if Leon’s leg heal and ready to play, it might take awhile for his mental state to get back. After shattering a leg you can lose the edge if your mentality isn’t up to par, not the same player. Also don’t forget Chauncey Washington. He’s a big back though not spectacular was real steady for USC and was to go to guy to pound out the yardage. JM, CW, and MS all played together at USC.
Pretty sure Joe M was the top RB out of HS according to Rivals.com plus we added the terminator. I’m real pleased with our backfield.
I’m very happy with McKnight, he is growing on me. I definitely thought we needed a speed back in this draft to balance with Greene (I think LD will be great as a back up not concerned there at all). I especially thought this was a huge need if we were getting rid of Leon, which I hoped was the case (I don’t think he will ever be the same, and people are forgetting he’s 28 yo already). I was hoping for McCluster, or Best, but I certainly didn’t think we should go that route in the second unless we were getting a third or better for Leon. My only knock on McKnight is for a speed back, he’s not that fast on paper, now this was the same knock that Leon had coming out, and the game film looks promising.
and he has a great name lol but deos any one have a link of some of his video or something havent seen much of him
Good pick
He has excellent patience for a back that’s considered to be used on swing passes and outside runs, which is very important. He will wait and wait until that hole develops, and he isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder at all. He’ll lay a hit on a player waiting in space to see which way he’ll juke.
One thing I didn’t see was elite top-end speed, or very elusive moves once he was at top speed. But he can literally go from bouncing around in the backfield and making guys miss in a phone booth up to his top speed in about 3 steps, and that will give you separation at the pro level too.
And with a year with LT, he’ll be learning some good tricks, you can count on that.
We are gonna shock them with 5,000 mega watts of raw ROO POWER.
bush
reggie bush is a good pro, atleast 3rd down rb, receiver out of the backfield, and returning. if we could have shonn greene with reggie bush, that would be dangerous. if joe mcknight is as good as reggie, i will be satisfied
by dannywoodheadTOUCHDOWN on Apr 25, 2010 6:57 PM EDT reply actions
I agree Bush is getting the short end of the stick here...
yes he certainly hasn’t lived up to the number two pick in the draft, but I think even if he was a late first rounder, most would think he was a good pro. Its not like he’s Blair Thomas or Lawrence Phillips.
Reggie was a far better college player
Reggie Bush was probably one of the most electrifying runners I’ve ever seen, I’m sorry.
McKnight was good, yes, but to say he was better than Bush I think is affront to Bush.
We are gonna shock them with 5,000 mega watts of raw ROO POWER.
Chauncey
Judgegravel, they had 6 backs last year so what’s up with no 6 backs. They need at least 6 backs, 4RB minimum and 2 FB, especially on a running team. Tj and Leon left, LT and Joe M came. We had a backup FB last year and if the terminator makes it then the backup might be gone.
forgot
Forgot to add if we pick up another good power back then Chauncey will be gone but he was there for a reason and made the team last year.
He didn't make the team last year...
he was signed off the Cowboys practice squad mid December, as insurance for the playoffs, as a result of a number of players getting injured.
If Reggie Bush had been a 3rd or 4th round pick, he wouldn’t be considered a bust, he’d be considered a draft find. He has only underperformed in comparison to the #2 overall spot he was drafted in – because he’s not a Bell Cow feature back. When you draft a RB that high, you expect Ladanian Tomlinson or Barry Sanders or Walter Peyton, or Tony Dorsett, not a 3rd down specialist. Those guys come from 3rd round to 5th round picks. McKnight is a 4th rounder – right where you’d expect a guy like this to come from.
Reggie Bush had 100 catches for a 1,000 yards receiving, and 500 yards rushing his first season. That’s not a bust for a first round anything. Receivers that get drafted in first few picks like Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson, Mike Crabtree don’t get that kind of yardage their first year in the league. Bush was not/is not a bust, he’s just differant.
WildCat 2010
This is my last post on here, but does anyone realize the potential packages and match up problems Joe McKnight has added? Off the top of my head here’s what you could see:
Brad Smith, Joe McKnight, and Ladanion Tomlinson. Brad can play QB, option QB. They could line up Smith, Tomlinson, and Mcknight in a power formation and option to anyone. They can split McKnight out as a WR, or Brad Smith to stretch defenses and throw having Smith and McKnight lined up on LB’s.
They have 2 rediculous options in the first ever wide open wild cat.
i don't know how open LdT would be to that suggestion
he’s never been a wildcat back. don’t think he’s about to start now.
Probably very...
LdT was QB in HS IIRC, and has thrown a number of passes in his SD career, hell he has a career NFL QB rating of 146.9 and has thrown for 7 TDs and no INTs.
My point with that is LdT has been very open to lining up in various positions...
including QB, WR, and FB, so I cant see why he would have any problem with the wildcat. I specifically think he gives us another perhaps even better (over statement I know, Smith was a college QB) option than Smith at QB in the wildcat, only because he has had great success throwing the ball in the NFL
Chauncey
Judgegavel, Of course there is no minimum of RB you can carry but they have extra backs in case of injury. They did have 2 FB’s they signed Jason Davis on 9/6/09. They need to have back ups who can play in case of injury.
BTW, this is not fantasy football where you can look online and pick up players in case of injury. I think carrying only 4 backs is pretty thin, we’ll see.
Yes and then they cut Davis 9/8, and put him on the practice squad 9/9. They had 4 backs the majority of last season, when Leon went down they went to 3, they never had 5 let alone 6. Chauncey is not making this team unless we have a major injury, they will not carry 6 RBs, I think they will carry 5 (Greene, LT, McKnight, Richardson, and either Conner or Davis), but six is out of the question. Rex loves carrying an obsessive amount of CBs and LBs, even if they were worried about RB depth, I think they would take Woodhead first because he adds depth at WR as well, although I doubt that will even happen. No its not fantasy, but their is a practice squad, if no one picks him up thats where Chauncey will be, like he was almost all of last season with Dallas.
Well if they are listed on the roster then if an injury happens they are there to back up, practice squad or not. I just its the way you look at it. One the roster means to me ready to play. I agree on one thing that they will carry at least 5. Seems crazy to carry just one FB and if 2 of our 3 RB’s get injured we’re in deep s***. We’ll see what they do and as everyone I’m looking forward to the season.
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