Who Will Be the Number Two Back?

i really dont think LT will be effective at all. i dont know why we got rid of TJ in favor of him but thats old news. LT just isnt anything close to what he used to be and this will be his last season in the NFL. i think he will start the season as the number 2 but mcknight will bloom a little late and be a very good replacement for leon as a shifty scat back to change the pace and as a return man.

Then LT and the your other backs should produce nicely. For LT its going to be what kinds of holes he gets and if he still has the ability to shake defenders in the open field

We’ll be able to see what Tomlinson has in the preseason.

LT and McKnight may contribute more in the passing game, than in toting the rock. Chauncy Washington may have an opprotunity here. The Jets may carry an uncoventional 4 RBs, with two FB’s in Richardson and Connor

He’s kinda not a scat back – not to quibble. He’s listed at 221. He’s definitely a shifty back. Where I would agree is that what made him special was his step, his combination of elusiveness and hidden power.

…is a litte more important to the whole equation than people might realize. Ideally, even if LT performs well, McKnight eventually becomes our Washington. It seems like Tannenbaum cut the running back pie in three ways in view of three possible failures.

1). Greene can really be a prime runner (but he gets injured, doesn’t block and fumbles).
2).. LT can be a swiss army knife of a runner, and dynamic (but he might be a bit washed up).
3). McKnight can be a Leon Washington, and perhaps even better (may psychologically not handle it).

I think Tanny is thinking, we need only 2/3 performing at any one time. He wants to put McKnight on the back burner and let LT and Greene push each other with a view towards Greene becoming dominant by the end of the year again. If Greene goes down though Mcknight really will be needed to take carries away from LT so at least he is fresh for the playoffs. And if LT has really lost it, McKnight needs to be able to relieve Greene.

It’s kinda musical chairs. But I think if McKnight proves a bust (which I doubt), the whole gamble gets dicey. They want to be a running team but without McKnight as a contingency for the doubts on the other two, the run game could be stressed.

What I’d be hoping for is that with Holmes down for 4 games the Jets give a big load to both LT and SG, and put a lot of pressure on the defense to carry them for the first 5. By then Greene should really have hit his stride, and LT will have to face some of the age music (not to mention the fact that the Jets have heavy investment in Greene’s success). By week 7 McKnight has shown a few flashes of brilliance, and in week 8 LT has an injury that takes him out for 2 weeks. By week 10, all three are back, its Greene’s team, and all weaponds are on board. That’s my little fantasy picture.

Hefumbled 3 times in the season in around 10 weeks with serious carries. I think it is fair to say he was getting used to the NFL a little. He not once fumbled in college

him run, I just kept saying “please don’t fumble”. Its a feeling one gets, its about the moment, and the way that players respond to it – do they squeeze the ball too much, do they try to hard, how conscious are they. At the biggest running moments I didn’t want him to have the ball really.

My intuition was what it was, maybe you didn’t share it. But the problem wasn’t with the number of fumbles “3”, but with the way he ran, and when.

Maybe its no big deal.

I saw chauncey play at USC when they were still a strong team. lol and he was the go to guy for some dependable yardage and he was consistent, not the flashy, take it to the house runner but consistent. kv is right cw has some elusiveness and hidden power. I hope they keep him around for insurance, he’s young and strong. Hope they work him preseason to prove himself. If he craps out then at least we know.
Yea, forget the TJ stuff already, he wasn’t listed in the top ten running backs and with over 1400 yds that shows you the so called experts think he was really overrated also. Maybe CW could have got over 1000 with the jets O-Line in a full season. lol

But here is Michael Fabiano’s fantasy prediction analysis for LT, in the 2009 season, based on his age and his number of carries:

“So what does this all mean for Tomlinson?

Well, his average of 332 carries from his rookie campaign to last season would have ranked third behind Dickerson and George. Based on the fact that both of those backs declined, which was the norm for most of the players on the list, it’s hard to envision a scenario where L.T. will rebound in 2009.

In fact, the past shows that Tomlinson will likely see a further decrease in his disappointing 2008 totals."

This was of course for LAST year’s performance. It is interesting that Curtis Martin is mentioned. It could very well be that LT just had something similar to Curtis Martin’s last season in (Martin in 2005: 220 carries, 3.3. yds, 12 games). But Martin was a runner with more power. The fact is, when you approach 3000 carries, its almost always on the other side of the hill.

What is also interesting is the mention of Walter Payton. As Fabiano correctly identified a trend, statistically (having nothing to do with Turner, passing attacks or the OL), and it came to fruition in a big way, one really has to wonder if it continues. If we are going to compare him to someone like Walter Payton, are we going to get Payton’s season at age 31: 324 attempts, 4.8 yd/a, 20 a/g (that’s what LT sees), or are we going to get Payton in the last year at age 33: 146 attempts, 3.7 yds/a and 12 a/g in 12 games (that’s what one would hope for at best). here

The thing is, having watched Walter Payton, LT is no Walter Payton. I’ve always found LT to be dramtically overrated when people want to put him with the all time greats. He was a pretty cool back in his hey day, but he simply isn’t Walter Payton, not in his prime and not in his last years, which is what he would have to be if he was going to rebound from the downturn.

Had to look up chauncey’s last year at USC and here’s the stats 2007. 195 carries 969 yds for a 5.0 avg. 10 td’s, 7 rec for 2 td’s. no fumbles at all. Less carries in 2006 no fumbles either and 4.8 yds per carry. I think only played for 2006, 2007 but 2 years over 350 carries and not 1 fumble, not no fumbles lost, didn’t drop the rock at all. As a freshman was one of 3 who they felt had a good shot at the starting RB position. The other 2, Reggie Bush and Lendale White. He got injured and had to redshirt.
This guy can play and might bloom with the jets, if he does could be a small diamond in the rough.

The following is the averages and per game rushing carries for the first 6 games last year.

TJ LW SG
20 15 4
14 14 3
14 12 1
13 4 19
13 10 8
22 15 7
______________________________
16 10 6

Greene got 6 carries a game as the # 3 and even got 19 in game 4 against the Saints. It would seem that Rex Knows how to get even the # 3 guy some touches and will go with the hot hand during a game. Maybe Mcknight comes on like gangbusters but it looks like he will get the # 3 spot and get touches in the return game.

I feel like he didn’t get a fair shot at all. He just got knocked down to 4th or 5th starter.

At least to start out the season. LDT’s gonna impress in the offseason and preseason, I’m sure. They’ll probably share the load fairly evenly at first, and then LDT’s gonna wear down and Greene will pick it up and McKnight will get more involved too.

I like the 4 rb’s 2 fb’s set up but we’ll see. If we are a running team first it only makes sense. What did we carry in WR’s last year 10+? If we are in a decent lead and it’s the 4th qtr and want to run the clock out, our O line has been kicking ass, the other teams defense is getting worn down. Forget playing Green let his ass rest, get some other pounders in there that hold on to the rock, to eat up some yards and the clock.

It is tough to carry 4RB and 2FB’s. The problem is that Greene, LT, and McKnight ( found out that MCknight suffers from Migraines, ala Percy Harvin, could be why he was losing his lunch). Conner will be a fullback on this team, the question his do you cut TonY Richardson ? A lot depends on how Conner picks up the offense. Tony is a little long in the tooth and doesn’t play specials. Look for Mulligan and/or Cumberland your 3rd string TE to take reps at FB, if this scenario has a chance.
Carrying Chauncy Washington over Tony Richardson , not the most popular move in Jet World.

On a 53 man roster, you have 3 specialists , Punter , Place kicker, and long snapper( of Mulligan wins the LS you save a roster spot). So the Offense / Defense split is between 24 and 26, Let’s just say you have an even split 25/25.
Offense
3 QB’s
4 RB’s
1 FB
8 OL
3 TE
6 WR
-——————-
25 on offense

DL 7
LB 8
DB 10
-———
25 on defense

The Judge has done some outstanding work… Thanks
The only thing that I quibble with is O’Connell at 3rd Qb, I am not seeing a veteran Qb that is worth the money. As previously posted, I am going with the very unpopular CW over T-Rich.
Okay , 7 guys left:
Allison WR, competes with Clowney for Four weeks, the loser goes home.
Warren and Jackson DB’s
Kroul at DL
I see Basped as an OLB, Laury, Reamer and Satele other ILB ( eight spot created by Holmes suspension)
I like these last eight guys on special teams, Westoff may be able to create something dominant.

I think they have to keep t-rich at least this season and I think they go 4 rb’s, 2fb’s. We’ll see how it goes and they should not carry 4 qb’s. Judge did do a good job and I thought Basped was a LB also.