Shonn Greene: Stay or Go?

He hasn’t showed any potential for growth IMO, has a very limited skill set, as he is only able to be a grinder, and even in that is he a low-tier back…,can’t catch, can’t block, has no cutback, barely any vision, and doesnt is one of the slower bull dozer back in the league……I don’t expect him to be an Adrian Peterson or Arian Foster, but it is fair to expect more from him, as he is being fostered in a running offense mentality…..should be interesting to see what he does in a contract year, if I am correct of this being the year.

I would love for us to get him. He would for us to go get him. He is a beast and can create his own yardage . He would give our offense an identity and he’s an every down back.

I think the unwarranted dissatisfaction with Greene comes from several sources:
a)In the playoffs his rookie year he showed breakaway flashes that we haven’t seen since.
b)He is not good as a blocker in passing downs or a good receiving threat (although he has improved in both).
c)He starts seasons slowly.

I think he is a quality player. He had to run behind a much worse line this year (Brick was a horrible run blocker this year according to PFF, Slauson is merely ok, Mangold was out and then a bit hobbled for the better part of 4 games. Moore had some hip/age related slowing down and Hunter is Hunter) yet still he ran for a pretty good yards per carry, surpassed 1000 yards, improved as the season work on, and while he does not break long ones, he also rarely gets caught for a loss, which is important.

I would like the Jets to compliment him with a good quick pass catching back. I am not sure that is McKnight. McKnight really does look to me more like a good return guy than back-he is fast but rarely gains yards after contact.

Or we can’t find another back in free agency. He’s not a true #1 back, there’s about 10-15 of them in the league and he’s not one of them. 1050 yards, 6 TD (3 in one game), and 4.2 per carry without the secondary skills of pass catching and blocking is average in today’s league Outside of the Washington and the KC game, the guy made very little impact on games this season. That said, there’s other parts that need to be fixed first and there are no readily available better options.

QB Coach, RT, Safety, Pass Rush, WR play, REPEAT
QB Coach, RT, Safety, Pass Rush, WR play, REPEAT
QB Coach, RT, Safety, Pass Rush, WR play, REPEAT

and he will be a 1,500 yd + rusher next season. It is amazing that he was able to have a 4.2 yd avg. behind that line last season. He will never have the lateral movement of Chris Johnson, But he has similar numbers to Frank Gore, and no one ever wanted to get rid of Gore in SF. It amazes me how fans don’t think Greene is a good player. Feed him the Rock, behind a sound line and he will be a very good RB. next season for the Jets. The guy rarely gets tackled on initial contact. I really hope we build the O line and D line with free agency and the draft.

He misses too many reads and he lacks elusiveness. If a back needs a good o-line to be productive, then he’s probably not very good. He does run with an intensity that I like, he never goes down easy.

Imo, he’s best suited to split carries with another back that’s similarly situated (ie a big, intense runner). That way they can split carries and keep each other fresh, while punishing the defense. Also would allow the o-line to block the same way and stay in rhythm. Also the running game doesn’t change much if one of them get dinged and have to miss time.

He also would be a good back up to a guy that can carry more of the load. He would be great in a limited role where he can come in in 4th quarters and run with reckless abandon.

Either way, if we’re going to be a run-oriented team, we can’t afford to have much of a drop off should one of the guys gets injured. I prefer a guy like Richardson, someone that can bang between the tackles but also make guys miss and get out on the edge; also can contribute as a pass catcher.

He doesn’t suck at his position like Sanchez, and if the Jets can get another complimentary runningback to him after LT leaves (which he should because he needs to) than the running game might be respectable as well as the offense as a whole.

Offensive line play is a huge factor in a running back’s effectiveness. i saw Greene get hit in the backfield way too many times this season. give the guy a little hole and he will get positve yards most of the time. No he does not have breakaway speed, nor is he ellusive, but the guys a hard nosed straight 1 cut runner. Put him behind New englands line and he will have 1500+ yards a season. A complimentary speed back i would welcome. I am not a huge Mc night fan. the guy still thinks he can make a couple of cuts in the hole like he did in college. the defenders are too quick in the NFL for that nonsense. If trent Richardson was available at 16,i would be excited, but otherwise fortify the O Line and run Greene up in there and he will end up a 1.500-1600 yd rusher at around 4.4 yds a carrry.

get the guy the ball. you can’t give him 15 carries per game and expect 100 yds from him. A runner like Greene needs to wear down the defense. Give him 22 carries a game, and he will end up in that 1500 yard range. Giving Greene more carries also increases his chance of breaking one late in the game when the opposing defense is sick of getting pounded and starts arm tackling. I think Curtis Martin had 450 carries or better one year or more, and i know Greene is not in Martin’s class obviously…. I don’t think Greene’s the greatest back we have had, but i think he is good and needs more touches behind a better line. Greene ain’t our problem believe me.

i was way off on that 450 carry number, but he did get over 300 carries 8 out of his 11 seasons. Curtis best avg. was 4.6 per carry. One of my favorite Jets,..guess i got a little carried away.

and other positions are far weaker than rb. we can’t be elite at every position

or what’s the point? Hopefully we won’t see another game where we throw 60 times or run on 1st and gain 7 followed by two passes and out. Greene getting the ball 15 times a game was not his fault and we already got rid of Schotty. What we now need is to focus on the O line and not continue to try and go on the cheap and lose good linemen when their replacement is a question mark.

Frankly, it’s more than just RT. We’ve got no depth on the line. Mangold going out a few games was far more devastating than it should have been. The front office needs to concentrate on the O line first and foremost. Without that firm foundation who our RB happens to be is the least of it. It would also be nice if our QB had to worry a bit less about getting killed.