The Thursday night scrimmage was one for the rookies. On top of Mark Sanchez's standout performance, Shonn Greene made a name for himself.
Shonn Greene flashed some of the play-making ability in Thursday's intrasquad scrimmage that the Jets envisioned when they traded up to grab him in the third round of the draft.
The rookie running back displayed his power and quickness in the team's first game simulation.
Greene, who appears like he'll challenge incumbent Thomas Jones, had a nifty 11-yard run against the first-team defense in the first quarter. The former Iowa star bounced off a pile on the right side before bouncing to the outside and gaining 11 yards. He later caught a 33-yard screen pass from Chris Pizzotti, slipping through a seam and flashing some elusiveness.
Greene hadn't practiced with the offense since injuring his right ankle on a 1-on-1 pass blocking drill Sunday. But he looked fully healed early on and showed early signs that he may challenge Thomas Jones for carries.
Something tells me Greene is going to change the minds of just about everybody that said the Jets gave up too much to land him.
This kind of performance is just another reason to start Mark Sanchez. It looks like the Jets have three high quality backs to lean on offensively. The team isn't going to need to base its offense around the passing game. Sanchez can be a complimentary player at first to Greene, Thomas Jones, and Leon Washington.
I'm not so sure Greene challenges Jones for carries as much as he allows the Jets to cut back TJ's workload and reduce the pounding he takes, which is a good idea with a thirtysomething back.