Marshall Faulk thinks Leon Washington has the same kind of playmaking ability as former Lions Hall of Famer Barry Sanders.
In an interview Monday, Faulk compared Washington's play-making ability to Barry Sanders, predicting the Jets will have a successful season if they get the ball into Washington's hands at least 15 times a game.
"I've been watching Leon since he wore No. 3 at Florida State," Faulk, an NFL Network analyst, said on a conference call. "I always felt the guy had a knack for when the football was in his hands, he was going to make a big play.
"I call it the Barry Sanders effect. Whenever they handed the ball to Barry, you knew something good was going to happen. Even if it was a two-yard gain, it was the best two-yard gain you've ever seen. Leon has a lot of that in him."
Here's what bugs me about the way the Jets have handled the contract situation. Yes, the CBA gives them a degree of leverage they might not otherwise have. If Washington gets a ton of touches this year, he'll have a breakout season as long as he stays healthy. Then he will end up commanding more money when the Jets are under the gun to get him a new contract.
It just doesn't make a ton of sense to me. The Jets have spent a ton over the last two offseasons on other teams' talent, but they haven't taken care of their most explosive homegrown talent.