Many have been calling for Joe McKnight to get more involved in the offense. The coaching staff refused until injuries to LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene left it with no other choice last night. McKnight responded with 121 yards on 22 touches from scrimmage. He led the Jets with 6 receptions.
Joe averaged only 3.7 yard per carry on the ground, but it is tough to remember too many yards he left on the field. He grinded out every last yard he could with suspect blocking. The Jets also got him going by running him outside more later in the game. They ran him primarily between the tackles early. McKnight's game is built on his quickness and explosion. That means getting him to the edge. He broke some big gains when they did that.
McKnight's offensive chances will probably go down as Greene and Tomlinson return to the lineup. That is natural. The question is whether they will disappear completely. It is tough to have faith in the offensive coaching staff at this point. Even though it was clear to those people how dangerous Joe could be in space by watching him on returns, they gave him few chances until thhey were forced to do so. It took the play caller too long to make more of an attempt to get him the ball in space last night.
McKnight's moment might prove sadly fleeting.