I agree, I think it is going to take a lot for Woodhead to make the team, but crazy shit has happened
I don't remember having much of a discussion about that with you. You might want to make sure you know who you were talking to before you try to call someone out.
What I think is absurd was the fact Rex figured McKnight was puking again. Keep making excuses for him. He had an easy TD on that return but cut back right into the freaking punter instead. He had the whole sideline, but he was completely out of gas. Who got a game ball?
Two Things 1. Did anyone see McKnight looking like he was about to throw up after that punt return (Hardknocks). 2. Why do people not see promise in Washington? He runs hard and although he isnt flashy he is a body. A guy we can give carries to at the end of the game when the game is already won so guys like L.T. and Greene do not get hurt. As of now when the game is won already in the 4th do we really want to risk our two rbs get hurt or give it to McKnight? Think about it... I really want washington to make this team. Also after watching Hard Knocks the Jets plan on taking 5 rbs (3 rbs 2 fbs, this was shown on the white board) There was room for 3 "specialists" so I figure whoever plays better on special teams whether it be washington or woodhead will probably end up making the team.
I'm not really understanding why a 4th round draft pick is causing this much of a controversy. I understand he showed up out of shape for TC and he's had some struggles. But do you really think he's the only rookie to ever show up to his first TC and have a bit of a rude awakening? As far as I'm concerned this happens every year in almost every single TC league wide. A lot of these players were absolute STARS at the HS and college level and received special treatment for basically their entire scholastic career. They've never had to work hard or been yelled at and were able to flourish on the field solely by pure physical ability.When they get to the NFL where everybody is fast and nobody gets special treatment...that can be a big adjustment for certain individuals. Mcknight basically played for Hollywood U., and was a star from day 1 given he was the # 1 HS prospect the year of his college recruitment. He's not used to being low man on the depth chart and not used to coaches getting up in his face. I'm not making excuses for the guy..but people need to let the process run its course. This happens every single year. Also, I know prevailing opinion is that RB's typically don't have much of an adjustment period compared to other positions when making the NFL leap. That might be true the majority of the time. But it seems like every high profile RB draft pick we've brought in the past decade has had a tough start to things.Lamont Jordan wasn't great until the 3rd or 4th preseason game, Shonn Greene was shaky all preseason last year, Leon showed glimpses but was a nightmare in blitz pick-ups.For whatever reason the Jets RB system appears to have a little more of an adjustment period than other situations. Additionally, The jets are running a unique zone blocking scheme that many Rb's haven't worked with before. It can really a highlight a guy like Mcknight's skills..but he needs the opportunity to get into a rythym in the system. If this is about the folks who can never get over popular players leaving(Vinny, Morton,CP,TJ and now Leon) and are deadset on comparing Mcknight to LW due to the trade...you are completely off base. If anything the guy you should be comparing LW to is LT as he'll be playing LW's prior role. Mcknight was brought in a developmental guy who can help on ST's and in subpackages. He has a ton of upside but much like MOST 4th round rookies...is gonna need some time to adjust to the NFL.Sad but true.
Zone blocking isnt really hard to pick up there is a hole to run through and if its not open you cut back to the opposite side of that blocker But Its a great point most rbs have had a hard time adjusting here
Sorry, but I think any rookie RB should be able to run 60 or 70 yards without falling down, and that is What McKnight did on that return. I watch a lot of NFL preseason games, and this isn't some run of the mill occurance. Maybe there is some physical problem he has, other than being in lousy cardio vascular shape. Don't tell me this shit is typical or happens to rookies often. Heck, even fatso L White could go 80 yards.
Zone running doesn't take long to pick up, but it sure as hell takes time to get up to speed for the NFL and make that decision quickly enough with smaller gaps than he's used to seeing in college.
He was talking to both of us about it, and it want unwillingness, it was ability. He said McKnight can't run between the tackles. As was pointed out, he did it at USC in a zone scheme. Once again, the unwillingness is based on 5 minutes of Hard Knocks and he looked a lot better in the last preseason game. So, no, Mambo...at the moment you're not right.
I was surprised to see the 5 backs on the board. I assumed they'd keep 6 if we're looking to maintain a heavy run game. I said before I thought the final cut would come down to Woodhead and Clowney as a 4 week tryout, with Washington making the team. After last night, I'm assuming it'll come down to Washington and Woodhead with Clowney as a likely cut.
The guy lost his footing and isn't in shape! You wanna get on him for losing his footing on a clear path to the end zone? Go for it. But don't make this into something it's not. Guys DO lose their footing from time to time..it isn't like he was so overwhelmed with exhaustion that he collapsed on the field in exasperation. He lost his footing and then sucked on some wind.Big deal. He still made a helluva play. Again, Guys show up out of shape all of the time. It's being magnified on Mcknight b/c he's an RB and b/c of hard knocks. You wanna get on him for it? Go head. But he isn't the first guy and he most certainly won't be the last. The progress he made from game 1 to game 2 is fairly obvious, and there's no sense on dwelling on the conditioning aspect any longer. He showed up out of shape and he's suffering the consequences. Lesson learned and time to move on.
Watch that play again. He was gassed and could not outrun the punter to the sideline. He's a speed guy. He's VERY fast. What good is that if he can't take it to the house? OK, when exactly was it he first started puking? 2 months ago? And he's still out of shape? I hated Herm, but one thing he had right. He said it was a privledge to play in the NFL. What can I tell you. I don't like his attitude when coaches try to help him. I don't like that he is still out of shape. I love his potential, but I don't know if he has the right mindset, coachablility or work ethic to suceed in the NFL. I'm not writing him off. I hope he gets his issues squared away and can help this team. I'm just not optomistic. Play like a Jet, not a rubber band powered balsa wood glider. His rubber band is a short one. Maybe Rex can get him retro-fitted.
The reason it's a big deal is because a lot of people are looking at this as a trade between Leon for McKnight (which it's not) but many people love Leon so right away McKnight has the deck stacked against him. They ignore that Leon walked away from very fair contract offer, suffered a devastating injury and was underperforming up to the point when he got hurt.
He started puking 4 months ago. If he still has conditioning problems, people have a right to be concerned. He really didn't have as much of a lateral return as we're all making it out to be, though. There was contact, and after he was spun around, he seemed too concerned with where the defenders were. He needed to just turn on the speed there. Instead, he seemed content to try to find more blockers and pick his way through. That's coachable. Again, we've only heard one thing that would cause us to question his coachability, and no mention since. Given that, is it possible that concern is a bit overblown? It seems like some people are focusing too entirely on every negative rather than recognizing the improvement.
I take it you are talking about my take on McKnight here? I hate any remote comparisons of McKnight to Leon. Some have made that comparison, saying how Leon struggled early on. Leon did take some time to develop, but he had a btter attitude and he came into camp in shape. Why make any comparison? I would not be on McKnight's ass at all if he had a better attitude and was in shape. He's a rookie. I don't expect ANY rookie to step in and be NFL ready. If that happens, it's a blessing, but it's ridiculous to have such expectations. What I DO expect from a rookie is to learn and progress. McKnight has had 2 months to improve his conditioning. He has shown some improvement in other areas, I'll give him that. He has the goods to be a very useful player on this team. I wonder what Westy would say to him. I wonder what Westy has said in CS meetings about him. He blasted Clowney repeatedly. I'd like to know what he thinks of McKnight. I'll take a wild guess, and say he just might agree with my take.
You're taking a lot of wild guesses. You seem so convinced that his attitude is a HUGE problem. Why haven't we heard more than one thing about it, then?
...and how do you know he has a bad attitude? HBO can edit this show however they want it. We didn't see McKnight get covered in Icy Hot, while being tied to a goal post. We saw him getting coached up by Coach Lynn and he wasn't taking it well. No one knows what was going through his head. Who the hell cares if he threw up in mini-camp? Only the guys that are pissed about the Leon Washington situation. No one would even know about this shit if it happened a few years ago - Twitter is fucking stupid. McKnight's potential is ridiculous. His ceiling is so much higher than Leon Washington's - I don't know how people can't realize this.
