Joe McKnight appears as if he's finally ready to contribute. The rookie running back crushed Cincinnati wide receiver Quan Cosby late in the first quarter, lowering the boom on Cosby as he attempted to return Steve Weatherford's 34-yard punt. It may not have had a lot of significance in the outcome of the Jets' 26-10 victory over the Bengals last night, but it was one of the few impact plays we've seen from their fourth-round pick. "Man, I just put the preparation in and I just visualized myself making plays the night before and that whole week," McKnight told me. "I just wanted to go out and make plays, and that's what I tried to do." So, naturally, I asked him if he visualized cracking Cosby. "Nah, I didn't visualize that," he said. "I was just visualizing making a couple of tackles and making a few key blocks." McKnight was active for the third straight game and the fourth time all season, a sign he could be finally regaining the staff's trust. His penchant for fumbling and overall shakiness running the ball among other things caused Rex Ryan to loose faith in him, forcing McKnight to work to regain the coach's trust. He seems to be doing just that of late and his play against the Bengals brought an unsolicited bit of praise from Bart Scott. "Earlier this season, you didn't see Joe McKnight on the football field," the linebacker said. "But Joe McKnight steps up and the game has slowed down for him. Same thing I told Shonn Greene later in the year last year. 'We are going to need you later in November and December.' "I'll look forward to big things from Joe McKnight and being that explosive player that we know he can be. Maybe returning some punts, maybe getting back there and lining up in the slot and things like that. I'm excited." McKnight, who's yet to rush the ball since his four-carry cameo against the Bills on Oct. 3, remains eager for that next shot on offense, though he's not sure when Brian Schottenheimer will finally call his number again. "Time will tell," McKnight said. "Coach Schotty knows what he's doing. He's a great offensive coordinator and we have a lot of coaches who are great. I’m just being patient, just waiting until they give me a chance again. I just want to let them know that I’m not going to let them down. If they are thinking they can't trust me, I just want let them know I’m not going to let them down any more." More from Rod Boone
Why people continue to doubt the moves that Rex and Tanny make still escapes me. Just another move that I defended that will be proven correct in time.
While I agree that no one should have been calling for a talent like McKnight to be cut let's not crown the guy for making one special teams tackle. I like the fact that he's getting in there now so let's hope we continue to hear from him (for good reasons) for weeks to come.
nobody is crowning anybody. The point being made is that people were calling for McKnight's head after training camp....because he didn't morph into Leon Washington instantly....... The wiser posters on this board know some players need time to develop....not everyone is Vernon Gholston. McKnight has shown progress, and he's obviously earning back the trust he lost from the coaching staff. The expectations from some people were a tad high....but Rome wasn't built in a day. Let the kid learn is what some of us were saying in September......and that's exactly what he's been doing.
Also, be glad that your team has two solid running backs to rely on. There is no reason to be giving a rookie meaningful carries when you have guys like LT, Greene and Brad Smith to carry the ball.
My problem with McKnight was that if he wasn't a 4th rounder, Woodhead would have been kept instead. I hope LONG-TERM it turns out to be a good decision. I guess we won't know until the 2012 season.
I agree with this. As a 4th round pick he should be competing for both ST time and hopefully next year, offensive time. I'd like to see how he does on coverage teams for the rest of the season.
if mcknight is truly over his fumbling problems, id love to see him get some touches vs new england he can hopefully provide a little spark to the running game which has slowed considerably since the minnesota game
I'm haopy he finally did something but wwas he drafted to get a lucky bounce while he was being blocked or was he drafted to contribute on offense? Like I said months ago it's way tooe arly to call him a bust or get rid of him but to act like he did something specuial the other night to justify his draft position is a bit silly.
Only lucky bounces. He's been out there for a couple of games and has done well in the role he's playing. He deserves recognition for producing in the role he's playing right now.
