Let's face it, at 1-7, we're going nowhere. We all know this, and we all know that's the main reason why guys like Clemens and Bender are getting PT (along with mediocre at best play by the starters. Now I pose another question. Should Washington play more for Jones? Washington has shown flashes of being a good runningback, and while at his size, he probably isn't the type to carry the full load, the argument can be made that we should see what we have in Leon Washington down the line at runningback.
I think we know what we have, and now that we're outta it, I say hold him off this year so he is even fresher for the years to come.
No. Washington's role does not need to be changed. He had plenty of opportunities last year and the Jets response was to get Thomas Jones.
We know what we have. A great Kick and Punt Returner who can be bought in in spots as a change of pace and third down pass catching back. He is where he is going to be. He is not an every day back!
I was looking foward to seeing a more expanded role for Leon this year, But that was never meant to be. I find myself questioning what his role should be? He is a terrific kick off specialist and punt returner and he is very elusive but under used this year. He is an off tackle kind of runner to the outside but always seems to be looking for running room up the middle (No gain) Thomas Jones would to me be the back to get yards up the gut but he seems to be cutting LT & RT off tackle and picking up good chunks of yards.
Unfortunately I really don't think we will find out what any of our backs can do until our Line is upgraded in the off season. I think Leon can be a big contributor to the team in many ways over the next few seasons.
With the way our O-line is playing right now, I don't think Leon would do well as a starter. TJ on the other hand, is capable of making yards out of nothing when the O-line gets no push up front.
Maybe give Thomas Jones a full freaking workload and not 16 carries a game all the time. Get him the ball 25 times a game.
Leon does not break games open from the LOS (excepting Miami once last year). He just isn't a consistently effective RB from scrimmage. He has value, but let's not be crazy here. Jones is not Eric Dickerson but can we commit to 25 carries a game, regardless? A lot of teams run even when they are not super effective. Balance for its own sake is an effective offensive weapon. The Jets did it a lot last year. Their rush numbers were poor but they had a lot of attempts. For some reason they have abandoned it this year. This team cannot be more effeective with chad throwing the ball more times. Give Jones the rock 25 times a game and he will be productive. He will not be LT but he will put up good numbers.
The biggest problem in the running game is the OL. It is nearly impossible to get good yardage running over the left side, and how many times can you run right? I just checked some stats: last year Leon had 115 carries- this year 34 in half a season. So, his workload has definitely taken a hit with the acquisition of TJ. Leon has been terrific in KO returns, but he's not a "great" PR- averaging 8 ypr. The best PR on the team is Revis, but they wont risk him returning punts. They do need a couple of OL for next season to help the rushing game. Maybe Bender will turn out to be one of them.
Whatever happened to having TJ and Leon in the backfield at the same time? You would think that might cause some mismatches with Leon splitting out wide or coming out of the backfield.
Rb I love Leon, but he is too small to carry the ball 30 times a game. Thomas Jones is doing a decent job. He needs touches to be successful
Why bother going after Jones then? He was traded for, for a reason. That reason was to be the Jets starting RB, and to carry most of the load. Leon is a playmaker though, I'll give him that. I would not mind him getting more carries here and there every game.
Perfect answer, and my thoughts exactly.Why give the backup more carries when we don't even give the starter enough carries? We went out of our way to pick up a workhorse running back, yet he gets a pathetic amount of touches and opportunities to get rolling.
You're right. I just checked the stats again. Last season the rbbc (Leon, Barlow, Blalock and Houston) had 420 carries, which would average to 210 for a half season. This year, TJ has 147 and LW 34= 181. So, the team has 30 less carries for the first half of the season.
No. Let Jones take the beating this year and next and then let Washington start in 2009 with full tread left on his tires. The Jets aren't going to get anything meaningful out of wearing Washington down prematurely behind a terrible run-blocking line. Let him wait for a couple more hogs to lead him down the field.
This I can agree on. He is getting the needed experience without getting hammered mercilessly every game. Let TJ take a beating. Leon's great skill is also his ability to catch a pass out of the backfield. This year all that means is a checkdown dumpoff because Chad was afraid of airing it out. However with a real live NFL QB with a real live arm that can stretch he field, just watch. The screen pass is really going to mean something and Leon might just be a sight to behold................ well one can dream can't they?
