Yeah, I think this is the stance I would take. Let him prove that he can still produce with a bigger workload. There's a difference between returning kicks and taking a pounding each week with more carries. If he proves he can handle that, then pay him.
i would like to see him get those reggie bush reception numbers. we'll need him as a go to guy and if he can prove he can get those numbers (assuming he'll be on the field more), then ya, im all for paying him.
I am not even sure that Leon plays the same sport as MJD. To say that Leon is better than MJD is ridiculous.
^ Yeah, you can't compare Leon to either of them, mainly because of his limited Offensive touches throughout each game/entire season. They have proven they can carry the load for their teams. Hell, even Sproles proved more than Leon by replacing LT and making huge plays. It's not like this stuff is scaled where you can take Leon's carries/game and avg/game and then apply that to a bigger workload and certainly say his production would be the same. Again, it's simple; what this boils down to is whether or not Leon can sustain a full season's workload. When he's properly utilized (by getting more Offensive touches) and shows he can make it through a full season in being fully utilized, then I think you pay him. But until then, it's too much of a gamble.
making such bold statistical comparisons to try to deflate washingtons value can simply be countered by the fact hes been underutilized since he put on green and white. 2 mil a yr is laughable. im not saying pay him whatever he wants but I love watching Jet fans take players for granted. especially someone like washington. i think the ultimate solution here should be to meet somewhere in the 5 mil a year range. and then set escalator clauses for yardage, scores, and playing time. (although teams do find ways to keep players off the field JUST ENOUGH in these cases) or give him a 4 mil a year with a high amount of guaranteed money. either way I think letting him leave would be ridiculous. especially with thomas jones pretty much being gone after this year. as mentioned earlier the ulitmate motive might be to let him play it out, give him more touches and see how he responds. then again I cant blame Leon for being such a big contributor to the team, and a dedicated player. and not wanting to get paid peanuts with the risk of injury in his final yr.
this is what we're saying. why pay the guy so much when he has no leverage whatsoever, see what he does with more touches. it's not really that 'laughable' at all.
it doesnt matter if he has leverage. other teams know what he can do even in the limited touches hes had. someone will pay him. since ive watched the guy play since his freshman year. I'm backing him. nothing more, nothing less. if your leon washington you also know yourself youve been underutizlied. and maybe he'll get the same treatment from this staff. or maybe its been expressed to him hes going to be heavily relied on. and thinks "well ive been this successful so far, you want me to take a bigger load for chump change. no thanks". cant really blame the guy for the jets trying to milk the rookie contract of a player whos worth WAY more than 550 k this year. then everyone nuts over the idea of getting picks for him as a RFA if the new CBA doesnt go through. ok. well the day draft picks become guaranteed productivity like washington. then ill be excited at the prospect of that.
FTR, I want to see him re-signed because I think he's one of the more dangerous players in the league any way you slice it. Still, I can see Tannenbaum's apprehension about inking him to a big, long term deal. What would happen if he's paid 5 - even 6 - million a year, and then his workload increases only to result in an injury? Then, having re-signed him becomes a 'dumb' move because we should have waited to see if he can handle a more increased role in the Offense. I guess Tannenbaum (and I advocate this) wants to take the least amount of risk possible. Watching him play a full season with more carries (before the contract is given) will achieve that.
How much can his workload increase? How many less carries are you gonna give TJ and are you not gonna use the big RB we just drafted in the 3rd. rd.Damm, this is tough because he's the mosy dynamic player we have, do we really take 8-10 carries away from TJ? He's no longer a PR, so I say bump him up for one year. give him more work and see where he fits. He is not our # 1 RB.
Agreed, I think they can find another 3-4 carries for LW, but he is not our #1 back and the Jets front office does not believe this either. We traded up in the third round to take another bruiser type between the tackles running back in Green. Green will take away a couple carries from TJ as well and with TJ most likely not in a Jets uniform for the 10' season, they are planning on replacing his role with Green. LW is still going to be a third down/change of pace back. LW is great at what he does and can be a game changer, but he is not a $6 million per year back. He is about $3 million a year until he proves that he is more. I know Leon is a fan favorite, but the if the Jets are really going to be contenders they just can't mismanage their money and over pay role players.
You are welcome... there are a few articles at nyjetscap.com and I must say I agree with almost all of the analysis they make. Props to whoever runs the site!
We need to trade Jones. His value is as high as it is going to be right now. Wait till the first week in TC when a team loses a RB and move him. Leon needs to be the FOCAL POINT of our offense. He needs 20 touches a game at least between runs and passes. Funny thing is that he was our "every down back" twice only, yet both times he was over the century mark. He is criminally underused, and our best player. That said, he probably should not get $6 mil guaranteed type money. He should get around $4 with some incentives clause to take it over $6.
Doubt we'd get much for him, seeing as how everyone and his dog knows that we'll cut him after this season. Yeah, I think a desperate team is the only possibility.
My only concern is Washington missing a large chunk of camp. It really affects a player once the regular seasons starts.
Does anyone else remember when the "underutilized" Lamont Jordan got a huge contract from Oakland? How did that work out?
