As far as Greene's injury concerns remember that this year will be the first year he'll actually be able to do all the off-season activities with an NFL team. Having a full month or two to prepare physically for the season with NFL trainers (instead of trying to light up the combine) usually makes you more resistent to the little injuries Greene has been having. Physical preparation is all about where you want to peak... for college kids coming out into the NFL they want to peak both in February, in March and then in the regular season... that means you can't work on your "core" as much. Preparing for the season with an NFL team means that in these months you can work on the base you will build upon while getting nearer to the season.
He's a pretty punishing runner though, which is good but also going to get you banged up. Earl Campbell was the best at that but also didn't last too long, guys that last like Curtis are the ones who dodge contact, not create it.
I think everyone is making the assumption 220lbs RB = physical RB. Sure Greene hits like a truck but on more than one occasion he's showed he can be a shifty runner too. My dream scenario would be to have a true punishing runner (ala BLount or even better Gerhart) to use as a batting ram and use Greene as a complete back. I'm against making Greene just run straight into people and brake up sooner than later. One of the reason I like C. Washington is because he can be used like that for a limited number of carries... he is fast and big and if he runs straight at you he'll hurt you bad (if he doesn't get hurt first)... Mike Bell will also be available for a low tender... and M. Bush will be available for god knows what (Crazy Al). PS I'm not saying it's impossible to get hurt with a proper NFL caliber conditioning program... just that it's less likely.
That's definitely a possibility, but it's all too common that a runner like Greene that powers through tackles and lays brain-numbing hits on defenders is also more susceptible to injury than the scat-runners like Leon and the cutback finesse backs like TJ. We can hope for him to develop a regimen that will keep him healthy for the majority of his career... just don't shit in your other hand, or you're going to need a pooper scooper the size of a steam shovel. I like the way Greene runs A LOT, but his skillset isn't designed for backs that want to handle the majority of carries for even a medium-length career. Even if we do lose TJ to free agency, we're going to need more than just Leon and a very unknown commodity like Chauncey Washington.
I am not sure the draft is where we find our answer for RB depth. we need a bcak who has been around the league and knows wht it is to start in this league. A vet back with some starts and experience under his belt. Had Washington not gotten hurt last year, I think we could have gone the draft route. His injury was a major one, and although preliminary reports are good that he is recovering well, you never know what kind of effect it will have on him. He may come back like many people with leg injuries and be a little timid when it comes to contact. i think a vet would give us the added insurance to stabilize the back field.
No way. They have bigger needs to fill early on than a 3rd RB. I think they'll draft one in the later rounds unless they decide to pick up a veteran, then we won't at all.
unless someone takes leon and gives us a 2nd rounder.i pretty sure we won't draft a rb with our first 2 picks.
Shonn Greene can't stay on the field. Say what you will about Thomas Jones, but the guy was in tip-top shape and managed to keep himself healthy for 3 full seasons. It remains to be seen whether Greene / Leon can fill the void. I say draft a running back with a mid-round pick and hope you get the next Terrell Davis.
rb is a need we need to fill. leon is not a back that can give us anymore than 10 carries a game, not to mention the question marks that surround his return. we need to face it, he will not be the dynamic quick change of back he once was, and to blindly believe so is silly. i love greene, but he has in no way proved that he can be our number one back for an entire season. for heavens sake, he played in a limited role and was injured twice. by drafting one of the better backs in this draft, providing one lands in our lap early on, we can continue with the ground and pound that our offense is going to rely on. rb is one of our most important needs when joines is gone, otherwise our great running attack will take many steps back next season...you have heard it here first. yeah we need a pass rusher, but how many are in this draft that are going to step in and make an immediate impact? not many if any. we will probably pursue this need in the free agency. this draft is loaded with corners that fit our need and we may get one with our second pick, and be quite happy with what we find. if rhodes is moved, i'm not sure what we will do about this, because it will become a prority as well, and it will be impossible to know what to do until we find out what we get for him. other than myron rolle there wont be anything left in the second or third in my opinion. wr isnt a need for our early picks unless some super quality wr falls in our lap in the 1st or 2nd. dline and oline are not needs for our early picks, so how is a rb not a priority for early picks?
The more I think on letting TJ, the more I don't like it. Unless we have a joker in the pack, Tanny may have made a huge mistake
this draft is fuckin loaded at RB. that being said Jones is no scrub we need to bring in someone proven if not draft someone were as sure of as we were Greene. but for me the biggest pickup we could make this offseason to me is CHESTER TAYLOR. if that got done our backfield would be fuckin ridiculous. hes a starter quality back whos lethal in the passing game and a 3rd down threat we wouldnt have to rely solely on Leon all the time in a passing situation. he also has the best running style to compliment the contrast of Leon and Greene very well IMO.
2004 Curtis Martin: 371 carries, 1697 yards, 12 TDs, 31 years old 2005 Curtis Martin: 220 carries, 735 yards, a bunch of injuries 2009 Thomas Jones: 331 carries, 1402 yards, 14 TDs, 31 years old 2010 Thomas Jones: ??? Martin had been a picture of durability as well. The counter-argument is that Martin had over 1200 more carries than Jones, so Jones will be fresher. That could be true. But if the Jets had gotten rid of Martin after 2004, people would have gone nuts. There was more loyalty involved with Martin, which I like, since he'll be a HOF'er, but he's one of many examples of RB's falling off cliffs.
they tender leon 2nd round pick http://twitter.com/AlvinKeels/status/9942236688 per his agent's twitter, probably just BS talk but: "I expect there to be a market for Leon during free agency and would say his return to the Jets will be 50/50 at best at this point"
