Ground and Pound...

From the initial press conference to introduce him to the NY media, Rex Ryan has stated that this will be his approach on offense. When you look at the talent level of the roster, it makes a lot of sense. The Jets have one of the best offensive lines in the league and a crew of running backs that all have game breaking skills. Thomas Jones has filled in adequately after Hall of Famer Curtis Martin retired. He is a bruising back who does not shy away from contact. He is a good blocker for picking up blitzes, can catch a pass out of the backfield well and has a solid game all around. He has decent open field speed when in that second level of the defense and with 290 carries and only two fumbles last year, his hands are some of the best in the league. Leon Washington is a perfect compliment to Jones. He has that breakaway speed to change a game with every time he touches the rock. This makes for the perfect weapon for sweeps, swing passes and screens, he's actually more durable than people realize and also a pro-bowler in special teams for his kick return ability. Shonn Greene is a rookie with great vision and ability. At 5'11" and 227 pounds, he is actually bigger than Jones by an inch and outweighs him by 12 pounds. He has fresh legs as he was only asked to carry the team for one year in Iowa. He is great at finding holes and can make yards ater contact. I expect him to be a short yardage or goal line feature in the offense. Then there is undrafted Danny Woodhead. He is the NCAA's career rushing leader and after this year's contract issues, was actually taking reps as the number one back in at the OTAs. Many are wondering about him even making the team, but if they truly are looking to ground and pound, I expect to see them carry four RB's and two FB's. He runs a 4.3 Forty Yard dash (.2 faster than Mr.Washington) and was the best player in Div II two years consecutively. He once scored for 38 games in a row! This is a smart, tough gamer who fits the underdog role of the Jets to a tee. I only hope that they give him the shot on occasion to shine. There is a wealth of talent and depth in this area for the team. Even if there were a major injury, they are primed to have other people step up to produce. I expect to see many good things out of this unit as well with the offensive line returning complete from last year. That degree of familiarity will help to make the ground game more effective this year.