Link: More Leon Please
Michael Salfino’s cries keep falling on deaf ears, even though what he’s asking for is simple … he wants more carries for Leon Washington.
I must again say what I’m sick of saying because it’s so obvious: Leon Washington needs to be used more. Why are the Jets so stubbornly clueless about deploying their greatest weapon? If Dr. Oppenheimer’s Manhattan Project handed Eric Mangini and Brian Schottenheimer the atomic bomb during World War II, we’d all be speaking German now. Maybe Japanese. I dare anyone, even Mangini and Schottenheimer, to declare that Washington is not the team’s most explosive offensive force. You know who leads the NFL with nine plays of 40 yards or more? Leon Washington! OK, we’re counting kick returns, which isn’t fair, but he does have four of those long plays from scrimmage. That’s hard to do when you get two (TWO!) touches a game like Washington did against Buffalo.
I’m running out of ways to say this. Let’s try it this way. The object of every defense in the NFL is to figure out a way to neutralize the opposing team’s greatest offensive weapon. To defuse him, if you will. That’s what defensive coordinators spend weeknights in their offices obsessing about between short naps on their cots while their wives and kids are left at home to fend for themselves. But the Jets coaching staff does this for them. The Jets coaching staff voluntarily takes the ball out of the hands of their best offensive player.
I agree that Leon’s role should get bigger, but just how big? At what point could his role become a drawback? I am dubious about the actual results should the Jets try him out in a more extensive offensive role, and from a quick look at his 2008 game logs, Leon seems to be a classic “boom or bust” running back. I can’t seem to see a discernible pattern for when he excels and what keeps him from doing so at times. When you compare his Football Outsiders numbers to guys with more carries, in terms of overall value (DYAR – 58), he slinks along with players like Dominic Rhodes, but when it comes to his value on a given play (DVOA – 15.5%), he compares favorably to players like Clinton Portis or Sammy Morris.
I’d love to see Leon’s role expand, but it’s not like the guy ahead of him is stinking up the joint. Thomas Jones is having a pretty great season in his own right and has accumulated 1,222 yards on the ground and 13 touchdowns.
Filed under: Main Page
I disagree that Leon needs more carries… However, more running plays need to be called in general. If Leon gets some of those carries, that’s fine, but the fact is the Jets need to have more runs on first down instead of more of the worthless trick plays or short incompletions they do far too often. The offensive playcalling is maddening at times and does not maximize the talent of this ballclub.
Usually, a time consuming drive is better than a big play because it wears down their defense instead of yours.
I’d throw this week’s game out because of the way Leon hit his head after the TD. They didn’t look for him after that and although he still returned kicks well, he did not look comfortable fielding punts.
Not saying he was concussed necessarily, but I’d be surprised if he wasn’t knocked a bit silly, so the Jets were more cautious with him, albeit still using him as a decoy on offense at times (a la Maynard in SBIII).
On the whole, yes, Leon and TJ should get more carries than they have averaged over the last few games, but when the game plan is obviously to pass early and open up the running game later, this often goes out the window when you fall behind.
I know it’s tough with all the weapons they have on offense, but I’d like to just see him on the field more so defenses won’t automatically key on him the moment he comes into the game. Washington himself was saying that it’s been hard for the team to use screens for him a lot because when he steps on the field, the opposing defense is shouting to watch out for the screen.
It’s a bit similar to the problems they had using Brad Smith early on — every time he stepped on the field, opposing defenses were ready for a gadget play. The way they got through it was having Smith on the field more often — the same applies to Leon. Like Bent says, he can have an impact simply as a decoy.
Now who you take off the field so Leon can get on more … well, that’s another problem
The two main weapons of the offense should be run, and play action pass. The empty backfield shotgun plays are used too much.
Bent I completly agree with what you said about the big play take a look at the Denver game, TJ had two huge TD runs and as far as i remember we got killed on TOP.
I think we did alot better when our game plan was run first pass when needed. I think Shotty has such a huge boner with Favre behind center he cant resist letting the guy throw bombs. He needs to relax and go back to what we are good at.
Please start running the ball like we used to.
About Leon, I love the guy probably my favorite guy on the team. There are a few reasons of which I can think of why we dont use him much on O.
1- He is responsible for all kickoff and punt returns so the coaches dont want to wear him down when we may need a big special teams play in the 4th.
2- He is a small football player and too many carries up the middle = risk of injury and with an injury to him we are screwed on ST.
3- TJ is a workhorse
Either way its crunch time now and we need to find ways to get him the ball in space more often which I truly believe they will do alot of this week in Seattle.
Expect a great game plan from the Jets. I think the coaches will shut everyone up this week. GO JETS
there is no law against having TJ and Leon on the field at the same time. see the vikings with AP/chester tayor, and the saints and bush/deuce. a good point was made about not overusing leon – but what i am trying to say is that he could be just effective in NOT getting the ball, as long as he is on the field. running a misdirection play using him as a decoy would cause the defense to overpersue – and this should be able to open up lanes for TJ.
in addition, opposing defenses are rightly concerned with the screen pass, why not have clowney and leon on the field at the same time? fake a bubble screen to leon and send clowney on a go.
just get him on the field!!
good one brian, that would be somethin. but honestly…..its about damn time we start seeing leon and thomas on the field together. its bad when commentators start to realize how predictable the jets are sometimes, that mainly being becuase of our sub packages. thomas and leon are ALWAYS watched for the screen, its like everbody on offense is regulated to ONE job. mix it up for christ sake, you see what happens when we do!…favre rumbling for 27 yards, and tony richardson probably averaging 10 yards a carry, lol. stop delegating one common task to these guys, have clowney, keller, smith, or stuckey out there catching some screens or short slants, these guys are heavily under utilized…i think all of them are amazing with the ball. for god sake you the same dumb asss wildcat play from the jets….smith running with the ball…this has to be pretty offensive and disrespectul to opposing defensive coordinators, lol.
Two things I need more of:
1) cowbell
2) Leon
Screen to Leon. Screen to Leon. Screen to Leon. Screen to Leon. It’s not complicated.
glock…you can never get enough cowbell….
and leon needs more than two carries a game
id like to see him out as a reciever once in awhile too
jim is right. Washington can run a MEAN deep route.(think back to 2007 preseason)