The Rundown: A Pyrrhic Victory for the Jets
Plutarch once wrote about a a victory in battle, that was with such grievous losses to King Pyrrhus of Epirus that …
The armies separated; and, it is said, Pyrrhus replied to one that gave him joy of his victory that one more such victory would utterly undo him. For he had lost a great part of the forces he brought with him, and almost all his particular friends and principal commanders;
It’s hard not to feel this way about the win in Oakland yesterday. Yes after last season, it was great to win on the West Coast. Yes it was great to see such a drubbing. Yes it was great to see the offense run for 300 yards again. But the loss of Leon Washington for the season can’t be understated. Damien Woody spoke to the Star-Ledger’s Dave Hutchinson about what he saw.
”As soon as I saw it, I knew [his season] was over,” Woody said after the Jets’ 38-0 victory over the Raiders.
”(Washington’s) foot was in the ground and (defensive tackle) Tommy Kelly hit it. I saw blood squirting out. That’s emergency surgery right there.
”It was bad. You never want to see anything like that.”
The injury made Washington the second frontline player the Jets have lost in as many weeks. Nose tackle Kris Jenkins suffered a season-ending knee injury last week against the Bills.
Not to mention the questions around Shaun Ellis’ status who was removed from the field during the course of the game, and for a short time, Brandon Moore who was injured and came out of the game and even Danny Woodhead had some leg issues, but didn’t keep him from getting his first NFL carry. Football Outsiders had told us often that the Jets were lucky last season to avoid major injuries to starters and major contributors, and so far this season, the law of averages has swung hard back in the opposite direction, inevitable, but not any easier to swallow.
Rich Cimini has the early scoop on Leon’s injury and that it’s pretty much season ending for the Jets.
The Leon Washington injury (fractured fibula) is crushing. Rookie Shonn Greene did a fantastic job, but they will miss Washington’s explosiveness. He’s done for the season. I was told tonight that it’s a 12-week injury, which means he’ll be healthy in late January. If that’s the deal, he could be ready for the start of the 2010 off-season program. But you have to wonder.
Leon’s versatility for the offense will be missed, and the Jets are going to show much more of a straight ahead inside the tackles running game without Leon there. I’m sure the Jets will scour the waiver wire and see who’s out there to try and bolster the corps, but it’s clear that there’s no player who can be as versatile for this team as Leon was. The team is going to have to rally, but the schedue doesn’t get easier than it just was for the Jets over the next month.
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We have to start realizing how great Tannenbaum’s eye for talent is.
If you all remember back in the draft, the other player the jets were desperately trying to trade up for was Percy Harvin. Look at how great he is and he’s only going to get better.
Furthermore, during the offseason, he brought in Miles Austin who was a restricted free agent. The Jets were really interested but didn’t want to give up a 2nd rounder for him (maybe he had Mark Sanchez in mind already so he needed the 2nd round pick).
But my point is, lets let Tannenbaum do his thing.
btw, I’ve been reading online and a few places say that its possible to come back from a broken fibula in 6-10 weeks. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Leon this season yet.
(The Jets haven’t put him on IR yet)
Well, Tannenbaum also picked Gholston so I wouldn’t sing his praises too much. That being said. I have more faith in him than I do with any of the other of my teams’ general managers (though I like Donnie Walsh a lot).
Mike T is 10x better than Bradway
Re: Miles Austin
I think the Jets were prepared to give up a 2nd rounder, but the Cowboys matched.
Would have been a good move, as I thought at the time. Oh well, hopefully Braylon can have a big game against Miami again and start making a similar impact.
Even if Gholston turns out to be a complete bust, you cant fault Tannenbaum for one bad draft pick. He clearly has shown a keen eye for evaluating talent.
Many here are Bill Simmons fans and I love his “Ewing Theory.” He developed it after the Knicks made an amazing championship run (only to be spanked by the Spurs) after Ewing was injured. There are 22 starters in football and Leon was not one of them for the Jets. Jenkins was and, at least for 1 game, the Jets made the necessary adjustments to compensate for his injury. Buttle noted that the Jets’ run in ‘82 was made without Klecko…he was replaced with Kenny Neil…that’s a name from the past!
Now, Leon is gone. His carries will be replaced by Greene, but the Jets will have to compensate for 3rd down and obvious passing downs. Will the Jets miss Leon’s explosiveness? Sure, but the team will have to try different things and maybe Leon’s absence will mean that Keller gets more looks, or Brad Smith/Woodhead/Clowney, etc. Let’s face it, Leon wasn’t sneaking up on other teams, he was being covered coming out of the backfield and teams were kicking away from him. Maybe teams will forget that Justin Miller also made the Pro Bowl in Westhof’s system. Yes, Leon is gone, the Jets are down 2 Pro Bowlers (3, if you count Favre), but there’s reason for optimism. The Jets are 4-3 and our 1st year coach and QB seem to be learning every week. Anyone notice the relative penalty-free game and overall crisp play?
In the NFL, a player’s injury often opens up an opportunity for another player or scheme…just ask the Pats after Mo Lewis nearly killed Drew Bledsoe. Leon is gone, for now, but let’s see how he is replaced. If the “Ewing Theory” holds, we may be surprised by the result.
Any Doctors on here that can comment on this injury? I’ve heard that severe breaks can heal more easily than fractures? Not sure if that’s true. But how severe is it that the skin broke?
Looking at it on TV, it reminded me of Joe Theisman horrendous injury. but I pray that I am wrong.
At the beginning of the season, the 5 most important players on the Jets were:
Jenkins
Revis
Leon
Cotchery
Pace
We have/will play games without all of those except Revis.
The new 5 are:
Revis
Jones
Edwards
Harris
Scott
I think the Jets should move Woodhead back to RB, that is a option and I think Shaun Alexander is available, he could do alright behind this O-line, and once again I think Shoone Greene can be a contender for Rookie of the Year if he keeps playing the way he did yesterday.
And I think Mike Tannendaum is the second best GM we had after Parcells or he could even be better, who knows, but, whats his Resume look like.
He had a hiccup in Golston, but I hear that was all Mangini bickering and whining for him, and he was smart enough to pass on Lienart for D-Brick and Mangold and LW were great finds, and this was all in one draft, Revis and Harris were both in one draft and Stuckey was good enough to be a catalyst in the Edwards trade. And we can’t forget about Sanchez and Greene and Lowery.
SackDance99
I was going to say the same exact thing….. I am shocked you used the Ewing theory…and disappointed I was not able to beat you to it….
Well done my friend!!
As to Mr T…
I have been defending this guy for years…. The only thing i need to refer to is Bill Parcells tried to get him on 2 occasions to be his GM.
Thats all the haters need to remember when they doubt this guy
Hey maybe if leons recovery goes well he will be healthy for the super bowl in early january! jk btw lol
SackDance99,
Thank you , I really needed some optimism right now, all you downers, just jump off the building.
nyckage,
Do my eyes deceive me? THE Shaun Alexander? Have some Irish coffee this morning? I would rather pull Johnny the hot dog guy out of the stands for a few snaps then give that old, broken down ninny a single carry in a Jets uniform. He was soft back when he was good, I can’t even begin to imagine how little he’d hit presently.
Ryan/Tanny also wanted to grab Kemoeato (sp?), the Steelers’ young OG. I watched him extensively yesterday and he’s the Steelers’ best OL. And, let’s not forget that they passed on Cutler, who hasn’t exactly set the world on fire for the Bears and his cost was more than what the Jets gave up for Sanchez. And, Chad’s injury coupled with Favre’s solid start makes even the Favre deal look better in retrospect.
The Jets need to make the playoffs more frequently for Tanny to get more kudos, but I like what he’s done with the team. If I have 1 big criticism, it was fixating on Mangini…I wish Rex were now in his 4th year as the Jets’ HC.
Brendan
I was just listing some free agents down, and none came to my head, so I just listed him, but i would die if that happened.
Haha I know, don’t worry. But even if you’re drawing a blank, it’d make more sense than to write “we could sign (…drawing a blank)” than “we could sign shaun alexander”
Drew, nyckage,
Thanks for the shout out. If we beat the Fins, and it will be a war, going 5-3 heading into the bye is much more than I expected. The Buffalo loss was horrendous, but I really saw massive improvement in the Jets’ preparation and attitude this week. The Jets were well-prepared and played disciplined football. If Sanchez can start improving, without regressing, this team will be okay. Let’s face it, it’s the Jets’ passing game that isn’t being maximized. As good as Leon is, if Sanchez can start hitting Keller (does Sanchez have a mental block with Keller? His worst passes are to DK) and the WRs get healthy, the Jets offense will score TDs and force opposing teams to pass, which is the defense’s strength. This season is really about the maturation of Sanchez and I liked what I saw Sunday, except he shouldn’t try to dunk over the goalpost (a calf/leg injury risk) and he still needs to work on his ball security.
Look forward, fellow fans – the game against the Fish is the most important and will be the most telling game when it comes to this team’s progress. How will Sanchez react if the wind is swirling at the Meadowlands? Is Shonn Green more than a serviceable #2 back? Can Sione and friends clog the middle? Have we learned how to defend that gimmicky wildcat? Is Cotch going to be close to full speed? Soooo many ifs. But IF we can beat the Dolphins and get to the bye at 5-3, I am really liking our chances to make the playoffs and win a game or two.
Woodhead is a poor man’s version of Leon. I think after the bye we can see Woodhead stepping into leon’s role more often, but not as often if Leon was there. We are going to be a ground and pound team, and TJ and Greene are perfect for that. Loved that low pad level run by Greene on his second TD run. Hopefully after the bye we will get a little healthier, sheppard, ellis, cotchery and everyone else that is slightly banged up.
For those concerned about sanchez- have u realized that his starting WR’s that he preacticed with most of the summer and start of the season have been injured or traded away the last couple of weeks. Cotchery, Smith injured and stuckey traded away. The chemistry he started to develop with those guys are missing in our offense and for a rookie, its making it even tougher for him to be successful. He is really missing Cotchery- cant wait to see what this team offensively will due in the future when Cotchery gets healthy(hopefully after the bye) to go with Edwards, Clowney, Keller and our running game.
maybe I made light out of just how important J-Co is to this offense…
Sanchez looks completely flustered without him…and as SD99 said whats the deal with Keller and Sanchez? I mean they are so off right now its not even funny.
Did love to see Sanchez finally take off again on a QB draw. ….and i loved the dunk, would have like to see him get a techinical foul for hanging on the rim ala…. Lebron!!
Leon … *tear runs down cheek, sighs wistfully*
Okay, time to move on …
I also was thinking of the Ewing theory — the Giants won after Simms went down all those years ago, too. Here’s hoping this will force other players to step up (much like the defense did when Pace was suspended, or this week in the absence of Jenkins). I like what I’ve seen out of Greene, and think this might open the door for someone — Woodhead? Smith? — to really shine in that KR/3rd down back.
As been noted — Tanny has done a decent job bringing in talent here. And as Rex has shown, he has been able to get a lot out of that talent. That needs to continue.
i know everyone is in love with Woodhead but please enough of comparing this kid to Leon.
Leon is a top 10 playmaker in the league and Woodhead is holding into the 53rd spot on the roster.
I am rooting for the kid but please enough of the comparison. Its not fair to either player.
They are not in the same universe in regards to talent right now
With the Dolphins starting 2 rookie CBs now that Will Allen is done for the season, let’s hope for Indian Summer and no winds for this Sunday!
SD99…
What we need to hope for is the re-apperance of B- Smith and Cotchery
Looks like a 60° day on Sunday but as we know living in this area….that could change in ahour
I’m with Drew. Woodhead is nothing like Leon and IMO his shortness makes him hard to pass to. I would bring in Smith (6-2) as the 3rd down/obvious passing situation guy. I also think that Smith should’ve been running the Seminole and, maybe, have Greene in the Ricky Willams role. Leon’s breakaway speed and big play ability will be missed, but he’s no longer the only playmaker on this team. Both Clowney and Edwards can create separation in the passing game and both TJ and Green can run pretty far once they get into the secondary.
i dont see anyone saying woodhead is leon. but if greene is competent+ as the 2nd back (who knows maybe primary after a few more games), there is still a need for a 3rd down back in addition to jones & greene…. someone who would be good at running screens and catching the ball out of the backfield. right now the guy on the roster who could possibly fill that role would be woodhead.
Jones is pretty good receiver himself.
Shonn is a more complete RB than Leon was. We will miss Leon more in Special Teams than we will in the offense. He had no TDs and essentially no screens (don’t ask why). We now have two powerful backs, one that explode through the whole and can take it outside ok, and one that can just grind it out all game. Edwards has been dominated defensive schemes (constantly being double teamed). Getting Cotchery back will really help smooth things out. Our offense will be fine. Does anyone else see a silver lining to Jenkins being out (im doing my best here)? Maybe Jenkins was also big enough to block our blitzes from coming through the inside. Seems like theres more space for the organized chaos to work now.
We are not a better team without Jenkins or Leon…but the facts is we can still have a great season without them.
To say Shonn Greene is a more complete back is not fair to Leon. Before TJ’s last 2 weeks he was prodcuing better than TJ was …even between the tackles.
I will say this though….. when Leon went down I was pissed but I was alot more worried when Jenks went down…even before Greene went off
Agree with Drew on how I felt with Jinx vs Leon.
One thing that doesn’t have a stat is “times player X looks to be tackled, then squirts out and rattles off another 13 yards on a 3rd and 11 to keep the drive going” because Leon would lead the league in those. He may not have the TD’s, but he has keep many a TD drive alive with his shifty and hard style.
Why is everyone sweating Sanchez with the cold weather? I thought the Meadowland winds was his problem? Remember last year Brett Favre was having problems in this wind and he played in Lambeau his whole career…
Leon is a one dimensional back. Im sorry. Its the truth. Its why he wasnt getting MJD money, its why we weren’t featuring him, and its why he will never be a number 1 back. He is Speed. Thomas is Power, and Shonn is a little bit of both. He is just more well rounded. I’m not saying Shonn is better (yet) but he is a more traditionally complete back.
We are not a better team without Jenkins or Leon, thats for sure… but we haven’t seen what type of team we are with Shonn and I get the feeling from the style he runs with and the things I saw from college that we could be pretty explosive in the run even without Leon, maybe more explosive.
I dont think leon is coming back this year. This may be a Thiesman-like injury, but i hope he will be ok and come back sooner than later;
That being said, Im sorry but he didnt have a great year this year to justify a 5mil a year contract. He played well, had some good rushes, but didnt break off any huge runs, screens or returns.
One thing that bothers me about his running style is that he doesnt go down when theres obviously no more room. That is why he fumbled against NE (stripped) and why he broke his leg(FIGHTING FOR HALF A YD!). He is TOO SMALL TO FIGHT FOR THE EXTRA YDS! JUST GO DOWN AND CONSERVE YOUR CAREER. Curtis Martin was so good at that. He know when to just fall forward for the extra yard. That is why he had a long career. Leon is a GREAT back dont get me wrong, but when hes 190 lbs and 5′8″, dude just go down.
I liked Shonn Greene but i think woodhead will ably replace Leon.
Guys you wont see the spin doctors or haters til the next time the Jets lose a game. We played great and did exactly what we were supposed to do, so why would they even bother?
Sucks that Leon got hurt, its really bad when bad things happen to good people. He really deserves a contract for what he has done for the Jets in his time here and should get one as long as he can physically play again. His agent should be thrown in jail for letting him go into the year without one.
Chez REALLY misses J CO. J CO is the safety valve, those two are really in sync and it also helps that J Co has the best hands on the team. I think when Cotch comes back, Chez will look a little more comfortable or at least I hope so bc him and Keller just arent getting it done.
Vinny,
Are you kidding me? You’re faulting Leon for trying to gain more yards? That’s what a RB does. They fight for every yard. Telling Leon to “just go down” would be like telling Revis not to intercept a ball, or Mangold not to drink beers, or Bart Scott not to trash talk. It’s ingrained in their DNA to be like that. Half the reason we all love Leon so much is his stature. He’s an average sized person with giant sized skills and heart. The day he “just goes down” is the day he’ll retire.
PLEASE STOP WITH THE EWING THEORY
are you guys serious??? ewing was at the end of his career on bad knees. leon is a game changer in the kick return game, and jenkins is one of the best DT in football.
these are not 2 guys at the end of their career. they are pro bowlers. it’s a matter of someone else stepping up, and we don’t have the talent at either one of those spots to do so. oakland ripped off runs right down our throat on sunday. he is a big miss.
and leon? not important? great 3rd down back, and kick returner. can NOT be replaced. i hope someone steps up. believe me. but don’t disrespect either guy by playing the ewing card. the ewing analogy was to say that he was slowing the team down. the knicks became a running team with sprewell and camby, and ewing negated that. that’ s the analogy. NOT what you 2 are referring 2.
I’ve been telling people for a while now about Tanny? They seem to only remember for your last pick and most believe that that is Gholston…. The draft has always been a crap shoot (50-50), so I can understand the logic of him trading some of it for players. Most people dont give him credit for the hits just the misses. Drafting is difficult b/c you just dont know what your gonna get. If we can draft from hindsight, Hell Brady would be #1 and Brandon Marshall would be in the Top 10.
Too bad for Leon, wish he would’ve taken that contract. But if you think that the Jets will just give him a deal now then were all drunk off of kool-aid..
Heard that it can be a 10-12 week process w/ broken fibula’s. If i’m him there’s no way in God’s green earth I come back this season. Its gonna take time for it to get back healthy. Also its the mental hurrdle he has to go thru also. Leon would be smart to go and have fun w/ his newborn baby Noel..
We’re only a few plays from being 6-1, so critics are welcome to complain if they must, but 5-3 w/ a rookie coach and qb is not so bad after all. Imagine how Tenn, SD, and Chicago feels. They have veteran coaches and ProBowl QB’s.
Agreed about woodhead, I think that he should be returning kicks, but the Leon comparisonsneed to quit. Shonn Greene looked quick, powerful, and fluid. Its funny, b/c watching college and you see these heavier RB’s w/ speed and you think like wow, if he only had break-away speed in the NFL he would be the truth… and then they get to the league, lose some baby fat and become leaner and its like wow! Ray Rice, Jones-Drew, and now Shonn Greene. He should be hanging w/ T.Jones in the gym a lot!
How about B.Smith coming out of the backfield on 3rd downs. He would be a great replacement for Leon. He’s physicall enough to p/u blocks and how can a LB cover him coming out of the backfield full speed ahead. Did anyone say MISMATCH?
R in CT -
Maybe it’s the pessimist in me, but I think the Jets’ run D looked significantly worse without Jenk, as I thought it would. They still stuffed a good deal of runs, but Fargas gashed them repeatedly. Luckily for us, the Raiders were down by so much they had to abandon the run. I hate to nitpick a 38-0 win, but considering how badly they were beaten by the run in Miami, I have to worry a bit about Sunday.
Sack -
I’m with you on Brad Smith. For the life of me, I can’t understand why we haven’t used him to throw like the Dolphins use Ronnie Brown. The guy was only a four-year All-American quarterback at Missouri, yet we had Leon running the Seminole. Schotty makes no sense sometimes.
stop with brad smith throwing the ball. why complicate things?????
run it down the opposing teams throat. we have enough weapons. you trust brad smith in that spot???
Brendan;
Look dude, you never had that complaint about C Mart, top 5 running back EVER. How many times did you see him fighting to get a meaningless 1/2 yd and risk fumbling, or trying to drag defenders with him risking his legs, ankles etc.? not too often, a good RB knows that he needs to fall forward for the extra yd when he is caught in the grip of defenders. Leon doesnt have the power to break too many tackles (esp. more than 1 defender) but he tries to move piles. WHY? he cant, but he doesnt recognize his strength which is speed and elusiveness. Schottenheimer running him up the middle is silly too.
Raiders averaged 3.3 ypc before this week, 6.9ypc vs. the Jenkins-less Jets.
In the first half, they rushed for 11ypc on First Down.
Cable should be fired for that gameplan, Jamarcus the turnover machine throwing on the first play of the game from his own ten with Jenkins out is a crime.
Jets would have won anyway, they were the better team, but the coach never gave them a chance
I think Ronnie Brown has thrown exactly one pass, against the Jets a few weeks ago.
alex -
What? I’m not advocating complicating things. THEY ARE ALREADY RUNNING THESE PLAYS. They were just doing it with Leon taking the snap for some reason instead of Smith. I wouldn’t mind if they eliminated the Seminole, but my point is that if you’re going to do it, it makes more sense to have an All-American college QB taking the snap than a lifetime RB. You don’t agree?
Ugh, please lets have our no. 5 overall pick be the only guy on offense taking snaps.
yes, i agree with that joe B. it is nice to have some variety to the offense, but i think it’s complicated enough for a rookie qb, except for yesterday. i don’t think the seminole will offer us anything. just keep plugging away at the run game, and watch sanchez develop.
as for schotty, in order for an offense to fire on all cylinders, you need continuity. he has NEVER had a qb for consecutive seasons. never. when he had chad, that offense was running well.
let’s give him a chance to develop continuity with sanchez, instead of repeatedly throwing the guy under the bus. he has to develop a feel for his players, and having a different qb every year, doesn’t help.
i
Ronnie Brown threw a pass yesterday, his third of the season and seventh of his career. It wasn’t just a RB option either, he was back there scanning the field for seven seconds and hit Joey Haynos, who dropped it, one of several Miami players guilty of that in the 4th quarter.
The reason Brad Smith hardly ever throws is because he has a lousy arm. Although he played the QB position at Mizzou, he was more of a running QB and probably even has an inferior arm to Brown.
alex m-
Bill Simmons’ “Ewing Theory” has nothing to do with Ewing as a player, it has to do with a team losing a star player, but actually (and improbably) improving. Simmons is a Boston fan and his favorite “Ewing Theory” example is one I cited: Bledsoe almost gets killed by Mo Lewis and unheralded 2nd year and 6th round QB, Tom Brady, comes in and leads the team to a Super Bowl victory. If Shonn Greene continues to run like he did on Sunday (and it was one of the great rookie performances at RB over the last few years), will anyone here be lamenting Leon’s loss?
Maybe it should be the “Stephen Stills Theory”:
“And if you can’t be with the one you love honey
Love the one you’re with”
Personally I’m a Pats homer but I do feel for you in losing two very important cogs in your team, we lost Brady last year so we can identify. No true sports fan can revel in injuries or wish them on another team.
You guys still have a good team, an excellent defense and perhaps an emerging star in your rookie back so relax and see where the season takes you. Those who are jumping off the bus or chanting “same old Jets” aren’t the people who put their fannies in the seats on a cold December day and root for their team no matter what. I wish you good luck except, of course, when you come to Foxborough. Hey, I told you I was a Pats homer.
Bent, thats an interesting theory but I find it doubtful that Brown has a better arm than Smith.
Sack,
Or, maybe it will become the “Leon Washington Theory”