Opinion: Was Washington Going to be Phased out of KR Work Anyway?
We didn’t want to write about it yesterday, but a short time has passed and we feel better about writing this. While Bent has already asked the question who fills the void that Leon left on Kick Return duties … we want to (we know, we know!) drop a bomb …
Was Leon going to be phased out of kick return work anyway?
And to be clear this has nothing to do with what Leon could do on offense, I’m just talking about special teams.
Take a look at the stats for kick returners this season. Leon Washington ranked 18th among returners so far this season, with his longest run just 43 yards (ranked 18th as well).
Mike Westhoff questioned before the season started just how effective Washington would be in the new non-wedge era, and I think based on what we saw from Leon so far this season, it’s a fair question to ask how much more effective he would have been during the course of the rest of the season as the returner. Washington has even faced some middling kick coverage teams, and it just hasn’t mattered all that much in terms of Leon’s production, he’s been unable to rip off some really long runs, which is his usual M.O. That doesn’t diminish what Leon can do on offense though, but it could be that Washington was phased out of return duties by next year anyway.
If you take a look at return stats for this season, the number two player on the list is Percy Harvin — the guy that the Jets wanted to trade back into the first round to get — but were unsuccessful in doing so with the help of Mangini (for once). I thought that Harvin would have overlapped Leon’s role, and I think that so far from what I’ve seen of Harvin, I’m right in that assessment. Now it’s fair to assume that the Jets saw Harvin as an upgrade on returns last spring.
Still, for all that Leon’s done for the team, it’s going to be hard to see what the future holds for him coming off such a major injury. The bright side might be that it was bone and not ligament damage (as far as we know) so that might be the better of the two … that said, it could be that return duties are phased out for him next year .. we’ll have to see.
What do you think?
42 Responses to Opinion: Was Washington Going to be Phased out of KR Work Anyway?
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Bent says: I wonder if Aundrae Ellison would have been given the job had he not injured himself in the last preseason game.
I didn’t expect Leon to return kicks this year with an increased offensive role, but my prediction before preseason was Woodhead.
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fonzie says:
Each player on the jets defense Sunday should stay in their own space and react to the wildcat. They should play disciplined football. I want to see the jets get the most out of their offensive line and runninggame even if it means handcuffing the GOLDEN BOY.
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supercooljetfan says:
i would say give m.cole the ko return job and let woodhead now be our 3rd rb…let shonn and tj beat the crap out of defenses and then let woodhead get a couple carries and screens kinda like how leon was used 2 years ago
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SackDance99 says:
Bassett,
I have to disagree on Harvin. While he would’ve overlapped with Leon on KO return, Harvin has proven to be a weapon as a WR and in the Wildcat. I was a big Harvin supporter and called him the most dynamic player in the draft. Detractors said he would not be able to perform at WR. Well, he’s been the Vikes greatest weapon in the passing game. With the Jets getting Edwards and Clowney’s improvement, I don’t miss Harvin, but I still think that your analysis short changes Harvin. He’s a force and he would’ve complemented Leon.
IMO, Leon should never have been in the Seminole. That job should be Brad Smith’s with Greene in the Ricky Williams role. Leon’s strength is bursting through a hole and getting to the second-level in a flash. However, the Wildcat takes more patience and the guys who are good at it have size, which makes sense because the QB has to be able to power through the line.
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SD99
I was against drafting P Harvin as I thought he would provide too much of what we got from Leon….. but he has been a much better WR than I ever expected. I still dont think he would have been a good pick for us though
I think Harvin doing much better in Minn than he would have here for a few reasons:
-Playing in the dome helps Harvin alot
-We needed a big WR not another 5’11 guy
-He plays opposite Rice/Berrian who are both big fast WR…something we didnt have on draft day.and the Viking best WR in Rice not Harvin but he is alot but he has play WR a lot better than I thought he would.
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Drew,
It’s academic at this point, but I disagree. If you saw the Steelers-Vikes game, that was Harvin in Heinz Field taking a KO to the house. The 5’11″ thing I thought was secondary to the real issue: Jets WRs last year were not creating separation. Harvin’s speed and quickness creates separation. And, while I know Rice has more catches and yards, I still think Harvin’s the most dangerous weapon because, as I stated before the draft, he can take a quick out to the house because of his speed and quickness. A big guy like Rice needs to get that motor running. Right now they’re tied in receiving TDs, but Harvin also has 2 return TDs and is averaging over 5 yards a rush. You have to agree that Harvin is having the best rookie season of all the big-name WRs and the big surprise has been Johnny Knox, who knew?
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Dknyj says:
Isn’t Justin Miller a free agent? He was a terrible corner but an AWESOME Kick Returner.
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starz31 says:
I was hoping that any phasing out of KR duties would be in tandem with increasing his offensive touches.
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SD99
Like I said I am suprised how well P Harvin is playing. I did not like his game at Florida and am never in love with what the school has produced in terms of WR’s
I figured he was a gimmick player and would have trouble running routes/getting of the line of scrimmage and catching the ball. i will say he is in the perfect spot with that OL/RB and WRs opposite him
….suprisingly alot of the rookie WR are playing well:
Harvin
Massaquoi
Collie
Knox
Nicks
Britt
Maclin
and veen Crabtree played well last week -
Drew,
But not Heyward-Bey, everyone’s favorite on this blog.
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They Chose Me says:
Its anectdotal, but very often when teams try to integrate a premier returner into their offense, they lose some explosiveness. Guys like Dante Hall and Devin Hester were two of the best in the past couple years, and they fell off completely once they picked up more playing time. That was happening with Leon.
And I think that was a mistake. Very often when a guy performs well in a limited roll, fans expect the production to multiply when he gets more opportunity (See Jordan, Lamont). But sometimes the guy is explosive because of the limited opportunities. Through six weeks, Leon has simply not been explosive on specials, rushing or recieving. While Mike Turner worked out, Sproles would not be the same player getting 30 touches a game.
He’s like Nate Robinson– great for 20 minutes off the bench, when he can focus on what he is good at (scoring). But asked him to orchestrate, defend, keep his composure over 40 minutes and his value would plummet.
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JesusRevis says:
Sack,
I believe Hewyard-Bey was a favorite of Igs, I dont really remember him getting any other hype around here. I personally remember Maclin, Nicks, and Britt as the fan favorites here.
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Revis…
lgs was the main culpirt but more than a few were in love with his speed and thought we should have drafted him
Maclin, Britt anf Hicks were favored though
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Absolutely surprised with Harvins play, it is unfortunate what is going on with Washington, the Jets need to play more collectively, put down that hotdog Sanchez.
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manuvsteal says:
In Heywerd-Bey’s defense, the QB ishorrible. He could have been running open 20 times a game and the QB wouldn’t have seen him.
Leon’s a great back and he was doing very well running the ball this season. The team should switch Woodhead back to the 3rd running back and split himo0ut wide and use screens and draws for him. They should take a receiver from the practice squad to fill his role if th WR’s still need to be held out. Maybe a guy like Marcus Henry? Promote from within!!!
Side note- Does anyone think this tam should trade Gholstoon in the off season before his cap numbers are 8 or 9 million a season? I’d trade him for a 5th rounder next year just to not have to eat the cap space he’ll take up. -
someone else may have said this (I know Bent mentioned it in the other post)
but I would look at bringing justin miller back, at least for a look. We have roster spots now (with the injuries) and didn’t that same post mentioned above also say that Miller’ style might be better with the new rules?I also wouldn’t mind giving woodhead a look.
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i think harvin is the first wr from florida to do well in this league…im pretty sure they bring that up every draft the curse of florida wr’s…be4 the draft was a big fan of britt he got great speed for a guy his size i still think 5 years from now hell prob be the best out of last years class
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Bent says:
They Chose Me – Hester has started to come around a bit on offense though. Also Leon hasn’t been just a kickoff returner…we were all really excited after his rookie year (which included a couple of 100 yard games but no kickoff return duties).
manuvsteal – “Does anyone think this tam should trade Gholstoon in the off season before his cap numbers are 8 or 9 million a season? I’d trade him for a 5th rounder next year just to not have to eat the cap space he’ll take up.”
If they trade Gholston, they eat all of the guaranteed money in his deal NOW with no production whatsoever in return. This would give rise to a cap hit of $10m+ next year, which they can’t really afford (even if there’s no cap, the cap hit bites in the next cap year).
It’s actually far better value for money to retain him (even if his production, already much better than last year, remains mediocre). I’d expect them to retain him for at least one more year, maybe two, which makes sense because they will know for sure by then if he’s worth trying to keep.
His contract contains a load of incentives, so his cap number won’t be anything like $8 or 9m for a few years yet – and only then if he is playing well and earning the incentives.
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Bent says:
Expert – Actually PFT is talking about this now, but it’s their suggestion NOT a rumor. However, they posted this to their rumors page, so don’t be surprised to see some sources calling this a legit rumor.
Personally, I don’t like Miller (although I admit that at his best he WAS a great KR) and would prefer to fill the void in-house and preserve a roster spot with so many banged up players at the moment.
For what it’s worth, Rex said “we have a plan”.
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Dont forget, when the Jets cut Miller last year he immediately joined the Raiders and returned 2 KO for TD’s in the end of that season. Justin Miller can flat our return kicks. I have no problem giving up 1 roster spot, even if he’s only doing kick offs.
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Seth,
I think everyone realizes we are going to miss Leon. That goes without saying.
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Bent says:
No doubt, he was the Raiders offense for a time there.
This year though, I have my doubts that he could come in and make an impact immediately. He had a turf toe problem and when the Raiders brought him in off the street for the Texans game he was very poor and looked sluggish. 17 yards per return on 7 kicks, I believe.
I don’t think they can afford to bring him aboard and work his way back into game shape because they need production now. He’s obviously too old for practice squad otherwise that might be an option.
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Bent says:
I miss him already and will do so even if they find an adequate replacement. He’s a big part of this team.
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brian311 says:
funny that all the people shouting to trade TJ last week have all of a sudden disappeared from the board.
veteran, proven players are hard to come by. have to give credit to Mr T on this one. we have TJ on the cheap this year and he is producing. with LW as a question mark for next year, perhaps Mr T throws TJ a bone and keeps him for 2010 as well
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Dylan says:
brian311,
Even if Leon does come back healthy, keeping three running backs might not be a bad idea. The Jets want to run the ball a lot, so running 40 times per game might not be too unrealistic. That way TJ and Green could each get about 15 carries per game, and Leon could get around 10. Plus, that way they would still be able to run the ball if they have any injuries at RB. I’m not saying the Jets will definitely decide to keep him, but it is definitely a possibility. The only problem is that I think Greene and TJ both will want 20 carries a game next year. -
Bent – didn’t realize that miller was so out of shape. FWIW, I would only advocate bringing him in as a KR only, that guy should never see the field as part of the D.
It seems to me that we have an extra roster spot (with Leon out) and I’m not sure who is out there that would help us anywhere (I mean if there was a decent vet DT it might be different). I’m assuming that woodhead becomes the 3rd RB. My concern with using someone in house is it better be a non-starter – I worry every time leonard is back for a punt that he’ll get hurt.
They could always IR O’Connell or Ainge. At least we’re not carrying two kickers this year!
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Bent, don’t you think the Jets need to sign an RB? That’s my problem with Miller. Even if he were in shape, this team is down to 1 FB (T-Rich), 2 every-down backs (TJ, Greene) and 1 change-of-pace (Woodhead). IMO, the Jets need a 3rd every-down back because I don’t trust Woodhead as a potential every down back. The Jets still haven’t made a roster move, so something must be up Rex/Tanny’s sleeve.
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I would think with woodhead and even brad smith (assuming that he is healthy) the jets could get through part of one game in the unlikely event that both every down RBs go down. Will be interesting to see what they do.
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SD99 – I realize you were asking Bent and not me, just threw my two cents in.
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Bent says:
I actually kind of agree with what the expert said anyway.
They’ve gone from TJ-Leon-Shonn with SG barely being used (and remember Woodhead wasn’t even on the roster until week 6 and then only officially as a wideout) to TJ-Shonn-Woodhead and Smith always has been a good fallback option.
I’d rather they didn’t sign another RB this year unless they get another injury in which case they were forced to. Maybe if Brad Smith was going to remain out, but as things stand that would be more of a waste roster spot-wise than getting a KR specialist who doesn’t do anything else. I quite like the fact that Woodhead can be an emergency fill-in at WR and RB and, actually, he’s been pretty good on teams while Smith was out.
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Lets see how this team reacts to not having Leon in the lineup every day til the end of the season
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miketaliaferro says:
Bassett, Bent et al.,
Everyone’s dancing around this, and not really explaining it.
When talking about the wedge rules, I see guys saying THIS guy’s better for it, THAT guy’s not suited for it, etc., etc., etc.
What I don’t see, is WHY?
Bassett, you brought it up — WHY is Leon ill-suited for the new rules and better for the old rules?
Then, why would others like Harvin be better-suited to the new rules? At first, I thought it might be body build, but Harvin’s a smurf, too.
I can clearly see wanting to phase out Leon due to his increased value to the team in his other duties and the increased wear and tear with the loss of the wedge for protection. OK, no prob’ there. But that’s still a league-wide issue for every team’s KR.
I just don’t see how these new rules impact any individual KR more than another. Teams, yes. KRs, no. It’s a league-wide rule that makes it tougher on every KR, and is forcing every ST coach to come up with new wrinkles.
Until I can see a clear argument / explanation as to why this hurts Leon more than any other returner, I don’t buy it.
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steviek says:
when bassett brings up harvin its all about speed. for all that leon can do, his speed is what is being taken out of the offense. that’s what will need to be replaced. at the start of the season leon was the only real speed threat, unless counting keller matched up on a linebacker.
but now, they’ve added edwards, clowney has settled into more of a role with the cotchery injury and maybe woodhead can contribute out of the backfield. if/when cotchery comes back, speed will be more of a factor in the offense than just leon — and a great hedge on running the ball inside — with edwards & clowney an option in 3 wr sets with cotchery and that hasn’t been an option yet.
if someone can consistently get the corner running the ball like leon, than they should be able to do everything an offense needs to do to at least threaten diversity.
wish that leon never got hurt, but it is doable to keep scoring.
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Brendan says:
Mike,
It clearly impacted Leon quite a bit seeing how he went from one of the best kick returners in the league last year to 18th so far this season. And 6 games is almost 1/2 a season so it wasn’t just a slow start. Could be the blocking schemes don’t create lanes like they used to. Could be the lanes opening up are so big that the defense has easier paths to him. Could be a few things, a lot of which may not even have to do with Leon. But for whatever reason, certain players are better than others.
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Revis getting more love.
Its about time, people should have listened to me from the beginning!
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majasko says:
Just saw on the team website that Miller was signed.
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Bent says:
Mike:
“Everyone’s dancing around this, and not really explaining it.
When talking about the wedge rules, I see guys saying THIS guy’s better for it, THAT guy’s not suited for it, etc., etc., etc.
What I don’t see, is WHY?
Bassett, you brought it up — WHY is Leon ill-suited for the new rules and better for the old rules?”
Be sure to read the post below, especially the comments and in particular JerryB’s comment for a possible explanation.
http://www.thejetsblog.com/2009/09/11/link-will-leon-have-to-run-uphill-this-season/
For what it’s worth, I’m not sure I buy 100% that some KRs are better with a wedge than others, I just think the Jets have been adversely affected because they were one team that used the wedge particularly effectively. Maybe this will “gel” like an offensive line does over the course of the year.
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Bent — thanks for trying to explain this for me. Much appreciated.
However, the post and the comments, including JerryB’s, are mostly suppositions, even while there may be some truth buried somewhere within them.
This still seems to be Westy’s problem, not Leon’s. And if it’s Westy’s (who used the wedge better than anybody) problem, then it’s the problem of the ST coaches around the league.
Maybe more straightline speed (?), rather than someone who uses their blockers well?
So. No one really seems to know. Has anyone actually asked Westoff what he meant by that silly cryptic response about Leon?
Bassett, since you brought up the issue of Leon’s being phased out (a harsh term in any context), would you do the honors of trying to have Westoff explain himself. It would help to stop this conjecture.
All season long, I’m seeing most teams getting to about the 20 on KOs. Still seems league-wide.
This is exactly what i was saying yesterday. Anyone could give us what he was providing in the KR game.
The other top guys like Cribbs, Sproles, Royal, Harvin etc…have not been effected by the rule change or the directional kicking that some fans think have limited Leon’s numbers.
By week 3 I figure they would try to phase him out of the return game unless something changed….especially since he was running the ball pretty well as a RB.
As I stated a few times yesterday….with what he was giving us as a KR and with S Greene running well the loss might not be as bad as we thought…..Nobody can replace Leon dynamic skills but maybe we dont have to….
Put M Cole and Woodhead ( My choice would be M Cole ) back on kick returns and as long as they hold on to ball they can do just as well if not better than what we have gotten so far.