Whenever I hear that “(Fill in the player) is expected to more involved in the offense,” I take it with not only a grain of salt, but with so many grains of salt that production at the Snyder’s of Hanover pretzel factory has to shut down for a week.
But I certainly believe this one from NFL Network’s Jason LaCanfora.
LaCanfora is reporting that the Jets are going to start shifting to a 50-50 timeshare between RBs Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson:
Keep an eye on the Jets’ running game down the stretch. The sense I got from a member of the front office is that Shonn Greene and Tomlinson could begin to see a more balanced role.
In the past four weeks, L.T. has continued to carry the ball twice as often as Greene (67-35), but after running for about 5 yards per carry in the first four weeks of the season, Tomlinson is averaging just 3.85 yards per carry the past four games. Greene, meantime, is averaging 4.8 yards per carry over the last four games. It hasn’t gone unnoticed, and to expect L.T. to finish the season the way he started might be a bit naive.
Yes, we have heard this one before, but it makes a lot of sense and kind of follows the plan that the Jets used with Greene last year. Greene was sparingly used until the playoffs, when he came in fresh and bowled over the Bengals and Chargers en route to the AFC Championship Game. And it makes sense for them to do it again. Tomlinson is approaching the time of the season when he starts slowing down. And I am sure that the Jets’ training staff is readying that exercise bike on the sidelines for the team’s playoff run.
We've seen this coming since Greene went in the doghouse and LT started carrying the load early this season. LT probably wouldn't hold up given his current pace. But, with a fresh, young Greene standings on the sidelines, it makes a whole lot of sense he's going to get more work as the season goes on. Obviously, this is better news for Greene owners and he looks to become a guy to get in your lineup as an RB2 or flex player. It remains to be seen how the carries will be split, though, as both of them can find the end zone eliminating the need for one to be a traditional "goal line back." Also, Tomlinson will retain more value due to his role in the pass catching game.
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