To recap their non-existent rushing attack’s prowess, Shonne Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson combined for 42 yards on 15 carries … yikes. In all fairness, there were no holes for the duo to run through. Here was calls-it-as-he-sees-it Rex Ryan’s take afterwards, “You have to give them a lot of credit. We averaged 2.8 yards a rush. They were getting off blocks and they were blitzing the run. They did a good job up front. You have to give them credit.”
Notice there was no mention of how the running game’s performance was “unacceptable” or really any kind of negativity towards it as you’d expect from a head coach following that type of Bad-News-Bears performance. And since Ryan is a shoot-from-the-hip kind of guy, we’ll take him at his word and praise the defense even though it was devised by his hippie-looking brother.
Actually, looking at the Jets’ more recent transactions, should it be such a surprise that Schottenheimer’s offense would start to rely on the right arm of Mark Sanchez to pass more than hand off the ball?
Woody Johnson’s front office made headlines by signing true-number-one wideout Santonio Holmes to a five-year $50 million dollar deal, then quickly grabbed coveted veteran receivers Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason from everyone else’s grasps. The duo, in their prime, were both number-one receivers and judging from Burress’s performance so far (four catches, 72 yards, and a vicious block on CB Mike Jenkins) he hasn’t noticeably slipped despite his age and possible rust as some in the media (okay, that was actually this writer) erroneously thought.
Meanwhile their 2008 first-round investment in pass-catching, TE Dustin Keller as well as the following season’s investment in trading up for and signing fifth-overall pick Mark Sanchez, are quite a commitment into a seemingly secondary part of the offense.
Conversely, GM Mike Tannenbaum has gambled on three consecutive mid-round draft picks in running backs while signing a thought-to-be-done LaDainian Tomlinson to a mediocre contract. Tomlinson still has “it” as evidenced by his play against the Cowboys, but the investment wasn’t that of a workhorse back.
Given the contradictory investments given to the running and passing games versus their intended usage, should it really be a surprise that the offense evolves into relying more on the pass than the run? Granted, the lopsided performance is based off just one game, but the ongoing commitment disparity between the two styles is even greater than that of the Ryan brothers’ dreads.
