May 14, 2008

Some saw the Jets’ decision not to draft a running back as evidence that the team is willing to give RB Thomas Jones a mulligan on his uninspiring first season in the Big Apple. The way we hear it, that’s not entirely accurate. Although he may well get a second chance at the starting job, the Jets are, in fact, peeved with Jones’ inability to get on track in ’07 — a season that netted him 1,119 yards on a whopping 310 carries (a dismal 3.6 average) and just a single touchdown — and are quite willing to give diminutive scatback Leon Washington and free-agent acquisition Jesse Chatman larger roles in the offense. However, it bears mentioning that the Jets should boast a considerably better run-blocking offensive line in ’08 after bringing aboard OLG Alan Faneca and ORT Damien Woody, and we hear there’s a strong feeling in Jets camp that Jones is their best option at running back when a strong line is in place. Jones is a tough runner to bring down when able to generate downhill momentum, whereas Washington, with his tremendous speed and wiggle, is more adept at creating on his own when his line fails to open consistent holes.