Maybe, in hindsight, Jets owner Woody Johnson blew a gasket regarding the home-game coin flip in order to get people to quit paying attention to the question of whether the team should have kept Thomas Jones in lieu of dumping him and signing LaDainian Tomlinson.
But it remains a very real question, which could haunt the Jets in a 2010 season during which the franchise will have a large bull’s-eye on its back.
So let’s give it some more attention, PFTV style.
Totally agree.
LJ would have been better than LT, as well. So would Chester.
As a Skins fan I still want to know why in the hell they would let Thomas Jones get away and sign LJ.
Well the only one still talking about it is you.
The Jets O-Line made Thomas Jones a factor back. You wont hear anything about him now that he’s with KC. If T.J. can run well with our O-Line, so can L.T. I also think that Tomlinson can break tackles much better than T.J. if anyone watched the Jets faithfully they would admit that Jones didnt break tackles all that well and didnt always maximize his opportunity with big holes. im willing to bet that Tomlinson is much quicker with jones which will allow him to hit holes faster. Also, why do you think Greene became such a factor in the post season? Because he can break tackles and hit his holes fast. People can say Jones got tired and maybe he did, butwhat does that say about Jones when he crumbles at the most crucial part of the season? I just cant wait for the new season so that people can just shut up and see for themselves that this tomlinson deal was worth it.
It’s funny how Florio was praising the idea of LT going to the Vikings, yet rips his move to the JETS. I have news for you, Chester Taylor is better than all of them and the Vikes just let him walk.
If Washington comes back and is healthy we are having this discussion about a teams 3rd RB??? If not, their backup? I’m sure if TJ was on SD the past 2 yrs he wouldn’t even be playing in the NFL this year…TJ is a product of the Jets O-Line. LT can perform just as well…and if he actually gets completely healthy he could be great again…For a couple million dollars he’s worth the small gamble.
@ CuMoNmYtUmMy:
Umm, you do realize that Jones put up a couple of thousand yard seasons running behind a very average line in Chicago, right? I’m pretty sure he was a “factor back” long before he went to NY. Oh, and Jamaal Charles ran for over 1,100 yards (in only 8 starts) and averaged 6 yards per carry in KC, so their line can’t be that bad, especially after adding Lilja and Weigmann.
As for Tomlinson, he has been on the decline for several seasons now. The Chargers have a pretty good o-line themselves, not to mention a top flight QB that teams have to respect. Jones had a rookie handing him the ball who threw 20 picks. Nobody is scared of Sanchez, at least not yet.
In short, Tomlinson has a ton more wear and tear on him and is a whiny little baby who constantly clashed with his teammates and is coming off his worst season as a pro. Jones is coming off his best season and is a hard working leader who everyone in the locker room loved and respected.
There is no question whatsoever who got the better end of the deal.
TJ is a journeyman RB with zero special skills..much like Shonn Greene
Get over it Jet fans…..
@ just_a_cigar
You do realize that SD has an offensive line built around their passing game, do you? It is a good line, but there is a big difference between an o-line to a passing team, and an o-line to a running team. Running O-lines get push, and try to open up holes. Passing O-lines just try to preserve a pocket for the QB. The difference means the world for a RB. This can explain the several season drop in stats for LT.
Yes TJ had some good years with the Bears, and with us, but he is older now, and needs the extra help from a good o-line. If you saw the holes he was getting with the jets, you would understand. He won’t get that in KC.
Florio could rush for 1000 yds behind the Jets line. Jones was a solid back but the Jets brass knows what theyre doing. Greene is going to have a monster year and all LT has to do is supplement. I think everyone will look back on this at the end of the year and clearly see it was the right move
@mrzazz41387
Thank you for noticing the gaping holes Jones was presented with. And as for getting 1000 yards in previous season, yes getting 1000 yards
is good but it shouldnt be the measuring stick for a running back’s season. People need to actually watch the games to understand a running back’s true value and skill. Besides 1000 yards has become fairly common plateau that many running backs achieve. I mean people can argue about this deal forever but the only way we’re gonna get answers is when the season starts. All i can say is that you wont hear of T.J. like you did when he was with the jets. I love Thomas and he’s a classy player but im more excited for Tomlinson. He’s still got some speed where he can rip off those 60 yard td runs that Jones couldnt finish.
You’re kidding yourselves if you think LT can outrun or wiggle between tackles. That ended like 2 years ago. He does not have the tools to avoid the tackles anymore and that’s another reason he skips to the sidelines. One to avoid the hit, another because he can’t avoid the next one upfield.
Yeah, uh, as a fan who has seen every snap
of LT’s career, I feel compelled to point out
that his last “60 yard td run” was about
1,700 carries ago (in 2004).
As a Jets fan and watching them all season long, it was easy to see what type of runner TJ was. He was extremely easy to tackle, picked up junk yardage after the O-Line spent the whole game pounding the defense and then would break2-3 big runs at the end of the game to put himself over 100 yards. He also never seemed to run hard unless his position was challenged (by Greene or Leon). That being said, LT is a backup, just as TJ would have been. No one will know if it was the right choice. On paper, probably not. But put LT in a new city, new team, better line, another bigtime fullback in Richardson (we all know how well LT did with Neal!) and i think we can see some decent production out of him. I think TJ flops this year. Not to mention he is gonna be a backup to Charles.
I repeat from a previous post…Tony Richardson should be a first ballot hall of famer, and it doesnt really matter who’s running behind his blocks, they will put up monster numbers. Shonn Greene is poised for a 1500 yard season…going to the topic though, TJ is better then LT and LT does nothing to add to this team. They would have been just as good with Shonn, Leon, and a 5th round RB picked up in the draft.
This will go down as the worst offseason move of 2010. When you lose a conference title game, you don’t replace the most stable figure of your offense, you add to it. Jones could’ve been had for similar money, and you have now traded him for a lesser player.
The reason LT would’ve been a better fit for the Vikings is that LT’s role was perfectly clear so he would have no reason to sulk. LT would also have been replacing a 3rd down guy. In NY, LT is replacing their starter and now must work behind an unknown quanity in Greene. Dumb move for LT, dumb move for the Jets.
LT will be sulking in 2010.
NY should’ve kept TJ > LT.
(Hell, the BEARS should’ve kept TJ once upon a time, too, he helped them beat GB in OT in 06.
All time, it’s clear that LT is > TJ.
But right now, TJ is the better commodity, but over LW or SG? IDK…
WN RR drafted MS to replace BF (IH8 4), and brought in AT and BS on D, I thought OMG, NO FN WAY thA get 2 the AFCCG to plA PM and CO.
BWDIK?
NEway, right now, I’d also take Taylor over either of them.
TTYL/STFU, ME
TJ was supposed to have presented his KC offer to the jets and they passed. i heard that never happened. once he was realeased, he had absolutely no interest in playing for the jets and it would’ve take a mil. more than KC for him to even consider it. thus, he never presented it. the end
Tony Richardson will give the Jets two RB’s with 1,000+ yd seasons. LT is about to show everyone that his decline was mostly due to bad coaching/management decisions, starting with dumping Lorenzo Neal.
The Jets are the perfect venue for LT to feed the disbelievers their plate of ‘Crow’
Good Luck LT/Jets!