The Jets plan to re-emphasize the “Ground and Pound” offense in 2012. But they’ll need running backs who won’t allow themselves to be pounded into the ground.
More specifically, they’ll need Shonn Greene to have a career year.
“I’m asking for a monster season,” running backs coach Anthony Lynn told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “I think he’s one of the best power backs in the game. Why wouldn’t you?”
And there’s no better time to have a career year than a contract year. Greene will be a free agent in March -- unless, of course, he gets an extension or ends up on the short end of the franchise tag.
Lynn says Greene was “frustrated as hell” last year as the offense strayed from “Ground and Pound” to “Chuck and Duck.” Unlike receiver Santonio Holmes, however, Green didn’t “Piss and Moan.”
“I said, ‘Whatever y’all need me to do, I’m going to do,” Greene told Mehta. “This a team sport. Nobody should be selfish. Whatever we got to do to win games, that’s what everybody should do.”
Greene still had 253 carries last season, along with 30 touches via receptions. Lynn said that he believes Greene knows he’ll get the ball between 300 and 350 times in 2012.
So will this be the breakout year for a guy who showed promise in the 2009 postseason but whose career high is only 1,054 yards rushing?
“If I knew, I’d be in Vegas,” Lynn said. “But we sure plan on it happening this year.”
If it happens, Santonio Holmes likely won’t be happy. And he likely won’t keep quiet about it.