Chris Ivory: I want to Win, but

[flgreen]

Jets RB Chris Ivory: 'I want to win, but along with that, I want the touches'

 

spjets0516 10 MUNSON.JPG

Chris Ivory had a great breakaway percentage in 2012, along with Mike Goodson. (John Munson/The Star-Ledger)

Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger By  Conor Orr/The Star-Ledger  
on May 23, 2013 at 1:51 PM, updated May 23, 2013 at 3:07 PM

 
 

    

 

Chris Ivory is the most tenured running back in the building right now, and depending on how things shake out with Mike Goodson, could be in line for a bigger role this season.

 

During a recent interview, he talked about what it was like being in a crowded backfield in New Orleans and why he wanted the chance to break out and earn more carries.

 

"I was always going to have that opportunity," he said. "But it was just a tough situation over there. We all had our roles, just hard to fit four backs in a system. But I'm glad to be here."

 

He added: "I think more carries will allow my full potential to show...You kind of have to accept (sharing the ball). It was hard, I'm not going to say it wasn't hard. There were times when you don't like it, but you have to deal with it and accept your role."

 

When asked if he had conversations with the Saints during the offseason asking for a bigger role if he returns, Ivory was careful with his words.

 

"Well..." he said, pausing for a few seconds. "I didn't necessarily say that, but I would have loved for that to happen."

 

Basically, the point he's making is, we haven't seen enough Ivory to formulate a full opinion. That, with a bigger opportunity he can showcase more skills. So, with the help of our friends at Pro Football Focus, we look at the numbers that may have helped formulate the decision to bring him here.

Is Ivory right? You can decide.

 

Breakaway percentage:

 

2012*: On 40 total attempts, Ivory had three carries go for 15 yards or more. On those carries, the Saints gained a total of 103 yards.

2011: On 79 total attempts, Ivory had two carries go for 15 yards or more. On those carries, the Saints gained a total of 60 yards.

2010: On 179 total attempts, Ivory had nine carries go for 15 yards or more. On those carries, the Saints gained a total of 229 yards.

 

* An interesting note here, both Ivory and Goodson were in the top 10 for breakaway percentage, according to Pro Football Focus. Goodson was ranked No. 7 and Ivory No. 9.

 

Pass catching summary:

 

Another interesting part of Ivory's interview was when he was asked about misconceptions some have about his game.

 

"People say I can't catch," Ivory said. "But how many times have these people seen me catch a pass out of the backfield and all the times I caught the ball. But yet, they say I can't catch."

Here's his play breakdown from the last three years:

 

2012: 41 rushing plays, 20 pass plays.
2011: 104 rushing plays, 29 pass plays
2010: 140 rushing plays, 37 pass plays

Thrown at/catch rate:

2010: Thrown at: 1, catch rate 100% (1 rec, 17 yards)
2011: Thrown at: 1, catch rate 0%
2012: Thrown at 3, catch rate 66.7% (3, rec, 15 yards)

 

Yards per carry

 

Ivory said that, more than anything, he wants to win. But: "along with it, I do want the touches. I feel like I can be a big threat, but overall I just want to win, man. And be a big part of that puzzle."

 

Here are his touches from the past three seasons (carries//yards//yards per carry)

2010:

3 ATL @ NO 7 13 1.9
4 CAR @ NO 12 67 5.6
5 NO @ ARZ 10 39 3.9
6 NO @ TB HB 15 159 10.6
7 CLV @ NO 15 48 3.2
8 PIT @ NO 7 7 1.0
9 NO @ CAR 12 50 4.2
11 SEA @ NO 23 99 4.3
12 NO @ DAL 7 38 5.4
13 NO @ CIN 15 118 7.9
14 SL @ NO 7 47 6.7
17 TB @ NO 7 33 4.7

2011:

8 NO @ SL 6 18 3.0
9 TB @ NO 15 67 4.5
14 NO @ TEN 13 53 4.1
15 NO @ MIN 18 74 4.1
16 ATL @ NO 8 35 4.4
17 CAR @ NO 19 127 6.7
WC DET @ NO 13 47 3.6
DP NO @ SF 9 23 2.6

2012:

9 PHI @ NO 10 48 4.8
10 ATL @ NO 7 72 10.3
11 NO @ OAK 8 37 4.6
12 SF @ NO 8 34 4.3
13 NO @ ATL 3 4 1.3
17 CAR @ NO 4 22 5.5

 

So, there you have it. The Jets liked Ivory enough to fork over a fourth-round Draft pick. They could have had rookies like Jonathan Franklin (UCLA),Marcus Lattimore (South Carolina), Stepfan Taylor (Stanford) or Joseph Randle (Oklahoma State), who were all drafted within 50 picks of the Jets selection.

 

Ivory certainly thinks it was a good deal.

 

"(The Saints) know what I had to offer, there's no doubt what I can do," he said. "So they knew what I had to offer. But it's a new beginning, so I just have to come out fresh."

Do you?

[TheShow]

Do you?

[pedro55]

 No doubt he has some talent, but talent to be a starting RB in the NFL?  Who knows as he has never shown he could be a starter at any level.    And can he actually stay healthy if he does get the touches?  So far without the touches he hasn't been able to stay healthy in college or the NFL.   At this point there is nothing to lose because the Jets have no other RBs.  

[slats]

I'm looking forward to seeing him play, primarily because the masses here are far more sold on the guy than I am, and I want to see if I'm wrong or not. I was actually more excited to see Goodson catching passes out of the backfield in the WCO. I hope he's not convicted.

[flgreen]

 No doubt he has some talent, but talent to be a starting RB in the NFL?  Who knows as he has never shown he could be a starter at any level.    And can he actually stay healthy if he does get the touches?  So far without the touches he hasn't been able to stay healthy in college or the NFL.   At this point there is nothing to lose because the Jets have no other RBs.  

Way before the trade I wanted to see Ivory come to the Jets.  When the 2nd round tender was put on him I thought it was over, but was very happy with the 4th.

 

The injury factor is my one real concern with him.  I'm hoping he won't be the  bell cow.  He runs way to hard for that, and will wear down, and develop minor injuries which will effect his production.  If they use him, Powell, and  Goodson I think he will be a great 2nd half back, and a game closer.

 

That is if they can score any points

[flgreen]

I'm looking forward to seeing him play, primarily because the masses here are far more sold on the guy than I am, and I want to see if I'm wrong or not. I was actually more excited to see Goodson catching passes out of the backfield in the WCO. I hope he's not convicted.

When this first came out I thought he was a gonner.  As it is unraveling it seems like the gun belonged to his buddy.  Hopefully he will plea down to the stupid pot possession.

 

Might not even get him a suspension being his first offense for a non-performance enhancing substance.   

[stugotz81]

I'm more than souped on this kid.  His vision coming out of the backfield is just tremendous...the way he can find holes and accelerate through them with such great speed and agility just gets me so damn excited.  If we have a legit passing game this year, Ivory will be a force to be reckoned with. And if Goodson is to be there as a compliment to Ivory we will have a strong running game...and screen pass game. 

[kay_gee]

Well Chris Ivory.

 

You have to do better than Bilal Powell, Joe McKnight, and Mike Goodson (depending on his incarceration).

 

Good luck.

[JoeKlecko]

Great, we have another Jet saying, "Gimme the damn ball" (or will have shortly if Sir Marty passes the ball as much as he has in the past).

 

I like that he's confident and wants the ball, but the Jets are already enough of a circus without a newly signed player who has never started in the NFL clamoring for the ball.

[Larz]

can he catch it ?  if you look at MM, he passes 60% - 65 %  of the time

 

lol

 

can't wait for this punk to say " the jets lied to me" by november

[TechJet]

is that really what he wants me to see?

[shhwagah]

I'm convinced Ivory will beast out, but has anyone given McKnight a second look? He can be a slot/RB hybrid. I'm sure Mornhinweg will be more successful than Schotty & Sparano in getting him out in open space where he shines. If Goodson doesn't work out, I'm still excited for McKnight to play.

[Jetsfan80]

I'm convinced Ivory will beast out, but has anyone given McKnight a second look? He can be a slot/RB hybrid. I'm sure Mornhinweg will be more successful than Schotty & Sparano in getting him out in open space where he shines. If Goodson doesn't work out, I'm still excited for McKnight to play.

 

At this point McKnight will probably be restricted to a KR/Danny Woodhead type role.  Play out in the slot a few times, maybe come in when guys ahead of him are hurt (or in our case, suspended).  Powell looked good enough last year to get more touches than McKnight.

[shhwagah]

At this point McKnight will probably be restricted to a KR/Danny Woodhead type role.  Play out in the slot a few times, maybe come in when guys ahead of him are hurt (or in our case, suspended).  Powell looked good enough last year to get more touches than McKnight.

 

McKnight is more versatile  Powell looked better than McKnight because he's more of a power-back and Sparano ran a lot of between the tackles plays which suited Powell better. McKnight wound up with better stats in the small amount of time he played before he was injured. I want to see a Mornhinweg coached McKnight. I think he's a home-run hitter type of back, we just need to create mismatches. 

[Jetsfan80]

McKnight is more versatile  Powell looked better than McKnight because he's more of a power-back and Sparano ran a lot of between the tackles plays which suited Powell better. McKnight wound up with better stats in the small amount of time he played before he was injured. I want to see a Mornhinweg coached McKnight. I think he's a home-run hitter type of back, we just need to create mismatches. 

 

Powell was the best running back on the team (16th in the NFL in DVOA) by far last season, no matter how you splice it.  In the end it's basically irrelevant.  Goodson was brought in to upgrade us in the "pass-catching RB" department, and afterwards, Ivory was brought in to be the starter.  We'll see if Goodson's legal troubles open the door for either of them to get touches.

[shhwagah]

@Jetsfan80 I'm going to wait and see. I feel like McKnight is going to play hard with and with chip on his shoulder. He has 40 yard 4.4 speed so he's definitely the fastest back we have. Edit to my earlier post: McKnight wound up with better stats in the small amount of touches he had per game.* Not injured.

[BroadwayJoe12]

Dude absolutely played his heart out in that patriots game when he had the high-ankle sprain, he was running hard and fighting for every yard even on one leg.  I'm actually excited to see what he brings to the table. 

[SenorGato]

Dude absolutely played his heart out in that patriots game when he had the high-ankle sprain, he was running hard and fighting for every yard even on one leg. I'm actually excited to see what he brings to the table.

What do you think of him as a Kevin Faulk type?

[shhwagah]

Dude absolutely played his heart out in that patriots game when he had the high-ankle sprain, he was running hard and fighting for every yard even on one leg.  I'm actually excited to see what he brings to the table. 

 

I'm assuming you are talking about McKnight. Yeah, he was playing hard. His stats wouldn't show it, but the eyeball test will confirm he played with heart that game. The offense was sputtering and NE didn't respect the pass. All of our backs were having a hard time running against that line and McKnight was playing injured. The biggest game killer that night? Sparano's playbook.

 

@SenorGato- I believe you are talking about Chris Ivory? I see him as a Faulk type back, but Ivory looks faster in game IMO. If you look at his highlights Ivory hits those gaps like a lunatic. I love it. In some of the highlight plays the gaps aren't even gaping holes, they are just cracks in the line. We could have used a lot more of that last season. 

[F.Chowds]

Why Christopher Ivory will be a top 10 running back in 2013

 

Chris Ivory goes beast mode, and he’s ready to break out like the real “beast mode”.

New Jets running back Chistopher Ivory is one of the best-known “sleepers” for the 2012, but do you really know him? He only has 256 career carries in his 24 career games with the New Orleans Saints, yet, he’s one of the most highly regarded running backs in fantasy football this season.  Before you tell me I’m crazy for ranking Ivory in the top 10 (number eight, to be exact)  in my post-draft rankings, I want you to 

the future star. If he doesn’t remind you of Marshawn Lynch waiting to burst onto the scene, I’m not sure who does. He lowers his head and gets a couple of yards before he goes down on every run.

 

Durability is one of a couple of concerns for the bulldozer. However, talent usually wins out in bad situations (unless the bad situation is carrying illegal guns, hollow-point bullets and possessing marijuana). Is it another “talent is forever” situation, despite injury, a horrid offense and only a snapshot of production? In my mind, it is that type of situation. It’s time for Ivory to burst onto the scene after a reserve role in his first three seasons in the NFL.

When we look at the Jets backfield, Ivory has become the clear starter, at least for now. After free agent acquisition Mike Goodson shot his chances to start dead with his little (actually, rather big) incident in New Jersey, Ivory has a clear path to the starting job. Goodson is currently pleading not guilty, and he was even present the the Jets’ organized team activities (OTAs), but he didn’t participate. Expect punishment to come one way or another, including the possibility of being cut before the season. Regardless, as of now, Goodson appears buried on the depth chart and does not pose a threat to Ivory. Without Goodson, Ivory has little competition in Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight, both of whom were unable to overtake Shonn Greene  – who lacks just about every tool a running back needs to be successful — in 2012.

 

Let’s  just assume that Ivory will get the workload that Greene received as a Jet. In 2012, although he touched the ball in a very limited workload, Ivory averaged 5.4 yards per carry, which took his career average to 5.1 yards per carry. In a full season in 2012, Greene rushed for 1,063 yards on 276 carries, and in 2011 rushed for 1,054 yards on 253 carries. Take Ivory’s yards per carry of 5.1 over his career and you get a number around 2,700 yards over 2011/2012, provided the carries that Ivory got. That’s about 1,360 per season, which would have put him at eighth in the NFL in rushing in 2012. I know, this isn’t an accurate depiction for many reasons (lesser offense, major injury risk, etc.), but it gives you an idea of what kind of numbers we’re looking at for Ivory as he becomes the workhorse in New York.

 

It’s also important to look at the offensive line that Ivory will be running behind in New York in comparison to New Orleans. The Saints offensive line was impressive in Ivory’s years in the big easy. In 2012, the core was: left tackle Jermon Bushrod (graded out a 2.0 in run blocking by ProFootballFocus.com), left guard Ben Grubbs (6.2), center Brian De La Puente (13.6), right guard Jahri Evans (1.2), and right tackle Zach Strief (0.3). For the Jets in 2013, it will be: left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson (graded out a 0.1 in run blocking by ProFootballFocus.com), left guard Willie Colon (6.0 with Steelers), center Nick Mangold (15.8), rookie right guard Brian Winters, and right tackle Austin Howard (9.6). So what does this all mean? A lot is going to depend on the rookie on the inside for Ivory’s offensive line to take a substantial upgrade. Ivory runs better to his right, but ultimately, if Winters is an upgrade to Evans in run-blocking (which is likely if the rookie is anything like NFL draftniks are expecting), then Ivory will have taken an upgrade in his offensive line, especially with Mangold manning the interior line.

You’ll be seeing a lot more of these dreads in 2013.

It’s also well-known that the Jets will run the ball when they get down to the goal-line, unlike the Saints. New Orleans rushed the ball 17 times inside their opponent’s five-yard line with their running backs in 2012 according to ESPN. Greene, with the Jets, had 19 rushes alone, within the same distance. Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight combined for seven more, and Tim Tebow (now a free agent) wasted three goal-line carries. Do the math (I know, it’s hard), and that’s 29 goal-line carries in all for the Jets in comparison to the Saints’ 17. We’re not sure exactly of what Ivory will do at the goal-line because of a lack of use in that area of the field (zero carries inside the five yard-line in 2012), but if his running style and the Jets clear goal to run in that area of the field are any indication, he should.

 

Next up: more stats. Although it was a limited workload in the high-riding Saints offense, Ivory’s elusive rating in comparison to running backs with double digit carries was tops in the NFL in 2012 according ProFootballFocus.com. He also was second in the NFL in yards after contact per carry with 4.73, which is quite obviously a strength in the highlights linked to above. It’s also worth noting that while he wasn’t used as a pass-catching back in New Orleans, he’s ready to prove doubters who say he can’t be a receiver out of the backfield wrong.

 

However, it’s not all pretty for Ivory. In his 2012 camp, it was well noted that Ivory put the ball on the ground a lot. Of course, the Saints didn’t cut him before the season for this reason, the only reason being his immense talent in things other than holding onto the football. Despite fumbling four times in his rookie season (and losing two), he hasn’t put the ball on the ground in a regular season game in his last two seasons.

 

An obvious concern is the new offense for Ivory; one that is going to, without a doubt, struggle immensely this season. However, if 2012′s run-to-pass ratio is anything like what the Jets want to do this year, the run will be much more significant than it was in New Orleans, which means more opportunity for Ivory. New Orleans ran on just 35.5% of their offensive snaps, while the Jets ran on 50% of their snaps. On a Jets team that has a losing record (14-18) over the last two seasons, the coaching staff has been committed to a run-first offense, even with struggles at running back. When combining the 2011 and 2012 team rushing stats, the Jets are the eighth team on the list. However, in 2012, the Jets averaged only 3.8 yards per carry, which was tied four other teams for sixth worst in the NFL. This is a team that loves to run the ball even when they weren’t successful at it. If Greene fulfilled their need, they will worship Ivory. Ivory is relatable to Greene in the fact that both are run-between-the-tackles guys. However, Ivory has burst, vision, and the extra effort that Greene does not have. There’s a noticeable difference. Ivory is colossal upgrade from Greene, and in this offense that favors the run, possibilities are endless.

 

Injury is the only concern that will keep Ivory from being drafted as a RB1 this year. A Lisfranc injury at the end of his rookie year landed him on the PUP list at the beginning of the following year, where he was active in only 6 games. Besides missing games on the PUP in 2011, Ivory also battled a hamstring injury in the 2011 season. However, Ivory frequently was not included in the Saints group of three active running backs unless one of the top three — Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas, or Darren Sproles — went down with an injury. Many games in 2012 specifically, Ivory was inactive not because of injury but because of his situation.

 

While Ivory proposes a risk that some players do not with injury and a whole new offense to adjust to, he’s a great pick for your team, especially when he’s currently going as the 24th running back off the board at 4.06 in a 12-team league. So how much of a risk are you really taking with a fourth- or fifth-round pick? Considering that the pieces are all in place for Ivory to have a stellar (maybe even elite) season, it’s not much risk for a guy that’s going to be your third running back. To summarize Ivory: explosive, gives 100% on every run, has a solid offensive line in front of him, is a perfect run blocker (according to ProFootballFocus.com), appears to be the sure workhorse for the Jets, and has top 10 upside at a currently low price, has some injury risk, but a well rested body. With no more running backs in front of him all signs point to a breakout year for Ivory if he can stay on the field. Be sure he’s on your fantasy team this year.