Joe McKnight A New Man

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Joe McKnight a new man

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

BY J.P. PELZMAN

STAFF WRITER

The Record

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For some reason, Joe McKnight's last name wasn't emblazoned in lights above his locker like the rest of his Jets teammates after Sunday night's game.

No matter. McKnight seems poised to make his name stand out this season.

The second-year running back scored his first NFL touchdown in the Jets' 27-7 rout of Cincinnati. Although McKnight was matter-of-fact about the score afterward, it was emblematic of how much better he's doing this summer than last summer.

McKnight beat single coverage on his 3-yard touchdown catch from Greg McElroy in the right flat on the first play of the fourth quarter.

"It was pretty much a one-on-one play," McKnight said. "I just had to beat the man to the flat and Greg threw a great pass."

"He just outran" the defender, coach Rex Ryan said after the game. "The kid had good coverage. [McKnight] just outran him. That's what Joe can do. He's a mismatch. I thought he played really well."

McKnight had two receptions for 7 yards against the Bengals and had 36 yards rushing on seven carries. In the preseason opener against Houston, he had five carries for 24 yards and two catches for 4 yards before exiting the game because of a concussion.

That injury looked like an ominous sign for McKnight, who vomited in his first minicamp as a rookie in spring 2010 because he wasn't in proper condition. The fourth-round pick from Southern California then had a less-than-impressive training camp, which led to him spending much of the 2010 regular season on the bench.

To make matters worse, the Jets drafted Louisville running back Bilal Powell in the fourth round this year. Powell has struggled in the first two games with 47 yards rushing on 18 carries, and McKnight seems to have surged ahead in the competition to be the third running back behind Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson.

McKnight returned to practice late last week and was cleared to play.

"It felt good to get back out there and play some ball," he said. "I was so fortunate that my symptoms went away fast."

He downplayed the competition between him and Powell.

"It's not really a competition," he said. "I'm just going out there and competing and showing the coaches I can make plays. I'm not worried about the [third running back] job right now. I felt fine. I felt like I left a couple yards on the field, but overall it was a pretty good game."

When asked about his difficult 2010 campaign, McKnight said, "You've just got to be patient. Last year was my learning curve. I learned the game. … My main focus this year is to just practice hard and stay consistent during the week."

BRIEFS: Ryan seemed a bit uncertain about the status of 40-year-old backup quarterback Mark Brunell, who sat out Sunday's game because of a pulled calf muscle suffered in practice Friday. "I'm not real sure on how long it will be," he said of Brunell's potential absence, adding, "I hope he's ready for our first [regular-season] game against Dallas. I'm sure he will be." … The Jets will have closed practices at their complex today and Wednesday before an open practice at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., on Thursday.

E-mail: pelzman@northjersey.com

[THE ILK]

Thank me, I sent him Dramamine.

[The Crusher]

Personally I think McKnight will become a very good 3rd down back as soon as he catches up with the game. Some guys come out mature enough to compete, some guys got a little maturing to do. McKnight is in the latter group.

[slats]

He downplayed the competition between him and Powell.

"It's not really a competition," he said. "I'm just going out there and competing and showing the coaches I can make plays. I'm not worried about the [third running back] job right now. I felt fine. I felt like I left a couple yards on the field, but overall it was a pretty good game."

There really isn't a lot of competition there, IMHO. McKnight is a different kind of back who'll be asked to do different things. I could see Powell leapfrog him right into the starting job eventually, but that won't effect McKnight's role as a 3rd down/wildcat/spread out RB. McKnight is LT's backup, and Powell is Greene's. Greene has more to worry about, as both McKnight and Powell are much better receivers already than he'll ever be. Those 50 catches that LT got last year need to go somewhere.