jets have misused their running backs.. & it could continue next year ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

-- Bilal Powell's monster game Sunday has people wondering, "Where was this guy all year?"

Fair question.

Let's face it, the New York Jets have misused their running backs this season, overplaying Matt Forte and underplaying Powell. This isn't to suggest Forte isn't worthy of being the No. 1 back, but the workload should've been closer to 50-50 instead of 80-20.Except for a four-game stretch between Weeks 7 and 10, Forte has been a pedestrian runner. Now he's banged up, nursing a knee injury. Before he got hurt Sunday, it looked like he was running on fumes. Maybe that wouldn't have been the case if there had been better balance earlier in the season.

Powell was the best player on the field in the Jets' 23-17 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers, rushing for a career-high 145 yards and two touchdowns. He ran 29 times; he had only 49 carries in the first 12 games.

Maybe the Jets were saving him for the stretch run. Ha!

"We have two good backs," coach Todd Bowles said. "Matt’s a good back as well. It was just Bilal’s turn to shine [Sunday], and he did. You wait and get opportunities. He shined. There’s no reason he shouldn’t play more. Matt was playing well at the same time. You try to split the time and try to split the reps up."

But here's the thing :  They haven't been split evenly. Forte has been the workhorse, Powell the third-down back.

You have to be careful when comparing running backs in different roles. The third-down back gets the so-called easy yards because he's usually on the field in passing situations, facing fewer defenders in the box. At first glance, that could explain why Powell's yards-per-carry (5.8) is better than Forte's (3.7). But a closer look shows that theory doesn't hold up.Powell is more efficient than Forte on first and second down, when defenses usually key the run. In 60 rushes, Powell is averaging 4.8 yards, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Forte's average is just 3.5 on 203 rushes.

Let's get more specific.

When rushing against a defense with four defensive backs (in most cases, this means a seven-man box), Powell is averaging 4.9 yards per carry on 24 rushes. In 78 attempts, Forte's number is 3.3.Not surprisingly, Powell is significantly better in passing situations -- e.g., when five or six defensive backs are on the field. His average rush is 6.3 yards on 41 carries, compared to 4.2 on 72 for Forte.

Bowles speaks glowingly of Powell -- "He kind of has an old soul as an old-school player, but he’s very much a modern day player" -- yet he made him a spare part for 12 games. He turned to him only when Forte's right knee was "cracking and popping," as Forte described it.Forte's injury apparently isn't serious; he's considered day-to-day. If Bowles is smart, he won't rush him back. In a meaningless December, there's no reason to overwork a 31-year-old running back. They should make Powell the featured back over the final three games, starting Saturday night against the Miami Dolphins.

After the season, the Jets will have to revisit this because they won't have an elite offense with a Forte-Powell tandem. They're too much alike; this team needs a back with breakaway speed. They haven't ripped off a run longer than 35 yards, which is telling. Maybe they take the plunge and draft LSU's Leonard Fournette or Florida State's Dalvin Cook in the top 10. Or maybe they look for a home-run threat in the later rounds.Problem is, they're almost committed to Forte and Powell for next season because of the economics. It'll be tough to part with Forte because his $4 million salary in 2017 is guaranteed and it would cost more to cut him ($6 million cap charge) than to keep him ($5 million). Powell, too, has a significant guarantee -- $2.5 million of his $3.75 million salary.

So, basically, the Jets will be paying two starters at running back even though neither one is a clear-cut No. 1.

>       http://www.espn.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/65631/jets-have-misused-their-running-backs-and-it-could-continue-next-year

[UnitedWhofans]

Again, the lack of creativity from Chan Gailey. Have them both on the field at the same time some times

[Ex-Rex]

Gailey has misused his RB's. I agree that the workload should have been more 60-40 than 80-20. I think Gailey got blindsided by the rapid decline of Fitzpatrick, as we all did. He stubbornly called Fitzmagic plays long after he had shown the magic was gone. That IS on Gailey, but I don't think he should be fired for the sake of the young QB's. If he can get Petty playing well by the end of the season, I say keep him. I would NOT say the same for Kacy Rodgers on defense or the special teams coach.

[Jetster]

How did this coaching staff forget they lost every game last year that Bilal Powell was injured in? I mean WTF? Go back & look at some of those wins last year & they were all fueled by Powell catching passes out of the backfield. Then we give Forte a 40 touch night in Buffalo, just stupid.

[joenamathwouldn'tcry]

All of a sudden Bowles is a big Billal fan?  Why hasn't he,then, as the " head" coach insist that he get more touches?  Where was he when we had C.JSpiller and the other Buffalo Bill reject shoved down our throats the past two years?  With a better offensive line and an offensive coordinator with a clue, the running game wouldn't have been as much  of an issue as it has.  Just another example of why we should be backing up the truck.

[#27TheDominator]

Load of bullsh*t IMO.  1, Powell has something like 36% of the carries and significantly more targets than Forte.  Actually, IMO targeting Powell more than an all-time great receiving back is more misuse than not giving Powell more carries.  2.   "Except for a four-game stretch between Weeks 7 and 10, Forte has been a pedestrian runner. " Except from weeks 7-10?  Are you ******* kidding me?  What about weeks 1-2?  IIRC, Forte had 200 yards and 3 TDs through the first two.  Give me a break. 3. Pretty sure that Powell was also getting more snaps than Forte during the bleak stretch between week 3 and week 7.  You know, the weeks the article was complaining about.  

I believe the mistake was in having two backs with such similar skill sets.  Ivory and Powell complimented each other.  Powell and Forte duplicate each other and they aren't the kinds of guys you'd want on the field at the same time. 

[Jetster]

1 minute ago, #27TheDominator said:

Load of bullsh*t IMO.  1, Powell has something like 36% of the carries and significantly more targets than Forte.  Actually, IMO targeting Powell more than an all-time great receiving back is more misuse than not giving Powell more carries.  2.   "Except for a four-game stretch between Weeks 7 and 10, Forte has been a pedestrian runner. " Except from weeks 7-10?  Are you ******* kidding me?  What about weeks 1-2?  IIRC, Forte had 200 yards and 3 TDs through the first two.  Give me a break. 3. Pretty sure that Powell was also getting more snaps than Forte during the bleak stretch between week 3 and week 7.  You know, the weeks the article was complaining about.  

I believe the mistake was in having two backs with such similar skill sets.  Ivory and Powell complimented each other.  Powell and Forte duplicate each other and they aren't the kinds of guys you'd want on the field at the same time. 

Khiry Robinson broke his leg again.

[PepPep]

Did the Jets misuse the RBs. Maybe. I don;t exactly agree that Forte was 'running on fumes' the past couple of games. The O-line hasn't exactly been dominant. Bilal had a break-out game, no doubt, but he had opportunities earlier in the season spelling Forte and didn't exactly blow everyone away. Both have been very solid in their roles this season. Forte's injury has nothing to do with him being over-used. 

I don't see any reason why Forte, Powell and Fournette cannot all be on the Jets next year. As with Revis' contract and a number of other players high paid vets (Breno, Clady, Marshall, Richardson, Harris, Mangold), 2018 is the year when the Jets can let Forte walk with no cap hit. That gives Fournette ONE season to show that he can be a featured back, if the Jets were to draft him.  

[#27TheDominator]

32 minutes ago, Jetster said:

How did this coaching staff forget they lost every game last year that Bilal Powell was injured in? I mean WTF? Go back & look at some of those wins last year & they were all fueled by Powell catching passes out of the backfield. Then we give Forte a 40 touch night in Buffalo, just stupid.

Are you on crack? All fueled by Powell catching passes out of the backfield? Do you mean like his 0 yards rushing and 12 yards receiving against Miami?  His -2 yards (on 4 carries) and 1 yard receiving against the Redskins?  His 35 yards from scrimmage in the 2nd Dolphins game? Powell had some decent games.  He is a nice player, but can people please stop acting like he is Walter Payton?  He generally is not going to carry a team, though it was very welcome this week and he has been looking noticeably faster.  In case you forgot, the Jets won that "40 touch night in Buffalo."  Seems strange to call one of our 4 wins stupid instead of the 9 losses.

[PepPep]

1 minute ago, Jetster said:

I believe the mistake was in having two backs with such similar skill sets.  Ivory and Powell complimented each other.  Powell and Forte duplicate each other and they aren't the kinds of guys you'd want on the field at the same time. 

I mean, Forte and Powell are not exactly the same type of runners. I think the Jets just needed a power back. Robinson was supposed to be that guy but he got hurt. 

IMO, the O-line struggled this season just enough where, combined with the awful QB play, defenses focused on stopping the Jets run game. Add to that the fact that the Jets secondary could not stop a nosebleed and the Jets were constantly coming from behind and trying to pass the ball, it all adds up to a suffering run game where neither back can really dominate regardless of how they are used.

I think fans should appreciate how well Forte AND Powell played- all things considering.   

[joewilly12]

RB issues, defensive issues, special teams issues.......hate to keep harping but this is all falls on one person who should be fired. 

[peebag]

4 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

RB issues, defensive issues, special teams issues.......hate to keep harping but this is all falls on one person who should be fired. 

You lie - you love to harp.  You are a harp-off.

[joewilly12]

10 minutes ago, peebag said:

You lie - you love to harp.  You are a harp-off.

Nope not wasting my time and energy anymore discussing failure, take note  in the newest Geno Smith thread I did not even post. 

As long as the head coach remains I do not attend games or buy merchandise I don't support failure.

My feelings are known here as they were with Fitzpatrick and we all know how that worked out for us. 

Black Monday hoping for a change. 

joewilly12 

[neckdemon]

some of us have been saying this all year. they were giving slow AF forte all the carries when powell was clearly the faster and better back.

[SR24]

1- Get a better OC

2- Through the draft and Free Agency rebuild the damn oline. When we had Sanchez and a good oline we were a playoff team! Thomas Jones went crazy for 14 TDs and a ton of yards while Sanchez just had to manage the game. The game is won in the trenches and without a good line no qb has a chance. A good oline can make an average qb look great look at Dak! Oline should be #1 priority this offseason

[kelly]

Jets still clueless on how to use Matt Forte, Bilal Powell effectively

-- Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey hasn't figured it out, and it's Week 15.

He knows he has a solid backfield. Both Matt Forte and Bilal Powell complement each other well, and are quite good in their own right.But at no point this season has Gailey found the perfect mixture of both. It's always too much of one, and not enough of the other."We are fortunate to have two pretty good players," Gailey said. "We've been trying to split it up and let them both play. One week it's a little bit more for one guy."

For the most part, it has been Powell getting the short end of the stick. Despite leading the NFL in yards per carry (5.8) on a minimum of 70 rushes, he has just 78 carries this season.This weekend -- when Powell ran 29 times for 145 yards and two scores -- was the first time he rushed at least 10 times in one game. It was the first time he touched it (rushes and receptions) more than 11 times. 

Gailey has deployed Forte as his featured back, and Powell on third downs and in passing situations. It's not that Forte is bad. He has 792 yards this season and seven touchdowns. But the inability to maximize the efforts of both Forte and Powell at the same time has been the Achilles' heel of the Jets' offense.

Powell is painfully underutilized. 

"We have two good backs," head coach Todd Bowles said. "You wait and get opportunities. [Powell] shined [versus the 49ers]. There's no reason he shouldn't play more."Matt was playing well at the same time. You try to split the time and try to split the reps up. [Sunday], it worked out in (Bilal's) favor."

In Cincinnati, the Bengals have figured out how to use Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill equally in the same games. In New England, the Cheaters have done the same with LeGarrette Blount, Dion Lewis and James White.Over at One Jets Drive, though? It's either one or the other. Never both. 

"Earlier in the year I was being asked why Matt's catching balls," Gailey said. "Bilal is getting all of the catches, you know? That's just the way it works when you've got two guys that can play."

>      http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/12/jets_chan_gailey_still_searching_for_way_to_use_ma.html#incart_river_index

[Jetster]

On December 14, 2016 at 0:51 PM, #27TheDominator said:

Are you on crack? All fueled by Powell catching passes out of the backfield? Do you mean like his 0 yards rushing and 12 yards receiving against Miami?  His -2 yards (on 4 carries) and 1 yard receiving against the Redskins?  His 35 yards from scrimmage in the 2nd Dolphins game? Powell had some decent games.  He is a nice player, but can people please stop acting like he is Walter Payton?  He generally is not going to carry a team, though it was very welcome this week and he has been looking noticeably faster.  In case you forgot, the Jets won that "40 touch night in Buffalo."  Seems strange to call one of our 4 wins stupid instead of the 9 losses.

You need a history lesson, Powell had a high ankle sprain that slowed him down last year. Instead of just grabbing a couple of games when he 1st was injured & tried to play give me his numbers during the Jets 5 game winning streak. Oh, and he reinjured himself & missed the last Buffalo game & yes, we lost.

[#27TheDominator]

On 12/14/2016 at 0:20 PM, Jetster said:

How did this coaching staff forget they lost every game last year that Bilal Powell was injured in? I mean WTF? Go back & look at some of those wins last year & they were all fueled by Powell catching passes out of the backfield. Then we give Forte a 40 touch night in Buffalo, just stupid.

 

15 hours ago, Jetster said:

You need a history lesson, Powell had a high ankle sprain that slowed him down last year. Instead of just grabbing a couple of games when he 1st was injured & tried to play give me his numbers during the Jets 5 game winning streak. Oh, and he reinjured himself & missed the last Buffalo game & yes, we lost.

Are you serious?  History?  Before you educate me, I think you need to refer to your own post Professor.  You said all our wins were fueled by Powell catching passes but... high ankle sprain,  blah, blah, blah, reinjured himself, etc.  You said they lost every game last year that is was injured in, but he was  DNP against Jacksonville and when I gave his numbers for some of our wins, you said he was hurt.   Make up your mind dude, was he hurt or did he just suck in those games?  How did we manage to win 10 games with him hurt for some of them?  You said it was stupid to give Forte a 40 touch night in Buffalo.  A game we won (with Forte playing very well), but bring up last year's Buffalo game?  Newsflash - Forte was on the Bears last year.

 

Looking at the stats, it seems like we've only won games where we ride one back.  That may just be a result of having more offensive plays and more reason to run the ball, but splitting carries hasn't worked well, and I'm not so sure I'd blame Gailey.  Ride the hot hand.  Powell is a decent back and a nice compliment, but he has never been the bell cow and when he was, for a brief spell in 2013, he promptly got hurt.  He is under his 2nd head coach and 4th offensive coordinator and has been an unrestricted free agent the past two offseasons.  If he were an undiscovered gem, somebody would have discovered him by now.  He is a nice player, not Gale Sayers.  The big issue is that have too much money in these two guys.  They are both quality players, but their contracts dictate that they are both on the team for 2017 and they both have top 20 RB contracts.  Mistake IMO.

[ASH1962]

On ‎12‎/‎14‎/‎2016 at 0:53 PM, joewilly12 said:

RB issues, defensive issues, special teams issues.......hate to keep harping but this is all falls on one person who should be fired. 

Absolutely correct, couldn't agree more. All I keep thinking reading this is Coaching, Coaching, Coaching.

[David Harris]

Bilal  has looked like the better back to me almost the entire season. Just the eyeball test, he popped, he looked more explosive, looks like he was trying harder. Todd is very conservative, he is usually the last one to  The table. 

[CrazyCarl40]

37 minutes ago, David Harris said:

Bilal  has looked like the better back to me almost the entire season. Just the eyeball test, he popped, he looked more explosive, looks like he was trying harder. Todd is very conservative, he is usually the last one to  The table. 

He looked better and faster than Ivory last season when healthy too. Not that that's very difficult, but it's not a surprise or it shouldn't have been to this staff. 

[kelly]

nside the Numbers: Bilal's Big Day

Posted 2 hours ago

Randy LangeSenior Reporter, newyorkjets.com@rlangejets

•  
•  

Celebrating Powell's Monster Game at SF One Last Time: Walkoff TDs, 3rd-and-1's, Total 1st Downs

Even though Bilal Powell had just scored the game-winning touchdown, there was the little matter of a yellow flag at the line of scrimmage.

“I don’t know what happened," Powell said after the 23-17 victory. "All I know is I was tired and I was in the end zone. I’m not a big celebration guy. I was just waiting for the confirmation that it was a touchdown.”

BP and the Jets got that confirmation. And we'll do the celebrating for Powell with this week's edition of Inside the Numbers.

Walking Off into the Sunset
How many walkoff touchdowns — TDs on the last play of regulation or in overtime — have the Jets had in their history?

Powell's 19-yard mad dash for the win was only the Green & White's seventh all-time. Everyone members the one before Powell's — Eric Decker's 6-yard TD pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick to beat the Cheaters last Dec. 27 and his Lambeau-like leap to commemorate it. Here are the first five:

Nov. 10, 1974 — Jets 26, Giants 20. Emerson Boozer 5-yard pass from Joe Namath, 8:07 into OT.

Sept. 21, 1986 — Jets 51, Dolphins 45. Wesley Walker 43-yard pass from Ken O'Brien, 2:35 into OT.

Oct. 18, 1987 — Jets 37, Dolphins 31 (replacement game). Eddie Hunter 8-yard pass from Pat Ryan, 14:26 into OT.

Sept. 8, 2002 — Jets 37, Bills 31. Chad Morton 96-yard kickoff return, 0:14 into OT.

Nov. 14, 2010 — Jets 26, Browns 20. Santonio Holmes 37-yard pass from Mark Sanchez, 14:44 into OT.
 

Mr. Third-and-1
Before his two touchdown runs, Powell had a pair of third-and-1 conversions. He's taken over from Fitzpatrick and Matt Forté as the man who needs the ball in his hands on crunch-down-and-one.

The two conversions make Powell 7-for-7, tying him for the second-best season of third-down/fourth-down-and-1 conversions in Jets history behind QB Richard Todd (9-for-9, all on runs, in 1979) and John Riggins (7-for-7, all runs, 1972). Of course this distinction will disappear if Powell fails to convert on a rush or reception this year.

Forté was 6-for-6 on his rushing attempts before being stopped for a 3-yard loss vs. the Colts, but he also was the intended receiver on three failed third-and-1 pass plays this year.

Move Those Chains
Including his last carry of the SF game, Bilal racked up an amazing 11 rushing first downs, nine of them in the second half and OT. Why amazing? Here are the Jets he joined with that performance:

■ He was the first to reach 10 first downs in a game since RB Thomas Jones had 11 vs. the Rams in 2008.

■ He was the first with at least 10 first downs in a road game since Curtis Martin had 10 at Indianapolis in 2001.

■ He had the most rushing first downs in a road game since Adrian Murrell had 11 at Cincinnati in 1997.

■ His seven second-half first downs (not including two in the OT period) are the most in a half since Jones ' 8 in the first half of the abovementioned  Rams game, and the most in a second half since Martin's 8 in the 2004 season opener vs. the Bengals.

Lastly on the first down front, Powell now has 44 first downs on the season, moving ahead of Forté (43) and Brandon Marshall (40) for the team lead.

The last time two RBs topped the Jets in first downs wasn't long ago — 2013, when Powell led with 48 and Chris Ivory was second with 35. For the last five of his six seasons in green and white (he had no first downs as a rookie), Powell has notched 175 first downs (112 rushing, 63 receiving). That's easily the most on the Jets since 2012.

 

>        http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-randylangefb/Inside-the-Numbers-Bilals-Big-Day/a6264a70-a3eb-40de-9b02-a69762949beb