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Is LaDainian "LaDone," as a New York paper recently speculated? Although no one is saying that around Jets camp, what is being said is that starter Shonn Greene is in line for a big, breakout season.
"Now he’s starting the game and he’s the guy,” says fullback Tony Richardson of Greene, in a story at the team's website. "I think he’s busted his butt really hard this offseason and I think he’s made some tremendous strides."
Lineman Brandon Moore also raves about Greene. "He’s a great back to block for,” Moore said. “A guy that will put his body on the line like that and run as physical and tough as he does, you feel good about blocking for him and helping him be productive."
The Jets also have LaDainian Tomlinson and rookie Joe McKnight, but neither is expected to take too many carries away from Greene. (And as often as the team will run the ball, Greene could be a 20 carries per week guy even if he loses up to a third of the work.)
What's more likely is that those players will be involved in passing situations -- Greene can't catch -- with McKnight also playing a role in the return game.
There's definitely some uncertainty about how much work Tomlinson will take away, but based on the performance of each player late last season, not as much as Tomlinson might hope. The job, and the bulk of the workload, will almost certainly be Greene's.
--Andy Richardson
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Posted by Paul Owers | Jun. 30 at 02:46 AM
Very interesting. Thanks, Andy. So where does Greene figure into fantasy drafts? Late first-round pick? Earlier than that? This guy could have a solid season and he doesn't seem to be getting a whole lot of fantasy attention.
Posted by ANDY RICHARDSON | Jun. 30 at 06:13 AM
I think he should be somewhere from 8th to 12th among running backs. Not necessarily a lot of difference between him and the other backs left once your top 6 or 7 are gone. He's not going to catch any passes, we know that. But his yardage and touchdown totals should be similar to other late first-round running backs. I guess people think Tomlinson will have a bigger impact, but a veteran backup isn't stopping guys like Knowshon Moreno and Beanie Wells getting a lot of love, and they don't play in better rushing offenses than Greene.