seeing that the update on him is good, and he should be able to go next week, please please please start this guy, the moves he made and the way he pounded out the runs were incredible, use him and Washington, and then Barlow on the goal line when needed. I think this game proved the rotation, and Houston is the best back the Jets have.
Link please. So far, he's been rumored to be anywhere from "just fine" to "out for the season" around here.
I'm really tired of Barlow. He goes down pretty much on first contact, or at least with below average defensive efforts. Houston appears to be a little more difficult to bring down.
Agreed. And besides, I think a good rotation will prove to be the best option against a rush defense that was ranked 3rd before today's game vs WAS.
Exactly. I really think Houston is capable of starting, but maybe it'd be safe to not have him play this week against JAX, and have Houston and Barlow take turns?
Washington may be a nice situational back, but he should NOT be the starter, even though he provides the Jets with the best running threat. Unless he's improved during practice over the last few weeks, he's a horrible blocker. Chad is probably the last player we can afford to lose right now, and having Leon try to fend off LBs is just asking him to be put in a cast.
Yes I am definatley in favor of starting Houston. I do think that Barlow and Washington should both also see a few carries, but Houston should get the majority. I think he has proved that thus far. To me, it should look like this (per 10 carries): - 6/10 carries for Houston - 2/10 carries for Barlow - 2/10 carries for Washington Also use Barlow as the goaline back and Washington as a third down/speed back.
Agreed 100%. Barlow is the big back you want to have on the goal line, and Washington has the speed to get across the line for the 1st Down. Hey, Brad Smith showed he can do that today too
Like i said, Barlow SHOULD be used in goal line situations, Houston should be starting, and Washington should be change of pace, that sounds like a rotation to me but houston should get the bulk of rushes.
houston supposedly couldnt put any weight on his leg so im not sure how were going to start him next week
Houston deserves a shot. Blaylock got his, and Barlow got his. The offense has looked best with Houston in the game, so he at least deserves the opportunity.
I don't think Washington should be the starter. I think Barlow should. Houston is not a stellar blocker either....
That was a great run he had without a doubt, but that was one of the only good runs that I've seen from him all season. Most of the time he seems to get stuffed around the line of scrimage.
Getting stuffed at the LOS has more to do with the run blocking. But with that being said, Houston does do more with the ball in his hands than Barlow IMO. Neither are going to be very effective with the way we block.
I'm actually in favor of Houston over Barlow (that is, not considering the possible injury, of course). Barlow may be a better blocker than Houston, but Houston isn't exactly a liability either. Barlow hasn't shown that he can consistently make something out of nothing like Houston has. And taking account of the current O-Line, we need a back that can pick up tough yardage despite not having any running room. I believe Houston does a better job of that than Barlow.
The only place Houston will be playing the rest of the year is on Madden. That knee is seriously F-ed up and we wont be told until friday at the earliest. Prepare for a big dose of Shake n' Flake as the Washington/Barlow show takes the stage.
Yeah that's what I thought too, at first. It seemed like Barlow never had any blocking. Then I started to notice that when Cedric Houston carried the ball, he didn't get stuffed much. The run blocking is very medicore, but the fact is that Houston does more when he has the ball rather than Barlow/Blaylock. And this is why he should be the starter.
