I'm torn about this. This is a very deep draft, and we can use every pick that we get, but there is no way to realistically downplay the X-factor that Leon can be on any given day. There may be questions about his broken leg, but bones heal much more thoroughly than ligaments. This scenario makes me pretty nervous. Shonn Greene has done nothing to prove his durability, and TJ is on his way out. This is a pretty big gamble. As soon as I heard this news, the Patriots came to mind. Belichick has played against Leon since he was drafted, has gotten torched by him a number of times, and has draft picks to burn. I'd hate for the Jets to have to face Leon Washington twice a year standing in the Pats' backfield behind Tom Brady.
Shonn Greene 2009: Ankle, rib injuries, unable to finish AFCC Thomas Jones 2009: Knee injuries, completely useless in AFCC Leon Washington 2009: Broken Fibula + Tibia, what's the AFCC? Brian Westbrook 2009: Week 7 - Concussion, Week 10 - Concussion I am not doubting that Westbrook can rack up yards when healthy, the only problem is that he cannot stay healthy. If the Jets are going to bring in another HB, they should be targeting people with better health than those on the roster.
Good post. I am a huge Leon fan, but with all the question marks surrounding his situation getting a 2nd for him would be hard to pass up. Like you said, Westbrook could provide a similar player in a limited role for a year or two which is probably how long we'd be able to or want to keep Leon anyway. Brad Smith has already taken over some of Leon's roles. Would it SUCK to seem him on the Pasts? Fuck yea it would, but it's not like he's the main guy in our offense.
word is the broncos are going to get a second rounder for a healthy brandon marshall. i would take a second for leon in a second having said that (curb), i think leon will have a big role on the team if he doesnt sign elsewhere ... i realize that he would only be our 3rd down rb but he would also be our primary slot receiver and kick returner. a second is too much to pass up because he is 28 and will be demanding a new contract, but if hes here he will be a big part of our success next year
I would've preferred the Jets offer a 1st round tender. The difference in salary between a 1st round and a 2nd round tender would only apply in this year, which is uncapped anyway. I really believe that coming back from a fracture is a lot more of a sure bet than coming back from a knee ligament (ACL or MCL) tear. I would have confidence Leon would go back to being the incredibly explosive player he was - I'd rather it be with the Jets than with another team. Plus, that "poison pill" they described in the original article scares me. If another team is going to get Leon, we should at least try to get the highest compensation possible (a 1st round pick instead of a 2nd round pick).
It's a negotiation tactic. Even though it's somewhat more likely that a team would give up a 2nd rounder than a 1st for Leon, I still think it's a tough call for most teams out there due to the injury. It's still fairly low risk from that stand point. It does, however, limit Leon's perceived value to the team in negotiations. I'm still hoping he slaps Keels into line and seeks a realistic new contract with the team.
I hate Alvin Keels. He'd already have a long term deal if it weren't for that clown. Hopefully his clown ass stays away from future Jet players contract negotiations.
Leon has been an absolute gem for us since we drafted him, but, as others have said, a 2nd would be simply too good to pass up, IMO. Especially with so much RB talent projected for the 2nd round. A guy like Dexter McCluster seems to be the perfect candidate to fill Leon's role, should we lose him. Though, if we're able to get him back next season (hopefully at 100%) I certainly would love that, too.
Wow. I have to disagree with most on here. I believe losing Leon Washington for a #2 would be terrible. A Leon/Greene backfield would be ideal. Saying Leon wasn't valuable in this offense is a stretch. First off, he only played six games with Sanchez. Once he got hurt, they scrapped the screen pass because he was no longer there. This guy is a game breaker on STs and from the LOS. How quickly we forget about 2008. All signs point to a complete recovery from his injury. People sell this guy short because of his size but I am convinced he can do everything an every down back can do. They said the same thing about Tiki and Westbrook. I hope this doesn't come back to bite us. Heck, we could get pick #60 in this deal!
The Jets collapsed in 2003 because they had a second-string player on the field in front of Chad during preseason when the Giants were still playing their first stringers. They only had one good guard that season, Dave Szott, and the other position was finally manned by a Dolphin retread with an injury history - the guy they didn't have in front of Chad during that preseason game because they just weren't playing him a lot to avoid the chance he'd get hurt. They collapsed in 2005 because Curtis and the line got old simultaneously and the Jet's depth on the line was thin due to the trade-ups in the draft, the failure of Goodwin to develop and ultimately the loss of Randy Thomas and Kareem McKenzie in their early primes after 2002 and 2004 respectively. The Chad injury was just the spark that lit a bonfire that had been primed and set to go. The 2005 Jets lost game 1 with a healthy Chad 27-7 in Kansas City. They just weren't that good a team. If the Jets keep Thomas and Coles in 2003 the odds are good Chad does not get hurt in camp that year because he has Szott and Thomas in front of him on the play in question. It's an open question whether he then becomes injury prone or not. One of the offshoots of the hand injury in camp in 2003 is that Chad could not lift for months, and even months are enough to break down a physical training regime and it's positive benefits for overall musculo-skeletal maintenance. It's clear that after the hand injury everything broke down for him and he became "like an egg back there".
I didn't forget anything. I've always been against paying Leon Washington big money. He isn't that valuable to this team, especially now. Cedric Houston was a 6th round pick that got to play against a mediocre-at-best, crumbling offensive line. 2010's draft is very deep at a lot of positions. Drafting a running back at the back of the first or in the second wouldn't be a bad move. You said it yourself: Shonn Greene is fragile...running back is a bigger need than a lot of people seem to think. Washington has low value in our offense. The screen pass isn't utilized, and that's where he was the most dangerous. Once again, getting a 2nd round pick for a kick returner that's coming off an injury is a good move.
He is also a head case! That changes the equation and although he produces he is only worth a second. What I would have agreed on is if you said: that coming off an injury a second round pick is good value for Leon given that we do not know what we will be able to get from him next year.
