This is a Public Service Announcement aimed at all eligible receivers on the football field; specifically Shonn Greene. When the quarterback throws you the football, please be so kind as to catch it. Thanks in advance.
Yes, we are poking fun at this issue but it is a serious one. A key for the Jets this year is becoming more efficient on offense. That starts with having Mark Sanchez raise his completion percentage significantly. The easiest way to accomplish that is by throwing to the running backs more when nothing is open down field.
Except the running backs need to catch the ball.
LaDainian Tomlinson excels as a receiver out of the back field. Last year he had 52 receptions for 368 yards as a receiver. L.T. once caught 100 passes in a season (2003) and has caught 50 or more in 9 different seasons.
In 2010, Shonn Greene had only 16 receptions for 120 yards. If Greene wants to be the featured back in this offense, he has to catch the ball. Last night he showed that he still has a way to go on the first series as he had another drop. It seemed to be more of a lack of concentration than a physical issue. Whatever it is, Shonn needs to improve. The Jets need a complete running back and right now Shonn isn’t there yet.
Add in the fact that Shonn Greene only had 11 receptions for less than 100 yards in college and you can see the cause for concern. The Jets will have 3rd down backs on the field that will be threats out of the backfield. They need a similar option on 1st and 2nd down and if Shonn wants that to be him, he needs to step up.
Tell us what you think in our NY Jets forum, will he become a viable option in the passing game?