Jets' Greene adjusts to role behind Tomlinson
Baltimore Ravens' Terrell Suggs tackles New York Jets' Shonn Greene during the second quarter. (Sept. 13, 2010) Credit: MCT
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - This isn't what Shonn Greene envisioned, but he said he's OK with it.
The second-year running back was supposed to be the featured guy in the Jets' ground-and-pound approach, the heir apparent to veteran Thomas Jones. Yet, Greene has had to take a backseat to LaDainian Tomlinson's explosive ability.
"Last year I had more opportunities and stuff like that," Greene said Wednesday. "This year, we are doing some different things, so I'm not seeing the ball that much. But we are winning and I have no problem with it. It is what it is."
Tomlinson has collected 208 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries through three games, but Greene has run for just 106 yards on 30 carries and hasn't reached the end zone.
But Greene said he's satisfied with his production thus far - except for those two fumbles (one lost) against the Ravens in the season opener.
"I just try to do what they ask me," said Greene, who's averaging 3.5 yards per carry. "The first game I didn't perform too well, I take that on myself. I put that on my shoulders, I put the ball on the ground, so that wasn't a good performance from me. The past two games I think I did all right with the type of opportunities that I was given."
Tomlinson, who initially was touted as a change-of-pace, third-down back when he signed with the Jets, made his first start in Sunday's 31-23 win over Miami. He rushed 15 times for 70 yards and caught three passes for 18 yards.
But Greene, who carried 10 times for 36 yards against the Dolphins, said he isn't getting caught up in the fact that Tomlinson appears to be the "hot hand" at the moment.
"I don't really look into all that - who's the starter, who's not," he said. "Anybody that knows me, knows I'm not like that. We're both capable of getting the job done. To me, a starter's just somebody who's in there for the first play of the game. That's how I look at it."
Although Greene's critics question his explosiveness and ponder whether the Iowa product's rookie season created unrealistic expectations, Greene's teammates continue to believe in him.
"Shonn's awesome because he's going to fight for every yard and you know you have a workhorse in him," center Nick Mangold said. "So we're very fortunate to have a good duo of running backs."
With Roderick Boone
