The New York Jets just cannot escape the battles at offensive positions. For the past few years, the Jets have controversy at a few positions throughout the season that manages to find itself in the headlines. The quarterback drama has once again crept back into the team's locker room and now the running back position has some drama of its own as Chris ivory and Chris Johnson compete for carries.
The Jets have tried to put emphasis on the run game in order to help Geno Smith develop faster as a quarterback. They signed veteran Johnson off the free agent market with the hope that he could regain his old form while pairing up with Ivory and Bilal Powell. However, Johnson has yet to find his legs, causing the Jets to make some depth chart changes.
Through three games, Johnson is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry and 3.8 yards per catch. That is nothing impressive and the Jets need more. Ivory on the other hand is averaging 5.7 yards per carry and 11 yards per catch. Sticking with the hot hand, the Jets plan on giving Ivory much more playing time in the coming weeks over Johnson given how much more successful he is than the veteran.
"Maybe Chris Ivory will get more time," Ryan said, via ESPN.com. "He's certainly running hard and he's doing a great job out of the backfield. There aren't a whole lot of guys that want to tackle him. He's done a great job."
The Jets were hoping to operate with a three-headed rushing attack this season, much like the New England Patriots did last year. However, Ivory has emerged as the true threat on the field, leaving Johnson and Powell on the sidelines for the time being. Against the Chicago Bears, Ivory had 44 yards on 10 carries while putting up 55 yards on four catches before the Jets kept him off the field for the fourth quarter.
Ivory is needed as Smith put up an inconsistent performance against Chicago and is now facing questions about his future as the starter. Michael Vick is waiting in the wings and according to the New York Daily News, the Jets could make a switch under center if the quarterback has one more bad game. Ryan denies any idea that Smith is getting replaced, noting that he and the team stand behind him 100 percent.
"I think everybody's behind Geno," Ryan said. "He's our quarterback and our football team believes in him, so that's it. And like we mentioned, Geno's a mentally tough guy. We're happy that we have Mike Vick on this team, but we believe in Geno. We understand it wasn't great, he made some mistakes, but we've just got to get better and we've got to learn from these and then move on."
