New York Jets: Shonn Greene in For Monster Role in 2012? - NFL Soup

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The New York Jets vowed to make a return to their “ground and pound” offensive approach. After a season that saw quarterback Mark Sanchez turn the ball over 32 times, that’s probably a pretty good idea.

They started to head back in that direction last year, as lead running back Shonn Greene registered career highs across the board, finishing with 253 rushing attempts, 1,054 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

It’s a little depressing that those are Greene’s career highs after three years in a fairly rush-heavy offense, but progress is progress.

The important thing to note is that he’s gotten better, and his role should get even bigger.

According to the New York Times, the Jets definitely plan on increasing Greene’s touches, even despite the addition of running quarterback Tim Tebow.

“We’re not going to disappoint you,” said head coach Rex Ryan, “We’re going to give the ball to Shonn Greene a bunch.”

If the team is truly going back to the ground and pound, blowing up Greene’s role would only make sense, due to his strength and power.

While Tim Tebow’s role in a possible variation of the Wildcat could impact Greene’s overall touches slightly, there is otherwise little reason to think the early indications of a bigger role aren’t true.

After all, Greene doesn’t have much legit competition, as Joe McKnight, Bilal Powell and Terrance Ganaway aren’t exactly “feature back” material at the moment.

Greene hasn’t blown anyone away, himself, but he’s the only back on the roster with all the desired tools to get the job done. And with his progress last season, there’s still hope that he can do just that.

Greene wasn’t crazy explosive or insanely productive, but he averaged over 4.0 yards per carry for the third year in a row, and held onto a steady role all year long.

With at least 10 carries in 15 of 16 contests, we already know Greene is the focal point of New York’s rushing attack. And with nine games of 60+ rushing yards, we know he has the ability to be productive and somewhat consistent. But even more carries could make Jets fans and fantasy owners feel a bit better about the situation.

If Greene really does see the increased role, he may approach 300 carries in 2012, which could easily have him in the 1,200+ yard and 10 touchdown range. And if you’re buying what the Jets’ coaches are selling, you may just want to bump Greene up your fantasy rankings a bit more this summer.