The New York Jets, who don't particularly have a long history of excellence at the quarterback position, are a ground-and-pound offensive team that thrives when it establishes the running game early on.
Here's a look at the top ten New York Jets' running backs in their history, considering only the stats racked up during their time in New York:
1) Curtis Martin: While Martin opened his career with a three-year stint with the New England Patriots, he goes down in NFL history as one of the greatest New York Jets of all-time. In his eight seasons, he become the franchise's all-time leading rusher with 10,302 rushing yards.
2) Freeman McNeil: McNeil, who played his entire career with the Jets between 1981 and 1992, had two 1,000-yard seasons and ranks No. 2 in franchise history with 8,074 yards.
3) Emerson Boozer: Boozer never had a 1,000-yard rushing season, but he played his entire career with the Jets and tallied 5,135 yards along the way.
4) Matt Snell: Snell, a three-time Pro Bowler, seemed to decline just about every season from 1964 until 1972, but he had a stellar rookie campaign that featured 948 rushing yards. He had 4,285 rushing yards in his NFL career, which was played entirely with the Jets.
5) Johnny Hector: Hector ranks No. 5 all-time on the Jets' rushing charts with 4,280 yards. He mostly served as Freeman McNeil's backup in the 1980s.
6) Thomas Jones: Jones had some of his best pro years as a Jet, tallying 1,312 rushing yards in 2008 and 1,402 yards in 2009, before the team took a gamble by going with the combination of Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson for the 2010 season. Jones rushed for 3,833 yards in his Jets career.
7) Shonn Greene: Greene, who is coming off his best year, could easily rise the charts into the top five list on the Jets' all-time rushing charts before all is said and done. Greene has 2,360 rushing yards in his three-year career with the Jets.
8) John Riggins: Riggins played with the Jets in the early 1970s, and ran for 1,005 yards in 1975 to earn a Pro Bowl nod. He rushed for 3,880 yards for the franchise.
9) Adrian Murrell: As much as I want to put LaDainian Tomlinson on this list, I just can't do it. His stats as a Jet don't quite match up to Murrell, who rushed for 3,447 yards in his career in New York.
10) Bill Mathis: Mathis was a solid offensive player for the Jets throughout the 1960s, rushing for 3,589 yards. He earned a Pro Bowl in 1961.
Eric Holden is a lifelong New York Jets fan. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.
Sources
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/, Pro Football Reference, team and player stats
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