Going Greene, Seeing Red

Shonn Grenne is what he is – inconsistent

(AP Photo)

By Michael Quagliana

New York Jets running back Shonn Greene had a career game on Sunday versus the Indianapolis Colts. Greene rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns in the Jets’ 35-9 victory. His performance has created a lot of buzz, especially in the fantasy football world, but is this a sign of things to come?

Not quite. The statistics aren’t close to being in Greene’s favor. Here are the top five reasons why Shonn Greene’s big game against the Colts will prove to be just a fluke.

        

1. Despite putting up the numbers he did on Sunday, Greene is still only averaging 3.5 yards a rush in 2012. His average ranks eighth among running backs in the league with at least 100 rushing attempts.

2. In the four weeks prior to Sunday’s game, Greene failed to rush for 161 yards. Total. In the four game span Greene failed to reach the end zone, and his best output proved to be a 40-yard game against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 23.

3. The Jets’ next three games are against the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins, and the Seattle Seahawks who rank No. 6, No. 5, and No. 2 in the league against the run, respectively. Combined, those three teams on average give up only 76.9 rushing yards a game.

4. Robert Griffin III, quarterback of the Washington Redskins, has rushed for more yards this season than Greene, 379 to 378, on nearly half the attempts, 55 to 108.

5. Sunday was only the fifth time in Greene’s four seasons in the NFL that he rushed for more than 100 yards in a regular season game. He has never accomplished the feat more than twice in one season.

Shonn Greene has the tangibles to be a solid starting running back in the NFL, but he has never been consistent. His career has been filled with extended lulls and temporary glimmers of hope. The depleted Jets are in search of a savior to help them contend for the playoffs, but don’t expect Greene to be the answer.