Jets are showing interest in Lawfirm

[IllegalContact]

Meh. No big deal, either way.

yup......I'd rather see them get BJGE than a top RB

does not make sense, though...they need someone to complement greene, not reproduce him

 

[BradyManny]

I know its an unpopular opinion on here, but Benny is just not a difference maker. He is a good, serviceable player, and that is of some value. But I would not push past $2 million a year if I were the Pats. And I am not going to lose a moment of sleep if he defects to the Jets.

 

[Nunchucks]

Meh, I hope he signs with the Jets. He isn't the dynamic player that Greene is, sure he doesn't fumble, but Greene can make plays.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

He all kidding aside needs to do what is best for him. If the Jets pay him hundreds of K more than the Pats, he needs to be a Jet. Avoiding that locker room is probably only worth $100K or so per year. In any case, like Izzo, thanks for your services and enjoy your career.

 

[JackBauer]

I know its an unpopular opinion on here, but Benny is just not a difference maker. He is a good, serviceable player, and that is of some value. But I would not push past $2 million a year if I were the Pats. And I am not going to lose a moment of sleep if he defects to the Jets.

Agreed. It always comes back to how he never fumbles, but if that's the best thing you can think to say about a RB... it's damning with faint praise.

 

[Gronkandez]

Agreed. It always comes back to how he never fumbles, but if that's the best thing you can think to say about a RB... it's damning with faint praise.

I wouldn't even pay him $2M/year. Do I like the guy? Sure, but he's very limited in what he can do.

 

[fnordcircle]

I know its an unpopular opinion on here, but Benny is just not a difference maker.

I read this viewpoint a lot and I think it is because people are obsessed with big plays.

A RB who gets you 4+ yards a play 60-70% of the time is a difference maker.

 

[The-Hooded-One]

I read this viewpoint a lot and I think it is because people are obsessed with big plays.

A RB who gets you 4+ yards a play 60-70% of the time is a difference maker.

A player that can do the average is a difference maker?

 

[Tunescribe]

I read this viewpoint a lot and I think it is because people are obsessed with big plays.

A RB who gets you 4+ yards a play 60-70% of the time is a difference maker.

A "difference maker" is an offensive threat the other team has to game-plan for. Benny is not in that category. He's steady and low-risk but a complement to the passing game and little else. Benny didn't even average 4 yards per carry last season.

 

[patfanken]

Benny made $1.8MM last season, and had a slightly off year. His value to the Pats this coming season would be as a GL/SY ball carrier and depth Most of the rest of the snaps are going to be taken by Vareen and Ridley baring injury. I don't think you'd want to pay more than a $1MM for a player with that kind of a role.

His value to another team as a former Patriot who does things the right way and understands playing a role, plus a guy who doesn't fumble; be would be higher than with the Pats. Go with Woody, Vareen, and Ridley. Finding a " big thumper" anytime before July shouldn't be hard to find.

 

[JackBauer]

A RB who gets you 4+ yards a play 60-70% of the time is a difference maker.

So it's your contention that every RB who has ever averaged 4.0 YPC is a difference maker?

Interesting logic, unless you have a very low standard for what constitutes a difference maker.

And just so we're clear, we're not lamenting BJGE's lack of big plays per se, we're lamenting the fact that he doesn't even pose a threat of breaking a big play... pretty much ever. Teams aren't going to respect our run game when they can ignore the guy in the backfield and, at worst, surrender an 8-10 yard run. It just doesn't cut it, especially at 3+mm per.

 

[CheeseMonkeys]

I really hope this doesn't happen. If he signs as a Jet I will be forced to root against. I Don't want to root against Benny!!

 

[BradyManny]

I read this viewpoint a lot and I think it is because people are obsessed with big plays.

A RB who gets you 4+ yards a play 60-70% of the time is a difference maker.

I would disagree. He averaged 3.7 YPC last year, which is mediocre. His success rate was good, as you say. But a difference maker helps you win games, and win titles. BJGE has not made an appreciable difference in the outcome of very many games in his time here. Would you agree or disagree with that statement?

The reality of the situation is that RBs have so little effect on the game as it is.

Consider the "advanced: statistic of win probability added per game (take it for what it's worth, I don't even know how they calculate these things, but it does a decent job of showing the general impact of a player):

Advanced NFL Stats - Player Statistics by Position

The highest WPA/G for an RB is .10. BJGE comes in 29th at .02.

whereas for a QB:

Advanced NFL Stats - Player Statistics by Position

#1 is .40 with Brady.

WRs have a much greater impact than RBs, and thanks to guys like Gronk and Vernon Davis, TEs do too.

Bottom line - running backs are not impacting the game much these days. And Benny is no different. He's a slightly above average back with excellent ball safety, and his impact on the outcome of Patriot games is pretty small.

 

[Sicilian]

I like Benny, and would love to see him back for depth purposes. I mean if you have a guy that's effective in short yardage, doesn't fumble, and doesn't take too many negative runs, he's perfect as a backup.

The problem is I fully anticipate Ridley to take a step up this year and get more snaps. If so, he's a much better runner than BJGE, and assuming the fumbles are improved he actually adds a dimension to the offense rather than just breaking even.

Combine that with the fact that Woodhead will always get his snaps due to his abilities in the passing game, and BJGE may not even WANT to play here when he can get 15+ carries consistently somewhere else.

 

[bunuel]

Meh, I hope he signs with the Jets. He isn't the dynamic player that Greene is, sure he doesn't fumble, but Greene can make plays.

There is literally nothing dynamic about Shonn Greene's playmaking ability. If anything they're the same type of RB only BJGE doesn't turn the ball over.

 

[Gronkandez]

I read this viewpoint a lot and I think it is because people are obsessed with big plays.

A RB who gets you 4+ yards a play 60-70% of the time is a difference maker.

A RB should be able to do something significant when the opposing defense is play nickel more often than not.

 

[Water Boy]

Rumor has it that Rex wants BJGE because he's got good feet.

 

[TheComeback]

Blah, blah, blah, Benny is a solid RB who never fumbles and has been the most successful goal line back in the league for two years in a row.

If the Jets offer him a big payday, he's earned it and I'll lose no respect for him. I'd like to have him back, but RBs should take as much money as they can, while they can.

 

[Bostonian1962]

I wonder if they are trying to drive up his cost, or if they really are interested?

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

There is literally nothing dynamic about Shonn Greene's playmaking ability. If anything they're the same type of RB only BJGE doesn't turn the ball over.

I'm probably in the minority, but I'd take Greene over BJGE. I've always thought he was a great runner and doesn't benefit from playing in an offense with Brady. In fact, his QB sucks and isn't a threat at all. Rex made it clear after week 4 that the Jets are going back to ground and pound because they failed to become a dynamic passing team, and Greene still managed 4.2 ypc and a 1000 yard season, 1 fumble all year and it wasn't a turnover. Very similar to BJGE's best season in terms of yards/ypc/fumbles and he didn't benefit from playing in a top offense that also was playing ahead alot when it's easier to run the ball.

I love BJGE, he's great for our team because of his ball security and consistency. Would love to have him back for 2-3M/year but I don't think he'd be a huge loss.