Five Reasons to be Excited About the 2013 New York Jets: #4

November 11, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Chris Ivory (29) against the Atlanta Falcons prior to kickoff of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

We are back, continuing the positive countdown. Well, it’s not really a countdown, since we are presenting these reasons in random order, but you know what I mean. As we finish up these final few days before training camp opens, we are listing five reasons to be excited about the upcoming season.

In case you missed it, number five was Marty Mornhinweg.  You probably can figure out the number four reason that is coming by looking at the picture to the right, but I am going to tell you anyway.  The number four reason to be excited about the 2013 New York Jets is…………

CHRIS IVORY

For a long time, I was a fan of Shonn Greene.  I liked how he performed as a secondary back with Thomas Jones, and later with LaDainian Tomlinson.  Then, as the lead back, I was impressed with the fact that Shonn was able to run for 1,000 yards, despite the fact that the team was 6-10.

However, the more you watch Shonn Greene, the more you can see why he didn’t work out.  He never ran with attitude.  He became “three yards and a cloud of dust” Greene.  You want your lead running back to run like he is taking his team on his back.  You want his running to say, “Follow me, we are going to win this football game, on my back.”  Greene’s running never portrayed that type of attitude.

Enter Chris Ivory.  Here is a guy that the fan base has wanted around for a long time now, and when you watch him run it’s easy to understand why.  He runs like he is mad at the grass.  His running style is violent, and punishes the team that is trying to stop him.

Although he has spent his time as a third string running back in New Orleans, he has shown the benefit if his running style.  How often do we see a guy with an average for his career of over 5 yards per carry?  Not that often, but you do with Chris Ivory, who averages 5.1 yards per rush for his career.  This just in….that’s good folks.

Unfortunately, however, his style has it’s downside.  Ivory has had several injuries during his career to date, which has hampered his ability to jump up the depth chart.  Now in New York, he will be the favorite to be the lead back.  If he can stay healthy, he will excite us all come this fall.

I leave you watching Chris Ivory doing his work: