Bilal Powell may be the Jets starter at running back Sunday, but Gang Green’s carries will be split between him and Chris Ivory. Though running backs coach Anthony Lynn couldn’t be sure exactly how the breakdown would look, he said he’s keeping in mind that the team plays against the Patriots just four days later.
“It depends. It just depends. I’m going to try to get them through this game as fresh as possible...because we have a Thursday night game,” Lynn told the Daily News. “So you don’t want to give one guy too much of a workload because you want to be able to play on Thursday night.”
Lynn is a big believer in giving the rock to the running back with the hot hand, he said. But, naturally, much of the carries will be situation-dependent.
“Chris Ivory will be in the game in a lot of goal line and a lot of short-yardage situations come Sunday,” Lynn said. “I think (Powell’s) one of the best third-down backs in the league. I think he’s more than reliable on third down, so he’ll definitely be out there third down for us.”
The Jets did run some Wildcat around the goal line with Powell taking the snap, so don't be shocked if they try that against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay was excellent against the run last season, so neither player is an attractive start.