Team news: Seattle Seahawks | Page 41

Jets QB Geno Smith has never fashioned himself as a runner. He was a pocket passer who lit up college scoreboards with regularity, an athlete who let his arm do the talking for four quarters. When Smith slipped into the rookie abyss midway through last season, he had an epiphany (brought on by a gentle push from his coaches): When things don’t look quite right, tuck the ball and take off.

Smith’s willingness to run made all the difference during the Jets’ final four-game stretch, an eye opener for a player who finally utilized his full repertoire above — and below — his shoulders. He had 43% of his rushes during that span, picking up six yards per attempt with three touchdowns to help the Jets win three of their final games.

He fully embraced that facet of the game in the offseason.

OC Marty Mornhinweg lauded Smith's play in the final four games of the season. He did average 20.0 fantasy points during that span, compared with just 10.0 FP in the first 12 games. He ran for three TDs down the stretch while throwing for just 198 yards and 1.0 TD.

If Jets HC Rex Ryan wants to return to the ground and pound, he might just have the backfield to do it. The Jets’ running game emerged in Saturday night’s 25-17 preseason win over the Bengals, and one of the team’s newest weapons shined in the spotlight. Chris Johnson ran for 63 yards on 10 carries in the win.

The Jets displayed the versatility with Johnson that they had shown in training camp, lining him up behind Geno Smith in the pistol formation and out wide as a receiver, and turned it into a successful ground attack.

“We know they have a good football team over there and they pounded us on both sides of the ball last time,” Ryan said, referring to the Bengals’ 49-9 win over the Jets last season. “It wasn’t the case this time, our offense ran it all over them.”

Ryan cited the team’s 124 yards rushing in the first half, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. It wasn’t only Johnson that had success carrying the rock: Bilal Powell ran four times for 41 yards, including a touchdown. The bulk of Powell’s production came on a 32-yard run in the second quarter. Johnson should get a bulk of the carries with Powell getting mixed in as well. Injured Chris Ivory could also be a factor and is shaping up to be the goal line and short yardage back. All will cut into Johnson's value but he still has value in the middle rounds of drafts.

Wide receiver Eric Decker, the New York Jets' prized free agent, missed most of practice Friday with a hamstring injury. It's not serious, according to Rex Ryan.

"It's a little bit of a hamstring," Ryan said. "It's not like he pulled a hamstring. We took care of him."

Decker is expected to play Saturday night in the annual Green & White scrimmage. He apparently got hurt Thursday, as he was seen in the trainer's area at the start of Friday's practice. He didn't participate in any team drills.

There’s no doubt that Decker is going to see a downgrade at QB going from Peyton Manning to a combination of Geno Smith and Michael Vick. But as the Jets’ clear WR1, he should see enough targets to become a fantasy starter even if his per target production is likely to drop. He looked great in camp prior to the injury.

Eric Decker looked terrific. The ex-Broncos wideout showed exactly why the Jets made him the first outside free agent they landed this offseason. Decker caught everything thrown his way and ran his routes routinely and with precision. He also made a tremendous catch over cornerback Dee Milliner on a deep ball. Vick may have explained it best: "You can just tell that him working with Peyton (Manning) over the last couple of years has helped him blossom as a receiver. He’s certainly being rewarded for that. I’m glad he’s on this team. He’s going to help Geno a lot."

There’s no doubt that Decker is going to see a downgrade at QB going from Peyton Manning to a combination of Geno Smith and Michael Vick. But as the Jets’ clear WR1, he should see enough targets to become a fantasy starter even if his per target production is likely to drop.