RB Shonn Greene, Tennessee Titans

HT: 6-0, WT: 227, Born: 8-21-1985, College: Iowa, Drafted: Round 3

2013 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of May 21st. [Full ADP list]

Overall: A Bradshaw (132), Shonn Greene (134), M Goodson (136)
Position: Z Stacy (129-RB47), A Bradshaw (132-RB48), Shonn Greene (134 - RB49), M Goodson (136-RB50), W McGahee (137-RB51)
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PPR Average draft position

Current as of May 21st. [Full PPR ADP list]

Overall: V Brown (142), M Floyd (143), Shonn Greene (144), B Hartline (145), R Hillman (146)
Position: J Franklin (129-RB49), D Woodhead (139-RB50), Shonn Greene (144 - RB51), R Hillman (146-RB52), Z Stacy (149-RB53)
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Outlook

Shonn Greene was a workhorse running back for the NY Jets each of the last two years. He totaled at least 250 carries and 1,000 yards rushing in that span, en route to a Top 20 finish in both seasons. He elected to sign with Tennessee as a free agent, where his role will be a compliment to incumbent back Chris Johnson. Greene is expected to be a second option on short-yardage and goal line opportunities. Unless he finds the end zone on a consistent basis, expect his fantasy value to drop this year.

Latest News

Titans | Greene the new LenDale White? (Sun May 12, 09:29 PM) - Dan Pompei, from the National Football Post, reports the Titans plan to use free agent RB Shonn Greene like they used former Titans RB LenDale White in 2008. Greene was 100 percent on converting third and ones last year for the Jets. Chris Johnson was 66 percent for the Titans.

Our View: Greene is going to be their short yardage and goalline back. In 2008 White scored 15 touchdowns while rushing the ball 200 times for 773 yards. That season Johnson burst onto the NFL scene with 251 carries 1,228 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. The Titans will try to duplicate that RBBC this year. Greene is seriously undervalued right now with an ADP of RB55. He's coming off the board in the middle of round 13. In 2008 White finished as the 19th best RB in fantasy football, while Johnson was the 11th best.
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2013 Schedule

2012 Game Summaries

Week 1 - The Bills defense kept Greene bottled up early in the game as he collected 42 yards on 11 carries in the first half. He found more room to run late in the game, however, as the Jets tried to protect the ball and run out of the clock. Greene finished with 27 carries for a solid 94 yards, with nearly all of them coming between the tackles into the heart of the Bills defense. He converted a 1-yard touchdown run with a little over a minute to go to put an exclamation point on a dominant win over a division rival.

Week 2 - Greene came out running hard and gaining the necessary yardage to keep the team on schedule. His running helped get Mark Sanchez into a rhythm early, but a second quarter head injury sidelined him until halftime. Greene appeared woozy after colliding with safety Ryan Mundy, but he re-entered the game in the second half (something that may bring some scrutiny to the Jets by the league office). He struggled, though, committing a holding penalty to effectively end one drive and getting a six-yard loss to hinder the drive that Tim Tebow began. Greene lacks elite talent. The yards that he gets are the yards that present themselves by the blocking schemes – and rarely any more.

Week 3 - On paper, this was a tough match-up for the entire Jet rushing offense. Greene’s paltry 2.1 yards per carry were indicative of this match-up and Greene’s talent. Greene isn’t an elusive runner and doesn’t possess the talent to overcome tougher match-ups. Greene lacks the speed needed to get to the edges of the defense and just doesn’t have any burst. Dolphin tacklers routinely corralled Greene after small two or three yard gains. While Greene ran hard and followed his blocks, his high pad level left him susceptible to the first tackler. Greene didn’t offer much more than a simple check down option on passing downs.

Week 4 - Another week, another unimpressive performance by Greene. On paper, this was a tough match-up for the entire Jet offense. However, Greene lacks the talent to overcome difficult match-ups. Defenders had no problem taking down Greene after minimal gains. Despite his obvious short comings as a running back, the Jets are stubbornly loyalty to him. It’s worth noting that Bilal Powell started the first series of the game, but Greene was quickly rotated in on the third snap. Greene was taken off the field for most third downs, but Powell didn’t exactly provide a spark that many had hoped for. The Jets are really lacking an identity on offense, so the running game will continue to suffer.

Week 5 - After slogging his way through the first three quarters, Greene ran hard during the fourth quarter. On the first play of his team’s ninth drive, Greene delivered his most impressive run to date. The play call was a designed run up the middle. However, Greene cut to the right, lowered his pad level and punished defenders for extra yardage. This play resulted in a 12-yard gain and a first-down. More importantly, it showed Jet fans that Greene can run with a purpose and an attitude. Two plays later, the Jets came back to Greene on a screen pass. Greene set-up his blocks before navigating his way for 19 yards. No one will mistake Greene for Jamaal Charles, but he demonstrated patience rather than trying to outrun his blockers.

Given the rushing attack’s ineffectiveness, it’s worth noting that the Jets made a conscious effort to get Joe McKnight touches. However, McKnight was largely unimpressive and Greene once again came out with the starters. The Jets are stubbornly loyal to Greene, but if he consistently shows patience and determination like he did in the fourth quarter, Jet fans will start to appreciate him.

Week 6 - The Jets’ loyalty to Shonn Greene finally paid off. For the first time all season, Greene ran with authority, determination, and most importantly, a low-pad level. Greene set the tone early on during his team’s second drive. Greene took a 2nd-and-7 carry and exploded up the middle for 21 yards. Nick Mangold made a great second-level block, springing Greene for the big gain. Greene racked up 91 first-half rushing yards, nearly matching his season total.

Throughout the afternoon, Greene did not let the first tackler bring him down. Instead, Greene kept pushing piles and delivering the blow to unsuspecting defenders. The Colts’ defense doesn’t resemble the ’85 Bears, but Greene and his backfield mates gored the Colts for 252 rushing yards in an absolutely dominant performance.

Greene’s three touchdown plunges came from 10, 4, and 2 yards out. Of Greene’s touchdown runs, his four-yard run was the most impressive. Greene took the handoff, made an athletic spin move to evade Antoine Bethea, and broke an arm tackle to get into the end zone. Rather than just plodding along for three or four yards, Greene wanted to punish Colt defenders.

Greene had so many impressive runs that it’s impossible to list them all. However, Greene demonstrated the same attributes (i.e. a low pad level, patience, a willingness to cut back) on each of these runs. With both Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight suffering injuries, the Jets will continue to lean on Greene.

Week 7 - After last week’s impressive performance, the Jets continued to feed the ball to Greene. Greene finished off his team’s first drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge off left tackle. Greene continues to demonstrate a hard-nosed, rugged running style that defines the Jets’ ‘Ground & Pound’ mantra. While Greene started the game on a high note, there was some obvious miscommunication between Greene and Sanchez at the onset of the Jets’ fourth drive. As Vince Wilfork penetrated into the backfield, Sanchez did not power the hand-off into Greene midsection and Greene fumbled it away. This miscue resulted in a safety.

Greene isn’t known for his receiving ability, but he was targeted on nearly a quarter of Sanchez’s pass attempts. On most receptions, Greene would leak out of the backfield, settle into the soft spot of the zone, and pick up a few extra yards after the catch. After Greene’s sixth and final reception in the fourth quarter, Greene took a hellacious, clean shot from Brandon Spikes. Greene was able to get up on his own accord, but missed his team’s next two drives. Greene briefly appeared in overtime before being replaced by Joe McKnight.

Week 8 - It was the tale of two halves for Greene. When the game was competitive, Greene was only able to generate 16 first half rushing yards against Miami’s front seven. However, with his team facing a 20-0 deficit at halftime, the Jets continued to run the ball and Greene took advantage of Miami’s relaxed defense. During his team’s ninth drive, Greene ran off right tackle, cut back to the middle of the field, and accelerated for 36 yards. This was the longest play of Greene’s career. If Greene possessed the speed of Chris Johnson or Jamaal Charles, the play would go for a 75-yard touchdown. Outside of this play, Greene plodded along for modest three, four yard gains and assumed his normal check down role on passing situations. Greene caught one quick dump off over the middle and turned up field for 21 yards. Greene evaded the first tackler by making a nice move, but he doesn’t possess the breakaway speed to outrun defenders in the second level.

Week 10 - Greene turned in another workman-like, non-inspiring performance. He was able to pick up 18 of his 58 yards during his team’s first drive, but was stuffed on a 4th-and-1 rush at Seattle’s 40-yard line. This stop shifted momentum back to Seattle. During the first half, Bilal Powell spelled Greene on third downs, but Powell sustained a concussion in the second quarter and did not return. During the third quarter, Greene took a toss right for nine yards, his longest run of the game. Greene showed good patience, waiting for his blockers to engage before hitting the edge. With Powell and Joe McKnight nursing injuries, Greene is the lone, healthy Jet running back. His runs aren’t exciting, but Greene is clearly receiving the majority of rushing attempts.

Week 11 - Greene continues to run hard, but with Bilal Powell returning to the backfield mix, he saw very little time in the second half as the Jets were using Powell effectively. The Jets offensive line did well to open up some holes for Greene in the first half, and he might’ve scored in the fourth quarter, but Powell came in as the third down back and was able to get into the endzone. Greene has been playing within himself recently, realizing he needs to run downhill have any effectiveness. But it’s not exactly paying off for him, especially with Powell and McKnight starting to take snaps and touches from him, and the state of the Jets offense as a whole. With his rookie deal expiring following the season, the Jets are probably considering moving forward with Powell and McKnight.

Week 12 - Greene found some early success against the tenth ranked, Patriot run defense, but a costly fumble put his team in a precarious position. During his team’s first two drives, Greene amassed 34 yards on five carries. Greene’s first run was a thing of beauty as he accelerated up the middle off of Nick Mangold’s block for an 11-yard gain. During his team’s third drive, Bilal Powell handled the majority of the carries, but Greene’s number was called on a 4th-and-1 carry at New England’s 31-yard line. New England sold out to stop Greene and met him at the line of scrimmage. As Greene tried to extend the ball for the first down, Brandon Spikes knocked the ball out and Steve Gregory recovered it. This turnover led to seven New England points. In total, Greene generated 62 yards on ten first-half carries. However, Greene earned 28 of those yards with his team facing 20+ point deficits.

During the second half, Greene had an opportunity to redeem himself on a 4th-and-Goal play from New England’s one-yard line. However, the Jet offensive line did not get a push off the line of scrimmage and Greene was stuffed. Greene ceded second half carries to Bilal Powell and Powell rewarded the Jets with a rushing touchdown. Powell has scored three rushing touchdowns over the last two weeks while Greene has only two red zone carries. Powell is a more talented runner than Greene is, but the Jets seem to relish Greene’s hard-nosed, plodding running style.

Week 13 - Shonn Greene played exceptionally well during the second half. After rushing for just 29 first half yards, Greene ran with an attitude at the onset of the second half. Greene amassed 65 second half yards on 15 carries as he ran with good balance and a low pad level. With his team holding a slim 7-6 fourth quarter lead, Greene gashed the Arizona defense for 41 yards on seven carries as he helped run out the clock. On a 2nd-and-5 carry, Greene was stopped as he ran up the middle. However, he kept the play alive by bouncing to the outside and accelerating down the left side line for a 19 yard gain. On his final carry of the game, Greene had a clear path into the end zone, but opted to fall down at the 1-yard line so the Jets could take a knee and run out the clock. While his fantasy owners cannot be too happy about this, it was the correct play to preserve the win. Greene took roughly 60 percent of the snaps, but Tony Sparano did a nice job of mixing Greene’s bruising style with Bilal Powell’s slashing style.

Week 14 - Greene turned in another workmanlike performance. Greene and Powell nearly split carries as the Jets gashed the generous Jacksonville defense. Greene showed why he’s great effort runner by routinely plowing through the first tackler for additional yardage. After a five week touchdown drought, Greene cashed in a one-yard touchdown plunge during the third quarter. Greene was patient as he let Lex Hilliard engage his block before leaping into the end zone. Greene’s most impressive run, a 15-yard scamper down the right sideline, showcased Greene’s ability to recognize cut back lanes. Greene took the hand-off to the right, cut back to the middle of the field and accelerated down the left sideline. Greene and Bilal Powell nearly split carries as the Jets deployed an ultra conservative game plan.

Week 15 - Once again, Greene was impressive as the passing offense sputtered. Greene ran angry with a low pad level and gashed second level defenders. Greene’s longest run of the game, a stretch play to the left, went for 16 yards as he initiated contact and lunged forward for extra yardage. When given carries, Greene was able to generate four to five yards per carry. However, Mark Sanchez’s inability to establish a balanced offensive attack limited Greene’s opportunities.

Week 16 - Greene had a huge first half, but was shut down in the second half along with the rest of the New York offense. He picked up 30 yards on a well-designed screen pass up the right side early on, which accounted for a large portion of his 80 yards from scrimmage. The Jets drove to the goal line, but Greene was stuffed on first and goal. Fortunately for his owners, the Jets went right back to him on second down and he was able to power in off the left side. On a later possession in the first half, Greene was again stuffed at the goal line on first down. Again the Jets went right back to him on second down and he pushed his way in for the score, kind of falling in behind the offensive linemen. Aside from the scores, Greene did actually run well and showed an unexpected burst through the hole on a couple of occasions. But as mentioned, with the Jets trailing for the entire second half, Greene didn’t have much of an opportunity to build upon his first half point total.

Week 17 - Greene led the team in carries on Sunday, but was only able to average 3.9 yards and looked like the 2nd best RB on the team. Greene longest run went for 13 yards, but like the majority of his other 16 carries, was nothing more than a straightforward run at the middle of the Buffalo defensive line. At one point Greene, comically, tried to run outside but the results were just as one would expect. With absolutely no burst, Greene tried to juke LB Kelvin Sheppard on the outside but was easily dropped for a two-yard loss. Perfectly exemplifying Greene’s abilities as a runner, Greene’s 2nd carry of the 2nd half was a vanilla run up the middle. With no push from the line and no immediate hole to plow through, Greene was stuck and easily dropped for a three-yard loss. Greene caught two passes, but much like his foray into space via the running game; his efforts were uninspired and he was only able to pick up three yards.