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The demise of New York Jets running back Michael Carter was greatly exaggerated this offseason.
When Gang Green surprised everyone on the second day of the draft by selecting Breece Hall out of Iowa State, it raised a lot of eyebrows. He instantly became the highest drafted running back by the organization in over 31 years.
Hall ascended to the top of the Las Vegas leaderboard as an instant Offensive Rookie of the Year contender. Despite the pops from MC1 in 2021, it seemed like most of the fan base had written him off in favor of the brand new toy.
However, a harsh reality was dished out after the season opener versus the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
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Michael Carter Is a Freaking Stud
When the Jets’ offensive starters rolled out onto the field after receiving the opening kickoff a familiar face was in the backfield and he stayed there throughout the game.
MC1, the No. 107 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft, kept making plays.
He led the team in rushing versus Baltimore with a 60-yard effort on 10 carries for an impressive six yards per clip average.
Then MC1 provided veteran Joe Flacco a nice outlet throughout the game as a receiving option. He caught seven passes for 40 more yards and was targeted nine times.
All in all, Carter contributed 100 total yards from scrimmage and put the NFL on notice that he isn’t going anywhere.
Something that popped last season during his rookie campaign and was evident during Week 1 is his refusal to go down on first contact.
Despite a minuscule stature at just 5-foot-8, 201 pounds MC1 always keeps his feet moving.
In 2021 Carter appeared in 14 games and started in 11 of those contests:
- 639 rushing yards
- 325 receiving yards
- 5.3 scrimmage yards per touch
- Four total touchdowns
This Is Going to Be a True 50-50 With Breece Hall
So what about Hall?
He only had six carries on the day for 23 yards and ended up losing a fumble. The former Iowa State product did find ways to contribute in the receiving game with six catches for 38 yards.
The debut was lackluster, however, his destiny is written in stone. Hall inevitably is going to get more shares of the rock as we progress through the season.
You don’t make draft history, the way the Jets did, and leave this young man on the bench. However, I think MC1’s performance just reminded everyone that Hall might not be the true bell-cow this season that everyone thought he was going to be.
To put it bluntly, the Jets are dealing with what the kids like to call a first-world problem. They have two uber-talented running backs that can both get the job done.
For whatever reason, they seemed to get away from running the football in the second half and that led to a variety of issues.
The bread and butter of this offense should be running the football. Rex Ryan would be proud.
The problem is the Jets have a lot of fun toys at wide receiver and that proved to be a forbidden fruit of temptation throughout the game. Unfortunately, the Jets’ offensive line because of all the shuffling around hasn’t settled in yet.
Which led to Flacco getting sacked three times (plus an intentional grounding) which put the team behind the markers. Once the trenches settle down in a few weeks, Gang Green will be able to really open up the playbook.
For the time being, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The combination of MC1 and Hall should be a lethal duo that provides a nice floor for this Jets offense moving forward.
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