August 8, 2011,, New York Jets rookie running back Bilal Powell feature for Lakeland Ledger
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Powell Taking His Time and Learning
By DENNIS GORMAN
LEDGER CORRESPONDENT
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. | Bilal Powell was greeted by three voices when he answered his phone on April 30.
They belonged to New York Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum, head coach Rex Ryan and running backs coach Anthony Lynn. They were formally welcoming him to a franchise with Super Bowl aspirations.
"I actually had a chance to get on the phone with Mike Tannenbaum, coach Rex Ryan and my position coach," the Lake Gibson graduate recalled following the first day of contact drills. "They were just excited. I was excited. They couldn't wait to get me in."
For good reason. The Jets selected Powell with their third pick in the draft — the 126th overall — in the fourth round. At 5 feet 10 and 207 pounds he possesses ideal size and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. Powell played all four years at Louisville and finished with 3,124 all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving and kickoff returns; he did not return punts) and 22 touchdowns.
His output improved every season with the Cardinals, with his senior year being the best statistically of the four at the Big East program. He totaled 1,405 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, 158 receiving yards and three touchdown catches in 12 games. He did not play in Louisville's 28-20 overtime win at Syracuse on Nov. 6 because of a swollen knee. Louisville finished the season with a 7-6 record, including a 31-28 win over Southern Miss at the Beef ‘O' Brady's Bowl.
Powell rushed for more than 200 yards in consecutive home games — a 56-0 win over Memphis and a 35-27 loss to Cincinnati. Against the Bearcats, he authored one of the more impressive runs of the college football season when he dragged a defensive lineman and linebacker through the hole before shaking them off with a 360 degree spin and sprinting down the sideline for an 85-yard touchdown.
"He drug two guys through the hole and then went for 60 yards," Lynn said. "Those are uncommon runs."
But where does he fit into Ryan's favored "Ground and Pound" — a nomenclature derived from mixed martial arts, of which the Jets' oft-loquacious head coach is an unabashed fan — offense? The Jets finished last season ranked fourth in rushing yards per game with 148.4, and Ryan has already promised that the Jets will employ the passing game more in 2011 than they did in his first two seasons as coach.
Shonn Greene is the presumptive starter at running back. Greene is followed on the depth chart by likely future Hall-of-Famer LaDainian Tomlinson, second year back Joe McKnight and then Powell.
"We're going to have some explosiveness out of (McKnight) and we'll see about this Powell," Ryan said earlier in the week. "You know me, I love to fire a fresh (running back) at you."
Certainly jobs have not been earned or lost, but it seems as though Powell will mostly play on special teams because of his ability to return kicks and Ryan's vow not to use Jim Leonhard as a returner. The seventh-year safety broke his leg in practice in the week before the nationally televised 45-3 loss to the Patriots in New England. Special teams is a thankless job, and the Jets have stern taskmaster Mike Westhoff. But Powell seems to have embraced the role. He made two tackles in punt return drills causing Westhoff to not bark criticisms. In short, it was a job well done.
"That was one of my biggest things, knowing I had to get on special teams," Powell said. "I don't mind it. I just want to go out and have fun."
While neither will start unless things go drastically wrong, Powell, and to a lesser extent McKnight, have opportunities to learn how to be a NFL running back from one of the game's best, Tomlinson, and a rising star in Greene. Greene told reporters Wednesday that he was teaching "as much as I can" to Powell and McKnight.
"I'm not an eight-year veteran or anything like that. I'm still kind of taking little stuff in but for the most part, I've got the gist of it," he said. "Those guys are coming along, too."
Powell praised Greene and Tomlinson for taking the time out to help bring him along.
"Shonn Greene and LT, man, they've been a huge help for me coming in, especially missing the mini-camps and OTAs and things like that," Powell said. "They've been helping me out a lot."
The Jets believe that in time Powell will help them out a lot.
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posted by Denis P. Gorman at 10:55 AM
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