THE RUNNING PLAN
Forte toe woes could give Bilal, rookie rooki McGuire a leg up
Matt Forte’s expected absence has an upside. There are positives in the veteran’s turf toe injury that has kept him out of practice the past two days, and likely will sideline him Sunday afternoon against the Jaguars.
It will offer an expanded opportunity for fan-favorite Bilal Powell and rookie Elijah McGuire against the Jaguars’ 28th-ranked run defense. The 28-year-old Powell, in his seventh season as a Jet, always has been the change-of-pace, thirddown guy — save for a four- game stretch at the end of last season when Forte was out.
He ran for a career-high 722 yards a year ago, averaging 5.5 per carry, and also caught 58 passes for 388 yards, accounting for five touchdowns. But through three games, Powell has just 89 yards on 33 touches.
There’s always been curiosity about the shifty Powell, the wonder of what he could be if used more fre- quently. Sunday is the quiet and unassuming Powell’s chance to demonstrate what the Jets could have in him.
“Bilal’s awesome. He’s been a we s o me his whole career here,” center Wesley Johnson said. “I think he’ll do well. He shows up every day, works hard. I’m excited to see him [play] this weekend.”
But offensive coordinator John Morton made it clear Powell won’t get 25 carries Sunday. The Jets will mix it up, sprinkling in McGuire and recently signed d Travaris Cadet if the he 31-year-old Forte can’t go, as expected.
It isn’t that Mor- ton doesn’t believe in Powell’s potential as a feature back, k, but he prefers to keep his run-runners fresh. It has workedrked lately — the Jets are averagingng 114.5 yards on the ground over the past two weeks.
“[Powell] can be aan everydowndown back, so cancan Eli.Eli. BBut that’s not thethe wayway wewe do thinthings here,” Morton said. “We trtry to keep the defense [oon] their toes. WWhen you do t hat, when yoyou have a backbac that’s really fresh, you an play more at a high level during the ggame.” McGuire is out per out performing the two veterans thus far, averaging 44.8 yards per carry, running for 63 yayards on 13 carries over the past two weeks after not getting any carries in the season-opening loss to the Bills. The only negative was a fumble in Sunday’s victory over the Dolphins, when he ran for 34 yards on seven carries.
“For a rookie, he’s picking up things really well, and that’s why we have the utmost confidence in him to play,” Morton said. “He’s got a great approach to the game, like he’s a three- or fouryear vet. It’s his preparation. It’s hard for a rookie to come in right away and play in this league.”
The playing time has sur- prised the rookie. A sixth-round pick from Louisiana-Lafayette, his roster spot wasn’t guaranteed. But it quickly became evident he belonged. McGuire led the Jets in rushing in the preseason, running for 86 yards on 18 carries, and he has proven an able contributor now that the games count.
“The surprising part is just being here,” he said. “I thought I would never be in the NFL before. Where I come from [Houma, La.], it’s hard to make it out.”