NFL Week 1 Recap: Why the New York Jets Ground and Pound Is Dead and Gone

In what was one of the most exciting and electric games in the team's history, the New York Jets rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to come back and beat the Dallas Cowboys, 27-24 on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

Both the offense and defense looked awful through the first three quarters of the team's opening game, but Rex Ryan and the Jets were able to turn it around and savage a victory. Despite putting up 27 points against Rob Ryan's Cowboy defense, the Jets were lacking the ground-and-pound game that has made them successful in the past.

The Jets, who last year averaged 148.4 yards per game in 2010, only managed to gain 45 yards on 16 carries between Shonn Greene, LaDainian Tomlinson and Mark Sanchez. Sanchez threw the ball 44 times and amounted for 335 passing yards, but without some key defensive plays, the Jets would have started the season 0-1.

The Star-Ledger reported yesterday that Ryan expects the "ground and pound" offense to return when the Jets face the Jacksonville Jaguars, and that "every game plan is different". Many Jets players explained that the game plan was to attack the Cowboys weak secondary (three corner backs suffered injuries during the week) and spread out the offense to put up points.

But can we believe that the Jets run game is still the same? It is understandable that the Jets abandoned the run game to try to even the score, but when the Jets did run the ball they only averaged 2.8 yards per carry. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer chose to run the ball only 25 percent of the snaps taken, which is significantly lower then Rex Ryan's average.

The Jets also put a lot of money into bringing in receivers Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason, both of whom made an impact in their first game with the team (Burress had a touchdown). It is expected that the coaches wanted to get them involved in the offense, but the Jets also used a three-tight end package, including third-string tight end Jeff Cumberland who had 33 yards, to move the ball down field.

Let's face it. Shonn Greene is not a back that can carry an offense. Going into his third year with the Jets, Greene has only been able to surpass 100 yards in a game just twice (once in 2009, once in 2010). LaDainian Tomlinson has agreed to take a smaller role with the team, including being the third down back, but the Jets will most likely have to rely on him to take the carries again in 2011.

New York also has two inexperienced offensive linemen in Matt Slauson and Wayne Hunter starting this season, and Hunter proved to many fans on Sunday night that he may not be ready to start in the NFL.

These two guys are not Alan Faneca and Damian Woody, two veterans that carried the ground game for the Jets in 2009 and 2010, and they may be another contributing factor to why the team can't run the ball.

The Cowboys allowed 108.4 yards per game on the ground last season, and they are under first-year defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's defense. The Jets should have been able to run the ball against them, but were unable to succeed. Granted, they face a far worse team in Jacksonville next week (121 rushing yards allowed per game last year), but can we really think that the run game will return?

For now fans must take the words of Rex Ryan seriously, but it will interesting to see what the Jets do against teams like the Dolphins, Chargers, Giants and Ravens, all of whom averaged under 101 yards rushing yards allowed per game last season.

Sanchez was able to open up the field, but he is too mistake prone to rely on for the rest of the year. If the Jets become a passing team, there may be some doubt on how far New York can go in 2011.