Added fullback Tommy Bohanon: "He's an elusive runner, a guy who can make you miss or run you over."
Ivory dealt with hamstring issues almost all of training camp, Goodson was away from the team for personal reasons, and McKnight had health and legal issues that eventually led to him being cut.
Powell might hold onto the starting spot with a few more games like the one against Buffalo.
"He doesn't talk much," Howard said, "but he lets his reputation build by what he does, not by what he says."
He was part of street gangs in Florida as a youngster, got shot at and was even stabbed while in high school. Powell's life turned around after he moved in with his running backs coach's family, and also found religion.
In the third quarter against Buffalo, he found a huge hole and took off for 27 yards,Jerseys Wholesale, the longest run of his career. Powell got up and patted the football a few times before flinging it to an official.
FLORHAM PARK,Cheap Hockey Jerseys, N.J. (AP) — Bilal Powell speaks in hushed tones, a quiet and humble guy who'd prefer the spotlight to shine elsewhere.
"He's earned the respect of everybody in this locker room."
No smiles or jokes. All business.
The New York Jets running back comes off as shy and almost uncomfortable while talking about himself.
"Really, he is just a real natural football player," Mornhinweg said. "Things come easily to him. You teach him something and then he gets it very quickly."
"I just came in more focused this year," he said. "I just tried to pick up as much of the playbook as I could and that allowed me to go out and play more comfortable and play faster."
Today, those troubled times seem like a lifetime ago for the 24-year-old Powell, who is married and has a son,NFL Jerseys China, Tav'is, with his wife Jessica.
And through it all, there stood Powell, who got the bulk of the work during the preseason and was rewarded by being listed No. 1 on the depth chart entering the regular season.
Then, he put his head down and simply jogged over to his teammates.
"If he won't say it, I will: He's going to be one of the best running backs in this league one day," right tackle Austin Howard said. "He has the potential to do so."
"He's had a tough background and everything, but he's really a tremendous young man," Ryan said. "But he is extremely quiet. ... You don't need a guy to change his personality, just go out and play.
After a rookie season in which he gained 21 yards on 13 carries, Powell ran for 458 yards last year and saw increased playing time down the stretch. He's a pass-catching threat with eight receptions this season, and has also proven himself an exceptional pass blocker, both important elements in new offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg's system.
Powell was a complementary part of New York's backfield his first two seasons, backing up LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene. After Greene left as a free agent and eventually signed with the Titans, the Jets acquired Ivory from New Orleans. New York also signed free agent Mike Goodson, adding a versatile pass-catching threat to a group that also included Joe McKnight.
"It is funny," coach Rex Ryan said Friday. "For a guy that is as aggressive as he is as a player, I think you would maybe expect a different personality."
Powell is in his third season after being a fourth-round draft pick out of Louisville in 2011. His backstory is intriguing, but one he hasn't opened up much about.
For a while, it appeared Powell would be the odd-man out in a crowded backfield.
"The guy just works hard," right guard Willie Colon said. "I mean, he just goes to work with kind of a clock-in, clock-out mentality. A humble guy who's a blue-collar runner with a blue-collar personality."
"That was totally out of my control,Cheap NFL Jerseys," Powell said. "My main purpose was to just come in this offseason and prepare and get ready for the season and put myself in position to where I could help this team win."
Powell ran for a career-high 149 yards on 27 carries in the Jets' 27-20 win over the Buffalo Bills. He ranks second in the AFC with 226 yards rushing,Cheap MLB Gear, and will head to Tennessee on Sunday as New York's undisputed top running back with Chris Ivory sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Well, after his breakthrough performance last Sunday, Powell might have to prepare himself for more attention,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, on the field and off. |
