Robert Saleh: Breece Hall needs to fight for tough yards, not just try for explosive plays
Big plays from running back Breece Hall have been among the few bright spots for the Jets' offense this season, but Jets head coach Robert Saleh says Hall shouldn't press too hard for big plays.
Saleh said today taht he'd like to see Hall recognize the importance of grinding out tough yards and not just trying to hit home runs.
"Breece is a special talent," Saleh said. "When the ball is in his hands, we're better. But there's the grimy yards that a back has to understand that he needs to get. . . . Right now, when you press, you're trying to create explosives all over the place, and for the most part in the NFL, the O-line is going to block it for two or three yards and he's got to go find four or five. And that means lowering your shoulder, getting dirty, getting grimy, finishing runs and not trying to find ways to bounce and make people miss at the line of scrimmage all the time. . . . 95 percent of runs are body blows."
Saleh is certainly right that teams need running backs who can churn out consistent yardage and pick up first downs, but the Jets' offense has been so bad this year that it's hard to blame Hall for doing everything he can to try to make some plays. Hall does get stuffed for little or no gain quite a bit, but he also breaks big plays like no one else on the Jets' offense.
