As one prominent Jets defender learned the hard way Wednesday, appearances can be deceiving.
Chris Ivory might have the build of a power back, but the recent Gang Green trade acquisition made veteran linebacker David Harris look foolish for thinking of him that way Wednesday during an on-field workout.
Showing why the Jets are so excited about the draft-day deal that brought him from the Saints, the 6-foot, 220-pound Ivory caught a pass in the flat and spun Harris like a top with some exceptionally pretty footwork that hadn’t been in the pre-trade scouting report.
“That was one of those ‘feel-type’ plays that you get from being in the league for a while,” Ivory said afterward with a smile. “I could feel him and was able to make something happen.”
The Jets expect Ivory to keep making things happen, perhaps as their featured back in new offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg’s West Coast scheme.
Ivory, who averaged an eye-opening 5.1 yards per carry in limited snaps over three seasons with New Orleans, is sitting even prettier in the fight to be the Jets’ top backfield option now that newly acquired Mike Goodson’s future with the team is up in the air after his arrest last week on drugs and weapons charges.
Ivory’s only competition for snaps with Goodson out are Bilal Powell and Joe McKnight, and new general manager John Idzik seemingly has spent much of the offseason trying to write McKnight’s ticket off the roster.
It’s a far cry from New Orleans, where Ivory — a former undrafted free agent out of Washington State — was buried behind Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles and Mark Ingram.
That explains in large part why Ivory only got 256 carries in his three seasons with the Saints, although nagging injuries also were a factor.
Ivory considers himself reborn as a Jet, telling a New Orleans newspaper shortly after the trade that he was “going to put up some crazy numbers in New York.”
Ivory stood by that comment yesterday but said he isn’t taking anything for granted when it comes to the Jets’ backfield competition.
It doesn’t take much to figure out how Rex Ryan feels about Ivory. The spin move on Harris Wednesday was just a taste of what Ivory is capable of, according to Ryan, with much more to come when the action heats up in training camp and the season.
“Ivory’s not going to shine until you put the pads on,” Ryan said Wednesday. “He’s a physical-style back. We’re really not going to see what he’s all about until we start putting the ball under his arm and letting him run.”
Harris, for one, has a pretty good idea already.