His day’s work was done — 34 carries for 104 bruising yards — and now Chris Ivory was standing in front of his locker speaking so softly you had to lean in to hear his words.
Ivory’s postgame demeanor after he was a linchpin to the Jets thrilling 30-27 overtime win over the rival Patriots Sunday at MetLife Stadium completely belied the violent manner with which he ran against a depleted and vulnerable New England run defense.
As Ivory spoke, you couldn’t help but notice his helmet sitting on the top right shelf in his locker stall. There were so many scuff marks on it you’d have thought Ivory had just been in a three-car pileup on the Jersey Turnpike while wearing it.
There was a big red gash across the front left temple area of the white Jets helmet and an assortment of gray and blue scars along the front and top. Red, blue and gray marks. The colors of the Patriots’ helmets. The marks of a productive day.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of red on there,’’ Ivory said with a quiet hint of pride in his voice.
For the record, the helmet was spotless before the game. They are cleaned and buffed after every game.
Unlike the way most running backs try to avoid contact and maneuver their way around defenders, Ivory actually seeks contact with defensive players. There is an aesthetic beauty to the way Ivory runs, because when he makes contact with defenders he does it with such impact that his long hair flowing from the back of his helmet flares everywhere on contact. It truly looks like an explosion.
“A lot of guys got a lot of wiggle,’’ Ivory said. “I’m just a one-cut guy. That’s just my style. I just see it and hit it. If I do have a little space, you might see a little wiggle, but not too much. Running inside the tackles, you shouldn’t really be doing too much wiggling, in my opinion.’’
When the Jets took possession of the ball in overtime, offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg called Ivory’s number on nine of the first 12 plays on the drive as they positioned themselves for Nick Folk’s game-winning 42-yard field goal. Quarterback Geno Smith threw one pass in overtime.
“Ivory had the hot hand and we fed him,’’ Jets head coach Rex Ryan said.
“Chris ran the ball extremely tough,’’ Smith said.
“I was very impressed by Chris’ effort. I thought he kept getting stronger and stronger late in the game,’’ linebacker Calvin Pace said.
Ivory entered Sunday having carried the ball 34 times for 115 yards in four games this season. He matched those 34 carries in one game Sunday. The 34 carries against the Patriots were just six carries fewer than his 2012 total while playing for New Orleans.
Ivory had only three 100-yard rushing games in his career, the last one coming in the final game of the 2011 season with the Saints.
He came to the Jets with a lot to prove, because he was injury-prone. Naturally, he came to training camp with a hamstring injury that stunted his summer progress. He has missed two games this season with the hamstring injury.
“He’s been battling injuries ever since he got here, and to have that type of game I’m just proud of him,’’ guard Willie Colon said.