RADIO
In what was an undeniably disappointing end to the New York Jets 2015-2016 campaign, so many individual season performances still stick out; an unusual occurrence for those playing for Gang Green. Chris Ivory's season can be mirrored next to his team's, as it started off promising, remained consistent at times, dipped into inconsistency at times, and then fell rather flat; face down, playoff-less heading into the offseason.
However, all the good surrounding Ivory's contract 2015-2016 season is worth recapping. He rushed for 1,070 yards, the most in his tenured six year NFL career, and the first time he's breached the notable 1,000-yard mark. Ivory also found the end zone seven times, carried the ball 247 times, collected 217 receiving yards with 30 receptions and one receiving touchdown; all career highs as well. Each of his seven touchdowns came during Jet's wins, six of which were inside the 20 yard line; another red zone beast for New York last season.
HEADING 1 Test
His tough running and ability to make people miss, how he broke tackles and refused to go down made Ivory truly enjoyable to watch. But it was that same intensity that poured so much wear and tear on his body, resulting in the inconsistency and falling flat mentioned above.
Ivory didn't score a touchdown from December on, and although reliable for most of the season, his durability was often in question. He missed Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles and was held to only eight and six carries in two other games respectively. Ivory also struggled on third and fourth down, rushing for 15 yards on 17 attempts on third and for negative two yards on two attempts on fourth, often failing to convert crucial yardage later in the season. Bilal Powell was also called upon more in the latter part of the season, partly because of his ability to receive; something the Jets could lean more towards in the future.
Ivory turns 28 years old in March and it will be interesting to see if the Jets hang onto the free agent or if they choose to go younger in free agency or in the draft. His future definitely remains in the balance but his performance and efforts from last season will always stomp and high-step in the memory of Jets fans.
