RBs offer pleasant diversion from Week 1 woes

	Kevan Barlow should eventually win the Jets' starting running back job. US Presswire

By Bob Harris, Special to SI.com, FootballDiehards

If nothing else, Week 1 was interesting. ... Or in my case, disastrous. And given the number of high-profile prospects who came up short in their respective regular-season openers, it's safe to assume I'm not alone.

I feel your pain. I understand the disappointment. I share in your frustration.

But I insist you remove that finger from the panic button.

Take a deep breath and repeat after me: Matt Hasselbeck is better than Chad Pennington; Larry Johnson will justify his top-three draft status; Steve Smith's tender hamstrings won't be a season-long issue; the Rams' offense can score a touchdown; the Aaron Brooks-Randy Moss combo. ... Uh, sorry. Some things just weren't meant to be.

Week 1 anomalies are nothing new. Heck, they're the norm. Look no further than last season. Cleveland wideout Frisman Jackson pulled in eight passes for 128 yards and a touchdown; Jets tight end Chris Baker finished with seven catches, 124 yards and a touchdown.

Shaun Alexander racked up a rather nondescript 78 yards on 14 carries with exactly half of that total coming on one carry in last year's first outing. And he failed to score a touchdown. All in all, not much better than this year's Week 1 effort against the Lions last Sunday.

He rebounded well enough last season.

So come in off that ledge. We're going to look forward. By golly, we're going to make a list.

Not just a diversionary list to take our minds off Week 1 woes. Nope. We're going to make a useful list. A list of running backs! Wait! A list of back-up running backs likely to assume starting roles before the season is over. That's it!

We'll break it down like this:

Immediate Help: Kevan Barlow, New York Jets

As impressive as Pennington and the passing attack were, the ground game was weak. Neither Derrick Blaylock nor Barlow was impressive. But as the New York Times suggested Monday, the running game seems likely to lag behind until Barlow can catch up.

The Jets rushed for just 91 yards on 34 carries (2.7-yard average) against the Titans. Blaylock gained just 36 yards on 19 carries while Barlow had 35 yards and a 1-yard touchdown on 11 attempts.

The good news? Barlow has been reporting to team headquarters early every morning and staying late every night in an effort to more quickly assimilate the Jets' playbook after being acquired from the 49ers on Aug. 20 for a fourth-round pick.

And according to the Newark Star-Ledger, Barlow could start this week versus the Patriots. Even if he doesn't start this weekend, he will soon enough.