Last time we saw Chris Ivory, he was bludgeoning a Miami Dolphins defense to the tune of 166 yards on 29 carries in London.
Ivory doesn't just run by people, but through them. His vicious running style is highly entertaining to witness, but can also lead to injuries -- the sixth year pro has played a full 16-game slate once in his career and missed one game this season already.
After watching Ivory up close this season, New York Jets teammate Brandon Marshall declared Ivory the best in the business.
"He's already the best running back in the league right now," Brandon Marshall said, via the New York Post. "Just watch the tape -- speed, quickness, agility, vision, endurance -- he has it all.
Before we get up in arms, let's give Marshall a chance to explain:
"(Ivory) runs really violently, he has great feet, great vision. ... He's humble ... and he doesn't even know how good he can be, and that's the scary part," Marshall said. "I remember having a conversation when I first got here with him, and he was like, 'I want to have 1,000 yards. I just want to get there.' I said, 'What?' I said, 'No, the goal's gonna be 1,500 or better.' And now he's there, he's like, 'Man, I see it,' and that's the good thing.
"I asked him that one day, I said, 'Man do you really know how good you can be?' He's like, 'Man, I really don't.' And I love that humility. And the sky's the limit for him."
The Jets' bulldozing running back leads the NFL with 104.7 rushing yards per game. New York's offense is exponentially more dangerous when Ivory is healthy. With Marshall on the outside demanding extra coverage, Ivory can roll over light boxes. If teams stack to stop the run, the Jets have mismatches on the outside with Marshall and Eric Decker.
Still, Ivory has never put up even 900 yards in a season. While his career average of 4.7 yards per carry is solid, he must prove he can stay on the field.
A bunch of Jets players were then asked to compare Ivory to Marshawn Lynch, in what reads like leading questions. This from linebacker Trevor Reilly is the most interesting reply when it relates to Ivory and Beast Mode:
"It's funny, I asked (former Seahawks offensive lineman James) Carpenter about that," Reilly said. "He said Marshawn, in the hole, he'll try to make you miss. He said Chris, he likes to run everybody over. Chris has got good feet, he can make you miss, but it's almost like he relishes going through people."
With apologies to the Ivory family, he is neither Lynch nor Adrian Peterson nor Le'Veon Bell. But the demolition man is certainly the engine that runs the Jets' offense. If he can stay on the field, Ivory could power Gang Green into the playoffs.
