"At 5-11, 226 pounds, Shonn Greene, the soft-spoken, hard-running tailback for the Jets, embodies coach Rex Ryan's ground-and-pound running game. Equally capable of shedding tacklers and shooting through gaps, Greene grabbed the starting tailback position in the offseason, insisting he is refreshed and fully confident.

"You know me, I love to fire a fresh back at ya," Ryan said. "But to start with, I'm thinking the plan is you're going to get a heavy dose of Shonn Greene."

Opportunity is afoot for Greene. Ryan intends to increase his workload as 32-year-old LaDainian Tomilnson, the Jets' leading rusher last year with 914 yards, sees a reduced role, mainly on third downs. Tabbed the starter last season, Greene, who ran for 766 yards, lost the No. 1 job by halftime of the opener by coughing up two costly fumbles against the Baltimore Ravens. He regained his job late in the season but has yet to prove consistent enough to carry a full load.

Greene, 25, will not grind alone. Tomlinson, who likely will return to practice Thursday, remains in good shape and second-year tailback Joe McKnight has come "a million miles," according to Ryan, from the player who threw up in his first minicamp as a rookie. Rotating all three will be in offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's game plan as he employs his "hot hand" approach.

Greene has finished both seasons strong with powerful performances.

"I think I still had the same focus and everything," Greene said. "I just think now I'm a little bit more experienced, so I think the coaches feel a little bit more comfortable with me. That probably will be a difference."

He will deal with a dual role. Still learning from Tomlinson, Greene has accepted the responsibility of ushering McKnight through his second season as well as rookie Bilal Powell, who was selected in the fourth round of April's draft. He believes his experiences enable him to relate to the younger players."