BY NICK ST. DENIS
Sheldon Richardson wouldn't be denied... twice.
The New York Jets' 291-pound defensive tackle added another gem to his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign, rushing for a touchdown in Gang Green's 30-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers Sunday.
Richardson has been a part of New York's goal line offense in the past, serving as a blocker at the fullback position. This time, however, others were blocking for him.
Late in the third quarter from the 2-yard line, Richardson took a handoff from Geno Smith and pounded forward to within a couple inches of the end zone. The Jets gave him the ball one more time, and he plowed through for the score.
"We’ve been working on it [in practice] and just thinking that they shouldn’t be able to deny that guy down there," Ryan said. "We thought we scored the first time, but it was a little short. I was like, 'Eh, let’s run it again,' so that’s what we did."
Richardson, who had a pretty solid game on the offensive side of the ball, too, said the score was "very cool" but didn't offer much more analysis after the game, noting that the only thing that mattered was the fact that the Jets lost.
"I can't say enough about him. The way he competes just amazes me," Smith said. "I congratulated him on the sideline. I'm glad we got it in there. He's been talking about it all year."
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