Jets Injury Report for Friday
The Jets will have a lot of personnel changes this week, as they play the Buffalo Bills in a game that has no real meaning for either team.
Right tackle Damien Woody has been ruled out, as I mentioned yesterday, as is safety James Ihedigbo. Both are recovering from knee injuries.
Eric Smith, who took over for the injured Jim Leonhard at safety, is doubtful with a concussion.
Defensive linemen Shaun Ellis and Sione Pouha are questionable with back injuries, and fellow lineman Trevor Pryce is also questionable with a hip injury. The trio may not play on Sunday, which could very well be the final home game of Ellis’s stellar Jets career.
Cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie are both listed as questionable, Revis with a hamstring and Cromartie with a groin. Both of them could rest most of the game, or all of it, as the Jets will give extended playing time to rookie Kyle Wilson and new addition Isaiah Trufant.
Finally, Mark Sanchez is officially probable with his right shoulder injury, and will get the start. How much he plays remains to be seen.
With all of the guys who may get a personal bye week, expect to see a lot of the young guys and backups get their chances on Sunday. That means running back Joe McKnight, the aforementioned Kyle Wilson, quarterbacks Mark Brunell and/or Kellen Clemens, and defensive linemen Vernon Gholston and Marcus Dixon, among others, could be playing a lot of snaps agains the Bills.
Happy New Year from Jets Report
Thank you to all my readers for fueling my dream of being a sportswriter.
I really have a blast writing about football, and I’m thankful to have a great outlet to do that here on Jets Report.
For anyone who’s going out tonight, please remember to be smart and be safe as we ring in the new year.
Here’s hoping that 2011 will be even better than 2010. Go Jets!
News and Notes from Jets Camp for Thursday
With the final regular season game coming up, and the Jets having virtually nothing to play for other than pride and an 11-5 record, the team is still trying to figure out exactly how they’ll approach Sunday’s game against the Bills.
Today, left guard Matt Slauson was not at practice today because he and his wife are expecting their first child, a boy. Slauson will play on Sunday. Congrats to Matt and his family.
Mark Sanchez appears to be in better shape than he was last week at this time with his shoulder injury. Rex Ryan said Sanchez will start on Sunday because he’s been playing so well recently and they don’t want to mess with his rhythm. How much Sanchez plays will be determined by how well he’s playing.
Defensive end Shaun Ellis, the longest-tenured Jet, did not practice today after injuring his back during the game last week. Fellow lineman Sione Pouha is also nursing a back injury. The Jets could err on the side of caution when it comes to their playing time against the Bills.
As far as guys who definitely will NOT be playing on Sunday, left tackle Damien Woody is still recovering from his knee injury, and the Jets don’t know his status for the playoffs quite yet. James Ihedigbo has been ruled out with a leg injury. Eric Smith is still recovering from a concussion and probably won’t play on Sunday either.
Rex Ryan indicated that most of the regulars who aren’t banged up are likely to play, although he hinted that LaDainian Tomlinson may sit the whole game and rookie running back Joe McKnight will get the lion share of carries. Against the league’s worst run defense, McKnight could have a big game in his first real game action.
Finally, the Jets were fined $100,000 by the NFL for the Sal Alosi tripping incident. The league determined that the wall of players that the Jets were caught forming is unsportsmanlike, and the matter is now closed.
The Jets are 10-5 going into the season finale against Buffalo, and Rex Ryan had indicated he’d like to get a win to build some momentum for the playoffs. 11-5 is a lot nicer than 10-6, isn’t it?
Jets Sign DB Isaiah Trufant to Active Roster
The Jets have signed defensive back Isaiah Trufant to the active roster from the practice squad today, and have sent defensive lineman Matt Kroul back to the practice squad.
The 28-year-old Trufant, an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington, played in the United Football League for the first two seasons of the league’s existance, winning back-to-back championships with the Las Vegas Locomotives.
Trufant, the younger brother of Seattle Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant, was also named the UFL’s Defensive Player of the Year this past season after recording 4 interceptions and 4 passes defensed.
With the Jets getting ready to play what is for all intents and purposes a tune-up game, Rex Ryan wanted to see what Trufant can do. For a defensive backfield that has struggled in recent weeks, it couldn’t hurt to try out a new player in a game situation.
The Jets conclude their regular season with the home finale against the Bills on Sunday.
Jets Have Three Players Named to the Pro Bowl
The 2011 Pro Bowl rosters were released this week, and three Jets made the team, including two starters.
Returning to the Pro Bowl for the Jets are CB Darrelle Revis, C Nick Mangold and LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson. All three of them were Pro Bowlers last season as well.
For Revis and Mangold, it is their third Pro Bowl selection. Mangold and Ferguson have now combined for five Pro Bowl selections since they were drafted by the Jets in the first round of the 2006 draft.
Revis, a 2007 first rounder, makes his third straight Pro Bowl appearance in his fourth season in the NFL, after showing little signs of rust after a training camp holdout.
All three All-Stars got lucrative contract extensions before this season started, and are expected to be Jet mainstays for over a decade. Kudos to Mike Tannenbaum for drafting the trio.
There will be more Pro Bowl appearances for them in the future, but this year, they’d rather be in Dallas than Hawaii.
