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Q)Entering the first week of the season, how is the health of your team? What is the latest on Calvin Pace and Brodney Pool?
Ryan: Everybody seems fairly healthy. Obviously, Calvin Pace (is injured). I don’t have to give an official on injuries, so you guys are not getting anything (laughter). We know Calvin won’t play. Brodney (Pool) is coming around, but he never practiced. We’ll see how he does. Other than that, I think we’re pretty healthy.
Leberfeld: The Jets have no reason to rush Pace. He’s a good player, but they can get by without him. The combination of Jason Taylor and Jamaal Westerman is more than adequate. The Jets should give Pace all the times he needs to get better. If this was a playoff situation, perhaps you rush him back, but since it’s the first month of the season, they should probably let him sit out the entire month. People saying he will be back in Week Two are jumping the gun. The man still has the foot immobilized. I think Week Five or Six is more realistic.
As for Pool, I highly doubt he plays against Baltimore. He doesn’t just have a regular ankle sprain, but a high ankle sprain, which is a lot worse. He got the ankle twisted in a pile where players were attempting to recover a fumble against Washington in the preseason. He doesn’t know if he can cut on it. He won’t try until later in the week. Eric Smith has been getting starting reps this week.
And quite honestly, the Jets are better off with Smith in Week One, and not just because of Pool’s ankle. Smith nows the system much better than Pool, who is still tentative.
Q)What does Chauncey Washington have to work on to earn a roster spot?
Ryan: There was a guy that was close to making this team. (He was) very close. He’s got to continue to be himself and do a job. Sometimes when you just set your roster, the first couple of weeks, a lot of times you’re bringing in guys to see how they fit. Then, you make adjustments. I think you saw that last year when Danny Woodhead started out on the practice squad and ended up making the team (and) playing in the playoff games for us. We’ll see. He just (needs to) work hard and keep doing a great job.
Leberfeld: He doesn’t need to work on anything to earn a roster spot. He already earned a roster spot, but due to politics, he was sent back to the practice squad. He absolutely beat out Joe McKnight for the third running back spot. I know that they aren’t exactly the same runners, but it’s an injustice that McKnight beat out Washingtonf or the final tailback spot.
The McKnight situation is strange. Rex Ryan seemed to think in the preseason that if he kept feeding the ball to McKnight in-between the tackles, it would toughen him up. It’s pretty obvious that plan didn’t work. McKnight clearly isn’t an in-between the tackles runner – he too small and too tentative. Instead of attempting to break tackles, he braces for contact, like he’s about to take a spoon of cod liver oil. His best chance to make it in the league is as a kick and punt returner, and receiver out of the backfield.
If the Jets suffer an injury at tailback to Shonn Greene or LaDainian Tomlinson, they are going to have to call Washington up from the practice squad because McKnight cleary isn’t an in-between the tackles runner now (and maybe never).
