1) Woody to IR- On Wednesday the New York Jets announced that offensive lineman Damien Woody will be out the remainder of the playoffs as he is having season ending surgery. This is a tough blow to the Jets as Woody provides a ton of leadership on and off the field. Wayne Hunter is set to replace Damien and has filled in admirably in the past.
2) Jets sign Turner, Landolt- The New York Jets announced that they have signed wide receiver Patrick Turner to the active roster and guard Dennis Landolt to the practice squad. Turner remains an intriguing prospect for Gang Green and I would not be surprised to see him on the team next season.
3) Brad Smith still limited- Brad Smith is still nursing a groin injury but is expected to play on Sunday. If Smith is unable to return kicks the Jets will reportedly use Antonio Cromartie in his place. This will definitely be a tough call for the Jets as they need to maximize every advantage they have including on specials teams. I still contend that the Jets should consider using Joe McKnight in a platoon situation for the return game. I understand that McKnight is a rookie, but he can help preserve Smith (for Wildcat etc) and Cromartie while providing a chance for a big return.
4) Empire state of mind- The Empire State Building will display green and white colors from Friday to Sunday in honor of the Jets postseason run.
5) Talk means nothing- Much has been made about all of the trash talk done recently by the Jets, but in the end none of it really matters. This is the divisional round of the playoffs, both of these teams are super motivated to begin with. The fact that the teams are bitter rivals just adds fuel to the fire. I kind of like the fact that some of the Jets players are calling out Tom Brady and the Patriots for their antics. It is no secret that the Pats have had their share of taunting incidents, but usually their winning ways allow many to brush them aside. At the end of the day the game will come down to the execution of plays on the field, not the words off of it.
6) Interesting comment by Sanchez- Lost in all of the hype surrounding the game was the fact that Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez continues to deal with what is being called a sore shoulder. On Wednesday Sanchez offered the following comment which I found somewhat interesting:
On how his shoulder feels…
“Honestly, it feels the best it has felt in three or four weeks. I was full-practice today for the first time in a while and that was huge. We know it’s getting better and that’s the most important thing is, week-by-week it’s getting better, so I’m ready to go.”
Mark Sanchez had a mediocre game against the Colts which could have been attributed some rust and the soreness of his shoulder. Hopefully based on this comment Sanchez is ready to play at a very high level on Sunday. A sub-par performance by Mark will almost guarantee a Jets loss.