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Florham Park – Jets Insider Dan Leberfeld checks in from One Jets Drive with a bunch of Website Whispers. Treat yourself for Christmas. Just $7.95 per month gets you the good stuff.
The Jets charter is going to leave later than usual, at 4 PM on Saturday, to allow players and coaches to spend more time with their families on Christmas Day . . .
All of the Jets non-football staff is off today. The parking lot is close to empty at One Jets Drive . . .
Sanchez was doing a ton of windmill motions with his throwing shoulder in practice, a loosening motion.
Yesterday in the locker room, Sanchez was doing a playful towel whip with his throwing arm. In other words, he didn’t look like a guy who was too concerned with his shoulder . . .
Watching Mark Brunell throw today, just a few throws, it didn’t look like his current arm strength deals with the wind particularly well. And it was very windy today in Florham Park, and of course will be very windy in Chicago, with “The Hawk” blowing off Lake Michigan . . .
Sanchez is likely going to have a huge problem this Sunday with defensive end Julius Peppers. Aside from his pass rush prowess, his ability to block passes is going to be a major issue for Sanchez. The Jets quarterback struggles with tall defensive linemen batting down passes.
Last week, Pittsburgh’s 6-5 Brett Keisel had two blocks. Against Cincinnati, 6-7 Michael Johnson blocked two passes. Peppers might be the best end in the league at knocking down passes.
“This guy, you can’t throw over him,” Rex Ryan said on Friday . . .
I’m really surprised at the nervousness and anticipation over whether a 54 percent passer, who hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass the last three games, is going to play on Sunday.
I don’t mean any disrespect at all with the prior sentence. I just trying to keep it real . . .
James “Dig” Ihedigbo feels the range of motion in his high ankle sprain is much better this week compared to last week . . .
I’m shocked that there was even a consideration that defensive end Trevor Pryce was going to play this week. He has a torn hip flexor, which is at least a six week injury. It injury happened two weeks ago . . .
It looks like Marcus Dixon is going to be active again this week, helping fill the void left by Pryce’s injury.
The Jets claim to like him a lot, but they’ve only had him in touch football practices during the season. He was claimed off waivers from Dallas, right before the opener. He didn’t look great on the Rashad Mendenhall touchdown run last week. He couldn’t get off a block on the goalline, and the runner ran right by him.
Why not play Matt Kroul as the backup nose tackle (he played NT at Iowa), instead of guy who has played so little football this year? Last week was Dixon’s first game active . . .
Eric Smith has an appointment with a neurologist early next week, and if he passes a battery of tests, he might be available for the Buffalo game . . .
Patrick Turner was working with the first team offense today, even though he’s on the practice squad. Perhaps that was to give Santonio Holmes (turf toe) some rest . . .
Sanchez was low on a quick slant to Braylon Edwards in practice today . . .