Jets’ Pace possibly out for six weeks
New York Jets linebacker Calvin Pace may miss the next six weeks of action as he underwent foot surgery on Monday. The Jets’ top pass rusher broke his foot in the Jets’ preseason game against the Washington Redskins. Pace will very likely miss the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens and possibly a lot longer depending on his recovery time.
"Hopefully, it'll be a somewhat speedy recovery," Pace said. "I probably definitely will miss the first game, that's safe to say, but beyond that, I don't really have an idea."
It’ll be the second straight season that Pace will miss the start of the season. He was suspended for four games last season after violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Despite missing those games, Pace finished the season with 55 tackles, eight sacks (led the team) and three forced fumbles.
The Jets have some depth at linebacker as they acquired longtime Dolphin Jason Taytlor in the offseason and Vernon Gholston. They will have to play a bigger role than expected at least for the beginning of the season
Don’t forget that Darrelle Revis is still holding out and it appears unlikely that he’ll be back by opening day. With Pace potentially out too, that’s two big pieces of last season’s top defence out of the line-up.
Coach Rex Ryan was asked if the team would consider signing a temporary replacement for Pace. One name mentioned was Adalius Thomas, whom Ryan coached when he was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. The Jets would likely not sign him until after week one. If the Jets were to sign Thomas now, they’d have to guarantee him a full year’s salary; if they wait until after week one, they wouldn’t have to guarantee the veteran anything.
Despite the holes on the team heading into the season, Ryan is still confident in his team. He’s confident in the depth of the team and feels his players can get the job done.
"We've got enough depth here, enough good football players that offenses need to be worried about our defense," Ryan said. "We're definitely not worried about it."
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