Sanchez Probable for Sunday, Will Play

If there was ever any doubt in your mind that Mark Sanchez would take the field for the Jets on Sunday to take on the Chicago Bears, erase it now because Sanchez is set to start after a successful day of practice yesterday.

Sanchez is listed as probable for Sunday’s game and coach Rex Ryan said his chances of playing are at least 90 percent.

In the third day of the back-and-forth evaluation of Sanchez’s sore right shoulder, Ryan said the second-year quarterback looked much better Friday than he did on Thursday.

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was more optimistic about Sanchez on Thursday, but Ryan said he felt Sanchez’s throws on Thursday were not “NFL caliber." Those throws, however, were greatly improved during Friday’s practice.

Sanchez, who had an MRI on Monday and reportedly has a slight cartilage tear, tried to keep his shoulder loose during the portion of Friday’s practice open to the media. He repeatedly moved his arms in a windmill motion and began practice with short passes to Schottenheimer and Jets players.

The cartilage in his shoulder is, in fact, the labrum. Don't be alarmed, though, Jets fans. The labrum is a ball-in-socket joint and is the cartilage attachment to the shoulder, so most likely he has a small tear in his labrum. That sounds horrible, but partial tears in the shoulder are generally well tolerated, and then can generally be rehabbed.

This injury is very common in athletes and it occurs in more than 30% of them in all sports. This is not another Chad Pennington scenario though, don't fret. Sanchez may opt for surgery in the offseason just to stabilize the shoulder, but it is not necessary. Take it from someone that has had shoulder surgery before. I tore my labrum and rotator cuff in high school (I was a catcher) and played with it for three seasons. Surgery was not necessary, but I decided to get it because I wanted to be able to lift weights without any pain in preparation for playing in college. My injury was significantly worse than Sanchez's because he doesn't seem to have rotator cuff damage.

Sanchez will be fine and will be ready to go on Sunday, but that's why this has been day-to-day. The tear will not heal, but if the inflammation goes down, the strength is there and Coach Ryan deems his play acceptable, then they will put him out there Sunday afternoon. Small cartilage tears like this does not happen with one play either, it happens over time with the wear and tear of playing the quarterback position or any position that requires excessive throwing. This is called Overhead Athlete's Shoulder, described briefly here.

“I threw it just like I did the week before and throughout the season,” Sanchez said in a statement. “The treatment has been working; I felt better than the two days prior and I’m going to be ready to play on Sunday.”

If Sanchez is not able to play, the Jets would start the 40-year-old back up Mark Brunell. Ryan said the Jets' game plan will remain the same for either quarterback.

“Nothing would change with Brunell,” Ryan said. “He’s zipping it and throwing balls over linebackers. He’s pumping (the ball) in there. I think he sensed as the week (went on) that there might be a chance (for him to play). His excitement and intensity kind of (rose) a little bit. Not that he hadn’t had it, but not at this extent."