Pace Out "A Few Weeks," to See Foot Specialist

UPDATE: 12:02PM: Pace will undergo foot surgery on Monday in North Carolina that could sideline him four to six weeks, according to league sources.

Noted foot doctor Robert Anderson will perform the surgery on Pace, who was injured Friday night. The Jets will not want to make any final determinations on Pace's availability until after the surgery. The preliminary prognosis of Pace's injury is that he will miss four to six weeks.
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The Jets vaunted defense took another blow on Friday night when starting left outside linebacker Calvin Pace left the game against the Redskins with an apparent foot injury. The Jets won't know the full extent of his injury until after Pace receives his MRI on Monday.

After the game, Pace was in the locker room, his right foot heavily wrapped and encased in a walking boot. Based on the preliminary prognosis, Pace figures to miss the season opener, Sept. 13 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Pace is scheduled to fly to North Carolina to meet with the noted foot specialist, Dr. Robert Anderson, to determine how much time he might miss, according to two league sources.

Until Anderson examines Pace and his foot injury, the Jets are hesitant to put a timetable on their linebacker's absence.

Jets coach Rex Ryan had said Pace could miss a few weeks, and a New York Daily News report said Pace would six weeks with a broken foot.

But the Jets want to wait to see what Anderson determines before making any definitive declarations on Pace's absence.

Pace is the Jets' best pass-rusher. In 2009, he recorded eight sacks in 12 regular season games -- he missed the first four games of the season after being suspended for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy. (Pace said he used an over-the-counter dietary supplement, unaware that it contained a substance that violated the policy.)

"It's a big loss, there's no doubt," Ryan said. "But we're fortunate. We have a lot of depth at that position."

With Pace out, Ryan said Jason Taylor -- signed as a free agent this offseason to be a situational player -- will take Pace's place in the starting lineup.

"Jason Taylor, his M.O. is gonna change from 75 percent of the plays to 100 percent until Calvin gets back," Ryan said.

Taylor, the former Miami Dolphin and Washington Redskin, was once one of the NFL's elite pass-rushers -- in fact, he's the NFL's active leader with 127½ career sacks. But Taylor turns 36 on Tuesday and hasn't done much in the Jets' first three preseason games.

Nevertheless, Taylor said he's growing more and more comfortable in the Jets' defensive scheme, and sounded up for this challenge.

"As a player, you wanna play," Taylor said. "Whatever the case is, whatever the team needs you to do, you go do. Does it take a toll on you? Sure, it takes a little bit of a toll. It's a very physical game. But you can take care of yourself throughout the week and have plenty of gas in the tank come Sunday.

"I've been doing it for a long time. It won't be my first rodeo."

The Jets survived Pace's absence well a year ago -- they went 3-1 in their first four games while Pace was suspended. But this year, it appears the Jets will also begin the season without holdout cornerback Darrelle Revis, the team's best defensive player overall and arguably the best defensive player in the NFL.

Playing without Revis and Pace is a very tall order.

Pace's injury will no doubt renew the speculation that the Jets could sign free-agent linebacker Adalius Thomas. Thomas, the former Baltimore Raven and New England Patriot, played for Rex Ryan when Ryan was the defensive coordinator in Baltimore. Ryan has downplayed the Jets' interest in Thomas in the past, but Thomas does play outside linebacker and would be a natural replacement for Pace.

But in the meantime, it's Taylor's job. There will be many doubters as to whether Taylor can get the job done, but he said he is used to that.

"I've always had that kind of chip on my shoulder throughout my career," Taylor said. "People always said I couldn't do things. They said I couldn't play defensive end at 240 [pounds] and I've been going on 14 years now. So I've got my little box of motivation that I have in the back of my head, and that won't change regardless of the situation. It's incumbent on me now to go out and help this team any way I can."

Jets fans should at least be a 75 on the worried scale. Taylor was signed to be a situational pass rusher, not to be the starting outside linebacker and his age is a huge reason why. And the worst thing is that Taylor has really yet to show up in the preseason.

If he were a no-name free agent, battling for a roster spot, he'd receive a pink slip off his performance Friday night against the Washington Redskins.

In 37 defensive snaps, unofficially, Taylor engaged in actual contact only twice, not counting the play in which he was blindsided by a backup center named Kory Lichtensteiger. Taylor exerted less energy in the game than in one of his old "Dancing with the Stars" episodes.

Maybe the former Miami Dolphin has earned that right, having compiled a career resume that probably will put him in the Hall of Fame, but his old enemy/new team needs him to flick on the switch come Sept. 13 -- opening night. Pace probably won't be ready for the Baltimore Ravens, meaning Taylor goes from situational pass rusher to every-down player.

Most of the attention will focus on how Pace's absence will impact the pass rush, but one NFL personnel executive believes the Taylor-for-Pace change will be felt more in the running game.

"I don't think they'll take too much of a step back in terms of one-on-one pass rushing," the personnel executive said Saturday, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "What really becomes a deficiency for them is the addition of Jason Taylor as a point-of-attack run defender.

"With Jason in the lineup, you'll be exposed in your edge run defense. Calvin Pace can set the edge, push tight ends back and play downhill. You won't see Jason do that stuff. He's more of a lateral player, more of a finesse player."

Taylor and Pace were supposed to be the bookend rushers in the nickel package. Now what? Bryan Thomas is a better run defender than pass rusher, Jamaal Westerman is too green and Shaun Ellis too old. Maybe Vernon Gholston gets a shot. Maybe Ryan places a call to free agent Adalius Thomas, one of his former Ravens.

Ryan's problem will get bigger if he also doesn't have holdout cornerback Darrelle Revis, whose glue-like coverage allows the coaches to take chances with their blitzing. When Pace missed the first four games last season because of a league suspension, the Jets didn't miss a beat because Revis locked down star receivers Andre Johnson, Randy Moss and Marques Colston in three of the games.

No Revis, no lockdown. Antonio Cromartie is a talent, but as he showed Friday night with some sloppy plays, he's no Revis.

So, in a crazy twist, the Jets turn their desperate eyes to Taylor, who prepares for his last tango.