After Further Consideration...Sanchez to Start Against Bills Sunday

The Jets have nothing to play for this Sunday afternoon against the Buffalo Bills, something that we are now able to say not thanks to the Jets themselves, but thanks to the Washington Redskins. Because the Redskins beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in overtime last Sunday, the Jets clinched a playoff berth in consecutive seasons for only the fifth time in franchise history.

You would think that because the Jets clinched they would take this time to rest some players with some dings and injuries, and, for the most part, you would be correct in thinking that; however, one player that will be playing is quarterback Mark Sanchez. Head coach Rex Ryan said Sanchez practiced well on Thursday, and that cemented Ryan's decision to start him.

Yes, he has that slight tear in his throwing shoulder, but he has actually played better with it and the Jets don't want to ruin Sanchez's rhythm. Sanchez has played very well the last two games against the Steelers and Bears defenses with a quarterback rating of 82.8, completing 65.2% of his passes for 439 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Coach Rex Ryan doesn't want to ruin that rhythm or the routine that Sanchez has established. "More than anything it's just that routine he's established," Ryan said. "He's got a good thing going right now and he's comfortable and I just want to keep that going. And the other thing [is] we could be playing a Saturday game and if we are all of a sudden, you haven't done anything, and all of a sudden you're on a short week."

Sanchez won't play the entire game, though, and how long he will play has yet to be determined. "He looked good, had some on the ball and all that stuff, so we'll go ahead and start Mark this game," Ryan said. "How long he plays, we'll just determine that as the game goes. But he will start for us."

Fullback Tony Richardson said that the blockers would do their best to protect Sanchez's shoulder leading up to the postseason.

"Our mindset with anything is make sure he's well protected and not taking any hits and make plays for him," Richardson said. "And as long as he's in there we're going to go out there and protect him, and try to do things to help our offense move the ball down the field."

It's clear what Coach Ryan's gut is telling him, though -- see his immediate reaction after the game -- but the league frowns upon teams taking a "preseason" approach to late-season games when nothing is on the line. This is an unusual position for the Jets, as this is the first time since 1998 that they clinched a playoff spot before the final game.

Ryan sent mixed signals. He expressed the importance of winning and not easing up, but in his next sentence, he also predicted substantial playing time for the younger players. That group includes running back Joe McKnight, defensive end Vernon Gholston, cornerback Kyle Wilson, fullback John Conner and defensive tackle Marcus Dixon.

But the decision has been made and Sanchez will start against the Bills. This is a good decision because Sanchez has been god awful when faced with a long layoff between games. Three of his worst outings came after 11-, 14- and 11-day layoffs. Against the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots, respectively, he completed only 47 percent of his passes and threw five interceptions with no touchdowns.

Ryan acknowledged he's aware of that trend, claiming, "It's an interesting thing and ... I've been reminded of it a bunch."

Sanchez was at his best in "the tournament," as Bill Parcells used to call it, last season and has to be even better if the Jets are to go all the way as they always proclaim they will. Sanchez gives the Jets the best chance to win this game on Sunday, but the real focus is on next weekend when the road to the Super Bowl begins. Whether the Jets play the Chiefs or Colts/Jaguars in that round one match up will be determined this Sunday.

Teixeira Says Pettitte Leaning Towards Retirement

New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira has been exchanging text messages with Andy Pettitte during the offseason as Pettitte sits at home in Deer Park, Texas, deciding whether to pitch for the Yankees in 2011 or retire.

Teixeira said on Tuesday that, through his communication with Pettitte, he's gotten the sense that the veteran left-hander is "leaning toward retirement." But the Yankees first baseman is holding out hope that Pettitte will return to a Yankees rotation that sorely needs him next season.

The Yankees are hoping that those thoughts change in the next month and a half because they desperately need Pettitte to fill out their rotation that already has question marks at the back end. Even with Pettitte, the Yankees, as it stands now, have to rely on either a rookie or highly inexperienced starter to fill out the back two spots of their rotation. Without Pettitte the Yankees have a starting rotation with serious holes, with the uncertainty of AJ Burnett, Sergio Mitre, Ivan Nova and whether or not Phil Hughes can repeat his 18 win season. This is something that has left many uneasy and really trying to convince Pettitte to return for the 2011 season.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman echoed similar sentiments about Pettitte earlier this month. Pettitte, 38, is coming off one of the best seasons of his 16-year career. He finished 2010 with an 11-3 record and a 3.28 ERA. He missed most of the second half with a groin injury but returned late in the regular season. He went 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA in two playoff starts for the Bombers, who were eliminated in the ALCS by the Texas Rangers.

For the past two seasons, Pettitte has used the offseason to decide whether to return to baseball or retire. He pitched last season on a one-year, $11.75 million contract. He indicated after the Yankees' Game 6 loss to the Rangers in Texas that he was leaning toward retirement.

But Teixeira hopes that Pettitte changes his mind in the next few weeks and shows up in Tampa on Feb. 14, when pitchers and catchers report to the Yankees' spring training complex, and quite honestly, so do many others.

The Yankees need Andy Pettitte badly and they know it. I don't think they are overly comfortable with their rotation without Pettitte and if he decides to retire I think the Yankees would make a move to acquire a starting pitcher with a reputation; someone like Mark Buehrle, Carlos Zambrano or Edwin Jackson.

If the Yankees do re-sign Pettitte I think the Yankees would like to see Ivan Nova fill out that last spot in the rotation instead of having to rely on Sergio Mitre, who has been mediocre at best each time on the bump.

Pettitte, who made $11.75 million last season, has increased financial leverage now that Cliff Lee spurned the Yankees and is headed to Philadelphia. His 2010 salary was very low for someone that was essentially the number two starter and Pettitte has said he will not come back if the Yanks low ball him with another incentive-laden deal.

Here's to hoping Pettitte decides to return in 2011 because the Yankees need him badly now more than ever.

Islanders Trade Wisniewski To Habs

The Islanders have traded James Wisniewski to Montreal for a second round pick in 2011. If the Canadiens make the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs and Wisniewski plays in at least 50-percent of the Canadiens' playoff games, the Islanders will receive the Canadiens' 2012 fifth-round pick as well; if that pick is unavailable the Islanders will get a fourth-round pick in 2013. The second rounder is the Canadiens’ compensatory pick for not signing a recent first round selection. The 26-year-old Wisniewski is having a career offensive season for the Islanders, with his 21 points tying him for the team lead. He also has a team-best 18 assists.

Since he won’t be asked to be the man in Montreal, Wisniewski - unable to shoulder the load when Mark Streit was sidelined with a serious shoulder injury - should be okay for the Habs. Some more wheel-spinning for the Islanders, but good value for Garth Snow. According to Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet, the compensatory pick should be around 50th overall.

No problem with the timing here; if Snow waited any longer, I doubt Wisniewski’s value was going to go up. The Canadiens got the player they targeted. The Islanders got as much as they could get.

Even still though, you have to wonder, why trade Wiz? At 26 years old and $3 million he is young enough and skilled enough to be considered part of the rebuilding process. Now we can only wonder what next year could have been like with Wiz and Streit on the point together, unless the Islanders re-sign Wisniewski in the offseason. That is a possibility, but it doesn't seem likely, but we'll have to wait until July to know for sure.

Wiz is a stand-up guy that was well liked in the locker room that provided great leadership and hard work day in and day out. My guess is that the emergence of Andy MacDonald and Travis Hamonic as the top pairing on the team (and legitimate NHL pairing) enabled Snow to pull the trigger on this one.

Last season with Anaheim, Wisniewski finished second among Ducks defensemen in scoring with a career-high 30 points (three goals and 27 assists) in 69 games. He also led the Ducks in blocked shots with 102, ranked second on the team with 129 hits and finished fourth among skaters in average ice time at 24:20. Wisniewski was Chicago’s fifth round selection (156th overall) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Jets May Rest Sanchez Against Bills--His Health Key for Playoff Run

After declaring in his postgame press conference Sunday that Mark Sanchez, who played with a slight cartilage tear in his throwing shoulder, would most likely sit out Sunday's regular-season finale against the Bills, Ryan today said he may prefer to keep Sanchez and the hot offense going for at least part of Sunday's game.

"I don't want to say 100 percent he's out or he's in," Ryan said on a conference call from Chicago, where the team was stuck for another day with the storm shutting down airports at home. "I don't know if [sitting out] is best for him. Obviously his health is the No. 1 priority. But we can't afford to have him take a dip here heading into the playoffs."

Sanchez had two miserable games before he pulled himself together in the win over the Steelers. He threw for a touchdown on Sunday and was clearly not the cause of the 38-34 loss.

And Ryan still sees a benefit to playing his healthy starters to get to 11 wins and avoid going into the postseason having lost four of five.

"I want to win this game," he said. "It's important to win this game. We want to go in [to the playoffs] with a win."

The Jets don't have much to gain by beating the Bills, although they can improve their seed from No. 6 to No. 5. Even then, they'd still have to go on the road for the first round of the playoffs.

Sanchez has improved his accuracy over the last two games too. He has completed 65 percent of his passes for 439 yards, one touchdown and one interception. With the once-vaunted defense struggling, the Jets may have to rely on Sanchez and the offense in the playoffs.

"My first thought was, 'Let's not even play him,' " Ryan said. "But two things: I want to win this game. It's important to win this game. If we get to 11 wins, it's happened only five times in the history of the franchise. That would be huge. Plus, you want to go in with a win.

"But his health is the No. 1 concern. It's a fine line. He's hot right now. We need him to stay at this level. ... So those are the things we'll consider. I don't want to say he's 100 percent in or out, to be honest."

Sanchez's health was a concern, but he made it through the game without any apparent problems. Sanchez (24-for-37, 269 yards, one touchdown) played well until his final pass, when he was intercepted by Bears safety Chris Harris in the final minute.

Afterward, Sanchez acknowledged that his right shoulder is "pretty sore." He has a slight cartilage tear in his throwing shoulder. Sanchez said he'd like to play next week, but he recognized the importance of rest.

"This isn't my 18th year, so I need as many reps as possible," he said. "With the situation we're in now, with my shoulder, we want to see how it responds to the game. We'll take it day to day. I'm with Coach. Whatever he thinks is best for me and the team, we'll handle it like that."

But the fact Sanchez' health already looms as a key playoff story line is itself a story line.

The Jets and their quarterback have come a long way from Week 1, when coaches resumed the 2009 game plan of merely trying to prevent Sanchez from losing games.

That night he totaled a season-low 10 completions in a season-low 21 attempts for a season-low 74 yards in a 10-9 loss to the Ravens.

Since then Sanchez has grown while the defense has regressed compared to last season, a reality that was clear throughout the loss to the Bears.

But it's fair to say Sanchez has improved enough to where the Jets don't have to be great on defense to win, only better than they were against the Bears - and, obviously, the Patriots.

Sanchez looked good for most of Sunday, finishing the first half 13-for-15 for 156 yards, with one of the misses being a key drop in the end zone by Dustin Keller.

The second-year, 24-year-old quarterback now is 2-for-2 making the playoffs and can no longer use Ryan's formerly feared defense as a crutch.

But in a season in which the Jets generally have gone as the quarterback has, and in which their pass rush has evaporated and their secondary has looked confused at times, he might be their best hope.

Not that Sanchez is quite ready to look at it that way.

"We're all going to have to do it at the same time if we're going to make a run like we did last year," he said. "We know we're a tough matchup for some people.

"We have great wideouts. We have great offensive linemen. When the defense is on, they are on, and there's no stopping them. You can't throw it anywhere, or you can't run anywhere."

Note the interesting choice of words: "When the defense is on."

Remember when that was a given?

So What Went Wrong For Jets?

There were four big issues that led to this loss by the Jets: the defense, the fake punt on fourth down while up a touchdown, the punting game and the decision to keep Shonn Greene on the sideline for much of the fourth quarter. 

The Jets (10-5) are a wounded team, at least on one side of the ball. After befuddling Bears quarterback Jay Cutler for the first half, the defense suffered an unimaginable, 21-point meltdown in the third quarter. New York Giants-esque anyone? Never mind. They allowed three touchdown passes and 117 yards through the air in that third quarter, negating another encouraging performance by Mark Sanchez and the offense.

"It's a huge, huge deal that we have to get fixed," head coach Rex Ryan said of the defensive slide.

So much for building momentum for the postseason.

In the third quarter, Cutler threw all three of those touchdown passes for more than 21 yards, something he had only done twice before all season. The Jets defense couldn't stop Betty White coming down the sideline. Their once stout run defense gave up its first 100 yard rusher on the season and they again gave up over 300 total yards of offense. Their pass rush was non-existent and their lack of safety depth was severely exposed throughout the game.

Coach Ryan said about the inability to stop anything on defense, "We couldn't stop a nosebleed then. Everybody has to step up. It would've been easy if it was just one guy's mistakes or whatever, but you have to give them credit. When [quarterback Jay] Cutler is hot, he's as good as there is."

The Jets had several breakdowns in the second half and didn't look very good schematically. They also were caught with only 10 men on the field on Devin Hester's 25-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.

One of a few head-scratching moves came on fourth-and-3 early in the third, when the Jets attempted a fake punt that backfired worse than an old clunker.

Sanchez lined up as an upback in front of punter Steve Weatherford, took the snap and rolled right, looking to hit Brad Smith. But Smith dropped the ball, setting up the Bears at the Jets' 40 and leading to some serious second-guessing. "The defender made a pretty good play," Sanchez said. "I thought it was the right call at that time. We get that and [Mike] Westhoff is a hero. High risk, high reward."

On the next play, Cutler hit Johnny Knox streaking down the right side for a 40-yard touchdown, squaring things at 24-24.

Rashied Davis, the Bears' special teamer who broke the play up, wasn't impressed with the call by Ryan.

"We knew it was a fake, everybody knew it was a fake," Davis said. "You leave your starting receiver out there, you shift Brad Smith over to [the] side and bring the starting quarterback back into the game, you knew it was a fake. You just have to diagnose and figure out what is happening and what they are trying to do to you. At first, I thought they were going to keep Smith in the backfield and try to run some kind of option, or direct snap or misdirection or something like that. But once they shifted him out, it was obvious they were going to throw the ball to him. You can't throw it to the receiver out wide because there is no pass interference."

Everyone and their mother knew it was going to be a fake with Sanchez standing on the field in the punt formation, but even if it wasn't Sanchez, it still would have been very ease to determine that the play would be a fake punt because there was a player standing directly in front of the punter.

Are you kidding me?

Watching the game with my friends yesterday, I had been yelling to them how they were going to call a fake when I watched them line up. I also told them that it was an awful call up seven points in the middle of the third quarter in their own territory. Sure enough, it backfired big time because that was the turning point of the game.

The next dubious call, or calls depending how you choose to look at it, was the decision to actually punt the ball to Devin Hester and they got burned because of it. Punting away from Hester was the very thing Ryan said the Jets weren't going to do too. He took one back 38 yards to the Jets' 32, and three plays later, Cutler found Hester, who beat Drew Coleman for a 25-yard touchdown reception that gave Chicago a 31-24 lead.

That punt wasn't even supposed to go to Hester, leaving punter Steve Weatherford less than thrilled with his performance. "No, because he had a 40-yard return on me," Weatherford said. "I'm not satisfied, but that's the mystique of playing up here. It's a tough place to kick and they have the best returner in the game."

Sanchez's 23-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes tied it at 31, but the Jets' defensive struggles on those short fields continued. Hester's 40-yard kickoff return to the Jets' 49 set up Knox's 26-yard touchdown reception over Antonio Cromartie that gave the Bears a 38-31 lead.

Finally we get to the Jets decision to rely on LaDainian Tomlinson instead of Shonn Greene throughout the fourth quarter. Why? Good question because I don't have the answer either.

Shonn Greene averaged 6.2 per rush through the first three quarters, but received only two carries in the final stanza. Inexplicably, they leaned on LaDainian Tomlinson (2.2 per rush). That was ill-advised play calling. Futhermore, the field conditions at Soldier Field yesterday called for the type of runner that Shonn Greene is: an uphill runner that will pound it down your throat. LT is a finesse runner, Shonn Greene was definitely better suited for the slippery turf in Chicago yesterday.

If the Jets plan on winning the Super Bowl they better fix the leaking holes in their defense because another game like this next week and they will need dams to fix it. Their lack of safety depth is showing and it's hurting the ability of Antonio Cromartie to play his best game. Their inability to rush the passer yesterday must change because Cutler had way too much time to make decisions yesterday, carving up the defense ad nauseam.

Jets Lose in Chicago, Back Into Playoffs--Defense Is Now Big Question

If it was easy, they wouldn't be the New York Jets. Nothing is ever easy for this team, but they locked up a second straight trip to the playoffs Sunday, only the fifth time in franchise history they have gone to the postseason in back-to-back seasons.

With their 38-34 loss to the Bears in Chicago yesterday the Jets had to hold out hope that either Indianapolis or Jacksonville would lose, and Jacksonville did when Washington Redskins kicker Graham Gano kicked a game winning field goal in overtime to lock up a Jets playoff berth. But never mind the recent drama. Rex Ryan and the Jets are headed back to the playoffs, and they're not complaining even if they backed in with a loss.

Jay Cutler completed 13 of 25 passes for 215 yards and three touchdown passes, Matt Forte ran for a touchdown on 113 yards and 19 attempts in the Bears win, sending the Jets to their third loss in four games. Chris Harris intercepted Mark Sanchez on a pass intended for Santonio Holmes with about a minute left to end New York's comeback bid.

As Coach Ryan addressed the media after the game there was a loud roar from the coaches' locker room when the Jaguars lost, and Ryan stopped himself to talk about it.

"By the way, I think we're in the playoffs," he said. "Not the way I wanted it, but I'll take it."

It made for a surreal scene in the locker room because some players, like guard Brandon Moore, were disgusted by the loss. Others, like LaDainian Tomlinson, were giddy to be in the postseason. Some didn't know what to feel.

"We just lost a game, so I'm thinking, 'Am I allowed to celebrate?'" Keller said.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez was conflicted, saying he would have to check with backup/mentor Mark Brunell to find out the proper reaction for backing into the playoffs.

"I have no idea what that's supposed to feel like," he said.

Here's the big picture, the silver-lining view, if you will: Despite an inordinate number of off-the-field issues, from Darrelle Revis' holdout to TripGate to foot fetish videos, the Jets maintained their focus and gained consecutive playoff appearances for only the fifth time in franchise history. They did it with a second-year coach and a second-year quarterback.

Impressive stuff.

But there's the other view: After a fantastic 9-2 start, the Jets have dropped three of their past four games. They blew a possible No. 1 seed and blew a shot at the AFC East title. The most troubling thing is how their once-vaunted defense allowed 45 and 38 points in two of those losses. That's not the kind of late-season performance that inspires confidence.

And now they'll have an extra night in Chicago to savor it after a snowstorm delayed their return to New York.

Forte had a big game and, assuming those numbers stand, is the first opponent to run for 100 or more yards against the Jets this season. Pittsburgh's Rashard Mendenhall had a yard deducted after initially being credited with 100 last week. With 169 yards from scrimmage, Forte has 1,465 for the season and is the first player in franchise history with at least 1,400 in each of his first three NFL seasons. Forte and Hall of Famer Gale Sayers are the only Bears to record at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of their first three NFL seasons.

Sanchez seemed to be just fine after playing most of last week's win over Pittsburgh with a shoulder injury. He threw for 269 yards and a touchdown, completing 24 of 37 passes after a sizzling start, but his interception sealed the win for Chicago and capped another wild week for New York that included more headline-grabbing distractions, mainly Ryan's foot fetish video with his wife.

"To lose the game and I still make the playoffs, that's the best news you can ever have after a loss," said Sanchez, who will likely sit out next week's game against Buffalo. Sanchez completed 13 of 15 passes for 156 yards in the first half, and the Jets led 24-17, but the momentum turned in a big way after halftime.

A fake punt by New York on the opening drive of the third quarter failed as Sanchez's pass to Brad Smith fell incomplete and things only got worse from there because Cutler tied it on the next play when he hit Knox in the end zone with a 40-yard touchdown, and in a flash, the Bears were leading thanks to two big plays by Devin Hester.

He returned a punt 38 yards to the New York 32, putting a neat juke on James Ihedigbo as he turned up the right side that caused his leg to give way and left him with a knee injury.

Then, Hester beat Drew Coleman and caught a 25-yard TD pass from Cutler along the left side that gave the Bears a short-lived 31-24 lead."That was disappointing to say the least," Ryan said. "I understand you get a play or two, but we're going in there trying to kick away from that guy. We tried to do that all day and he got his hands on it and that's why you see how important it is to kick a way from that kid. He is the best returner in the game."

New York immediately tied it on a 23-yard pass from Sanchez to Holmes, but Knox put Chicago ahead for good when he beat Cromartie for that 26-yarder with about 6 minutes left in the quarter.

"We talk a lot about finishing. That's definitely what we did," coach Lovie Smith said.

As for the Jets?

"I'm a huge Redskin fan, I can tell you that right now," Ryan said.

Islanders NOT for Sale, Says Owner Wang

Owner Charles Wang slapped a "not for sale" sign on his Islanders Thursday night, asserting his commitment to both the area and the team, even as it struggles badly on and off the ice.

"We are working very hard to try and keep the team on Long Island because that's my home," he said in a rare, nearly hourlong interview on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. "That's where it belongs."

But what if the Lighthouse Project that Wang has championed as part of a renovation of Nassau Coliseum never comes to fruition?

"If it doesn't work out on Long Island [at the current site], I'd like to be close enough so I can commute to the game and go to all the home games as best I can," he said. "If it's Queens, great. If it's Suffolk, great. Obviously we want to be in this area because it's our home."

So, Wang is not looking to sell the team? "No," he said. "It's not for sale."

That last question was asked by National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman, who conducted the interview of Wang and Islanders general manager Garth Snow in a studio at the NHL Store in Manhattan.

The Islanders executives also took calls from fans, most of whom had pointed questions about both the franchise's future and the team's current last-place standing.

"We are playing in the Coliseum right now until 2015, which is when our lease is up. We are exploring every opportunity to stay there."

Wang said the Lighthouse idea came about only after he had bought the team, as he sought creative solutions to fund improvements to the aging arena.

The owner said he continues to lose millions of dollars each season on the Islanders.

"We spent about $180 million to buy the team," he said. "It's cost me over $200-some-million to run the team," he said.

But he insisted he is willing to stay the course, believing Long Island needs a pro team and destination attractions, in part because "we should be known for more than being 30 minutes from Manhattan."

Snow, who has numerous times reiterated that the Islanders will not give up young players and prospects for a "quick fix" on the ice, echoed that again Thursday and added that injuries have taken a toll as well.

Still, Wang said of the team's performance, "We are probably as disappointed if not more disappointed, I would say more disappointed, than all of the fans."

As a current New York Islanders employee, I have gained a new perspective on this issue that fans never get to see. Mr. Wang does, in fact, care a great deal about this team and has made severe renovations to the press box, press lounge, locker rooms, training rooms and players lounge in order to ensure comfort for visiting and home press, as well as the players. He has put in over $250,000 to ensure this and visiting players don't get to see that as much as the Islanders players do.

High-end players that come to visit the Island that are potentially going to sign here look at Nassau Coliseum and think that it is the only thing there is to offer on Long Island. Mr. Snow and Mr. Wang have time and again offered more money and years to players that have signed for less with other teams (i.e.: Ryan Smyth, Paul Martin, Dan Hamhuis, Sheldon Souray and many others), but the dump of an arena that the Islanders play in deters players from signing here.

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."

Sanchez is Game-Time Decision for Jets Sunday Matchup in Chicago

Is Mark Sanchez kidding? Sadly, the answer to that question is no. Mark Sanchez has been taking it slow in practice this week due torn cartilage in his throwing shoulder that he suffered on one of his run plays in the second quarter of the Jets 22-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday.

How did Sanchez injure his shoulder then, you might ask? Well, what shouldn't surprise you is that Sanchez still hasn't learned the all important art of SLIDING, something that is essential to the safety of every quarterback. I could see when he got up slowly on the play that something wasn't right and he was slightly favoring his right shoulder, and, sure enough, it is now an injured right shoulder.

Sanchez will now be a game-time decision for Sunday's game against the Bears in Chicago, head coach Rex Ryan announced on Thursday. 

Sanchez was relegated in practice on Wednesday, mostly soft-tossing and handing the ball off.

The second year quaterback was on the field Thursday morning for Jets practice, but he didn't look comfortable. The quarterback made a soft toss here or there, but nothing with any power behind it. A few times, he held his arm awkwardly.

Both Mark Brunell and Kellen Clemens, the Jets' backup quarterbacks, made a full complement of throws, and Ryan said he felt good about having Brunell start if Sanchez isn't able to go.

It would be a high-stakes game for the veteran quarterback's first start with the Jets.

"Everyone knows the situation, we're close to potentially getting in the playoffs," Brunell said. "You think about that game, and in that game you think about one play at a time."

Several players addressed the notion that a potential quarterback switch so late in the season could put more pressure on the running game. Fullback Tony Richardson said that in the cold weather, ground and pound is the strategy anyway, so Brunell wouldn't affect the strategy that dramatically.

Ryan scaled back the certainty that Sanchez would start from 99 percent to 80 percent. Sanchez was limited after practice Wednesday and had his weekly news conference afterward.

"I'll be ready to go for Sunday," Sanchez said. "I felt good in practice. Felt like I could have done more and they're just holding me back to be smart. [We'll] take it from there, but if we were playing today, I'd play."

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said he expects Sanchez to play, but there would be minimal adjustment needed if Brunell starts.

"There's really not much that we would adjust or change," Schottenheimer said. "The biggest issue is probably the fact that he's left-handed, there'd be a few things here or there you might want to flip over and run the other way. For the most part you don't change too much, the volume might be cut back just a little bit but we wouldn't really adjust too much what we do."

Schottenheimer said Sanchez got better as practice went on. He said there was an 18-yard pass on a curl route that had a good amount of zip on it, and Sanchez had the majority of reps.

"He looked good today," Schottenheimer said.

I'm going to go ahead and assume that Sanchez is under center for the Jets first offensive play on Sunday afternoon and that if he can't play with a slight cartilage tear in his throwing shoulder, he should seriously consider doing something else. When he has a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder and plays through that, then we can have a conversation. I did that two years ago and it is no easy task.

By no means am I calling out Sanchez or taking shots at him, I love the guy and have since he was at USC, but I am just saying that the Jets need him to play this weekend against the Bears and need him to perform well if they plan on making it out of the first round of the playoffs.

New Pitching Coach Rothchild to Work with Burnett Next Month

The Yankees appear as though they will be relying heavily on AJ Burnett to have a season like 2009 and not like 2010 as GM Brian Cashman has repeatedly said. So with the Yankees being so dependent on the success of Burnett, new pitching coach Larry Rothchild has said he will spend a week to ten days with Burnett in his Monkton, Md. home next month to get a feel for Burnett as a person and pitcher.

The Yankees are relying on Burnett to be their number three starter next season after barely putting up numbers that would resemble even a number five starter. He posted a 5.26 ERA in 1862/3 innings. It proved a far drop from the 4.04 ERA in 207 innings he posted in 2009. Many times Burnett looked lost on the mound, his fastball sailing to the backstop and his devastating 12-6 curveball bouncing in the dirt. His mechanics were atrocious for most of the season and his head never seemed to be in the right place.

"Mechanics are everything for him," Cashman, the Yankees' general manager, said of Burnett. "Getting it down pat is the challenge. I know our guys know what they have to do, and I know A.J. is up for the challenge. He's committed to doing it."

My feeling is, and I've repeatedly said this to anyone that has tried to throw Burnett under the bus, that Burnett will turn it around this season. Burnett has arguably the best stuff in the game today with that absolutely filthy 12-6 curveball, but his head is sometimes in the wrong place. He is a fantastic pitcher when he is right, and as evidenced by this past season, god awful when he isn't; there doesn't seem to be an in between.

I was just as surprised as the next guy when the Yankees hired Rothchild to take over for the departed Dave Eiland - I thought it was a mistake to fire Eiland in the first place, but that's neither here nor there - but after careful consideration and some stat checking, this could be a good move for the Yanks.

The specific statistic that drew me in was the strikeout totals: During Rothschild's Cubs tenure, the team's pitching staff led the majors in strikeouts (11,604). That is a big thing for the Yankees, especially for AJ Burnett and Joba Chamberlain, as Rothchild will be held responsible for turning around Burnett and Chamberlain, and since both men rely heavily on the strikeout, Rothchild could bring that back for them.

Yankees Going with Current Pitching for Now Going into 2011

After losing out in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes to the Philadelphia Phillies and not trusting Zack Greinke's psyche enough to trade for him, the Yankees seem as though they will head into Spring Training this February with the current pitchers on their roster. GM Brian Cashman does not see anyone on the current trade or free agent market that would be worth bringing aboard to bolster his team's starting rotation depth.

Cashman is prepared to go into the season with CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, AJ Burnett and two newcomers, probably rookies, to the full-time rotation, many of whom have never pitched above the Triple-A level.

Yes Yankees fans, notice that short list did not include Andy Pettitte. Cashman is operating under the assumption that Andy Pettitte, back home in Deer, Park, Texas, following an excellent season cut short by a groin injury, will not be returning for a 17th major league season.

Cashman acknowledged his team could use a major league ready starter as well as another arm in the bullpen but seemed pessimistic about the chances of getting one before Opening Day.

"Could I go out and get a starter? Yes, I could. But there's just not much out there," Cashman said. "I have March, April, May, June and July, really, to come up with someone."

Cashman also ruled out, although not absolutely, the possibility the Yankees might include catching prospect Jesus Montero in a trade for a front-line starter now that the Yankees have signed Russell Martin to assume every-day catching duties. "There's just nobody out there I would consider trading Montero for," Cashman said.

Asked if that included Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, Cashman said, "That ain't happening."

So heading into spring training, Cashman said the Yankees would try to select two starters from a young crop that includes Ivan Nova, who is virtually assured a spot in the 2011 rotation, as well as right-handers Andrew Brackman, Dellin Betances, Adam Warren, Hector Noesi and left-hander Manny Banuelos.

Of the six, only Nova has pitched at the major league level, appearing in 10 games the second half of last season (seven starts), and compiling a 1-2 record and 4.50 ERA, but displaying enough stuff and poise that the Yankees are counting on him to fill one of the starting spots.

None of the others has pitched at a higher level than Double-A, and Banuelos and Betances, who had Tommy John surgery in 2009, spent last season in Class A ball.

"We have 10 prospects starting from Double-A on up that our organization can choose from," Cashman said.

Cashman declined to say whether he was interested in free agent right-hander Freddy Garcia. According to a report, the Yankees asked for the medicals on the 35-year-old Garcia, who was 12-6 with a 4.64 ERA for the White Sox in 2010. "We ask for the medical records on every free agent," Cashman said.

The Yankees need Pettitte to return, otherwise they risk having a rotation that was once deemed a strength become a potential weakness. Pettitte has stuff left in the tank at 39 and the Yankees will need him to be their number two starter once again this season.

I don't think Phil Hughes is quite ready to be the number two starter because, let's face it, we don't exactly know if he can repeat this past season's 18 win performance. Let's hope the Yankees rotation doesn't become the old Milwaukee Braves adage "Spahn, Sain and pray for rain." If Andy Pettitte returns, the chances of that saying coming to life aren't very high, but if he doesn't, I'm a little nervous of what the Yankees rotation may be able to accomplish as a whole.

Mottau Done for Season

As reported by Katie Strang, the Islanders have placed defenseman Mike Mottau on season-ending IR with a torn labrum in his right hip. The injury was a lingering issue that pre-dated the eye injury (hyphema) that has sidelined him since November 21.

The 32-year-old veteran, signed when top defenseman Mark Streit suffered a serious pre-season shoulder injury, played 20 games this season for the Islanders.

Mottau was a steady force on the Islanders depleted blueline for the 20 games he played for them, collecting three assists. His leadership and steady presence will be missed on the Islanders blueline and this is a big blow to a unit already missing Mark Streit and Mark Eaton and one that missed Milan Jurcina and Andy MacDonald for extended periods of time as well.

Kind of interesting to see the guy the Islanders signed to replace Mark Streit is now out for the season as well, but what can you do?

DiPietro to IR?

In the wake of 21-year old forward Matt Martin's two game suspension for his hit to the head of Phoenix Coyotes forward Vernon Fiddler Saturday night, the Islanders have to call up a forward to take his spot. In order to do that they have to place someone on IR and the most likely candidate seems to be franchise goaltender Rick DiPietro, according to Newsday's Arthur Staple.

DiPietro has experienced swelling in his knee after earning the first star in the team's 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks last Thursday and has not skated since Saturday. DiPietro would have to miss the next two games - at least - if he's placed on the IR.

A potential call up is Josh Bailey, who has been tearing it up in Bridgeport to the tune of six goals and 11 assists in 11 games with the Sound Tigers. If Bailey were to return, though, it would not be for the two games Martin is out. His return would be for the long haul because the first game he plays upon returning would be his 160th career game, thus the team would have to put him through waivers if they were to send him down again.

UPDATE: Rick DiPietro has been placed on IR. The former first-overall draft pick, who is 4-6-4 with a 3.68 goals-against average this season, is eligible to return after seven days.

Yankees Officially Sign Russell Martin

The Yankees, obviously not overly comfortable going into Spring Training having Jesus Montero and Francisco Cervelli competing for the starting spot behind the plate, have signed former Dodger, and native Canadian, Russell Martin to a a one-year, $4 million contract to become the Yankees' starting catcher on Thursday.

Martin now becomes the low-risk, high-reward acquisition general manager Brian Cashman was looking for to address an uneasy situation behind the plate. The ultimate reward would be for Martin to feel completely healthy and somehow reacquire the skills that made him one of the best catchers in the National League just two years ago.

"I'm expecting what I've done in the past, and hopefully even better," the former Dodgers backstop said via conference call. "I'm going to do everything I can to get back to those ways. Because talent just doesn't go away. I know I can hit, you know what I mean? I just want to get back to that consistency."

Martin wasn't just consistent -- he was great for a two-year stretch from 2007-08, when he put up a .286 batting average, .380 on-base percentage and 32 home runs while making two All-Star teams and winning both Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

But he batted just .250 in 143 games the following year, then had a nightmarish 2010 that began with a Spring Training groin injury, proceeded with a .248 batting average and five homers in 97 games and ended prematurely with a broken right hip.

The Yankees are also hoping that Martin can return to the Gold Glove caliber defensive player from two seasons ago. Last season the Yankees were atrocious defensively behind the plate, where Jorge Posada and Cervelli were less than adequate behind the plate, failing to throw out runners at, what seemed like, every other attempt. Martin brings a career 31% caught stealing rate to New York with him, surpassing Posada's 28% and Cervelli's 22% for their respective careers.

Martin threw out 30.6 percent of runners attempting to steal, the seventh-best percentage among qualifying MLB catchers (81+ games) while Cervelli and Posada had two of the five worst caught stealing percentages in the majors, combining for only a 12.4 percent success rate at nabbing basestealers. Furthermore, Martin had four pickoffs last year (only Humberto Quintero of the Astros had more). Posada and Cervelli combined for one the entire season (by Cervelli) and Posada hasn’t had one since 2006.

Posada and Cervelli combined for ten passed balls, 21 errors last season (easily the most in the majors) and their pitching staff threw 67 wild pitches when they caught, 8th most in the majors in 2010. They also allowed the fourth most stolen bases in the majors, something that the Yankees hope will change with the acquisition of Martin. Posada ranked fourth in the majors with eight passed balls and sixth in errors, 8, in only 83 games caught and Cervelli ranked second in the majors with 13 errors in 90 games caught.

Martin's career high in passed balls was six in 2008, 14 errors in 2007 in 145 games caught and his pitching staff threw 41 passed balls in 2006, the most he has ever been behind the plate for. It seems that the Yankees are getting a significant upgrade behind the dish for the 2011 season, and the presence of Martin also gives the Yankees a lot of flexibility because now they don't have to rush Montero and 22-year old Austine Romine into action with the big club and they can develop at a steady pace in the minors.

Romine is considered to be a plus defensive catcher and has progressed significantly offensively over the last couple of seasons, which has many people believing he will be the catcher of the future and, as a result, Montero's big bat may be dangled in a trade for a big name pitcher.

"The assets this organization currently possesses is high-end pitching depth, as well as high-end catching depth," Cashman said. "If we ever choose to shoot those bullets, we're in a better position to do so.

"I'm not saying I want to shoot any of these assets for trade purposes, but sometimes you have to."

After an extensive physical examination on Martin, it was revealed that he has a small meniscus tear in his right knee and will undergo the same surgery that Posada and CC Sabathia had earlier in the offseason, with recovery time expected to be three weeks. Cashman said he's "very comfortable with what I've been told" regarding Martin's injury, which is more common with football players and is believed to have a high recovery rate.

The Yankees will no doubt be careful, but the 27-year-old Martin is expected to be ready by Spring Training, and Martin said his hip issues are "over with."

"It feels great," Martin said. "I haven't felt anything wrong with it for at least a month now. There's absolutely no problem with it. Before I hurt my knee, I was really pushing [the hip] pretty hard in training and stuff, and I never really had any side effects of pain or anything of that nature. I had full range of motion and everything, so I feel pretty comfortable with my hip."

Now he just needs to get comfortable at the plate again and the Yankees think that their highly regarded hitting coach, Kevin Long, can fix his swing like he did for Curtis Granderson in the second half of last season, and Nick Swisher two seasons ago.

Martin, who believes he's "getting better every year" defensively, believes the key to that is a return to basics.

After a successful '08 season, Martin went on a very strict diet and intense offseason training regimen that made him more athletic, but also caused him to lose pop in his bat. He said that forced him to do more with his swing to try to compensate and thus led to an inconsistent approach at the plate.

Heading into the 2010 campaign, Martin took the opposite approach. He put on about 25 extra pounds that put him at 231 at the start of Spring Training, but he still struggled.

Now, Martin said he wants to weigh between 215 and 220 pounds. He vowed he'd be in the best shape of his life when camp opens up in February, and he preached a return to what made him successful in the past.

"I think I got almost in my own way," Martin said. "So this year, I made sure to just come back to the roots and what really got me to where I wanted to be those two All-Star seasons and my first year."

DiPietro Out Tonight With Minor Swelling in His Knee, Lawson Called Up to Start

After arguably his best performance of the season in Thursday night's 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks Rick DiPietro will miss tonight's game against the Phoenix Coyotes with minor swelling in his knee.

The swelling in his knee doesn't seem to be anything major, as the franchise goaltender implies it's not a big deal and "the setback is (a) minor one."

However, as a precaution, since it is clear DiPietro would not be able to back-up Dwayne Roloson tonight, the Islanders have called up AHL netminder Nathan Lawson on an emergency basis from Bridgeport. Lawson, 27, will start for the Isles in the contest tonight against the Phoenix Coyotes. It will be Lawson's NHL debut.

In other news, Jon Sim was put on waivers yesterday for the sole purpose of sending him to Bridgeport. He was skating this morning with the team, so it appears he has, in fact, cleared waivers and will be assigned to the SoundTigers.

UPDATE: Sim cleared waivers and was recalled from Bridgeport and was in the lineup tonight in the Isles 4-3 shootout loss to the Coyotes. Sim saw 10:45 of ice time.

Yankees Sign Feliciano, Begin the Bullpen Rebuild

And we're back. Sorry for the two month hiatus, it's been a hectic two months at that. Back to business now though.

So back the Yankees. After watching the Red Sox sign Carl Crawford, trade for Adrian Gonzalez, sign Bobby Jenks and watching the Phillies swoop in and steal Cliff Lee, the Yankees went out and signed Russell Martin, Mark Prior and now Pedro Feliciano.

Not exactly an earth shattering move, but a great one nonetheless. With the signing of Feliciano, the Yankees get that second lefty in the 'pen that they've been searching for. And Feliciano is no slouch. He has pitched in New York, with that team in Queens, for the past eight seasons, breaking the franchise record and leading the National League in appearances by appearing in 86 games in 2008, 88 games in 2009 and 92 games in 2010.

"After I broke the record the first time, I just tried to put in my mind that I tried to break it again, and I did it," Feliciano said. "This past year I just put in my mind that if I could break it again I would do it. And I did it."

Feliciano, 34, doesn't think all the games will impact him going forward.

"Not at all," Feliciano said. "I work hard for every year. I don't let down and just do what I did last year. I want to keep proving I can do more than what I did last year."

Feliciano has been a late bloomer, which had a lot to do with ex-Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson instructing him to drop down to a low three-quarters delivery in 2004. Feliciano went to Japan in 2005 and when he returned to the Mets in 2006 he was a difference-maker against lefties.

"I had that in my mind," Feliciano said. "Before I dropped down, I was thinking, 'Next year I'm going to come a little more sidearm.' All of a sudden, they said, 'Let's drop you down.' They put in my mind that Buddy Groom and all those guys, they were average lefties, and then they dropped down and changed from average to one of the best. I started working out."

Lefties hit just .211 against him last season.

SI.com first reported the deal will be for two years with a team option for a third. It is expected to be in the $8 million range. The deal could be announced as soon as Friday.

Now onto the bullpen "rebuild" that the Yankees are trying to accomplish. After the Yankees got absolutely manhandled in the ALCS against the Texas Rangers in just about all facets of the game, they realized that their biggest deficiency in that series was their pitching. Their pitchers had a 6.58 ERA against the Rangers, surrendering 63 hits in 52 innings pitched. Part of the problem was that two of the key cogs in the bullpen, David Robertson and Boone Logan, had ERAs of 20.25 and 27.00 respectively.

CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, Sergio Mitre and the enigma that is AJ Burnett combined for an ERA of 8.84 in the six games against the Rangers, nothing very comforting for the Yankees brass. Basically, their pitching staff was atrocious and since they really don't need a major upgrade in the rotation, unless Andy Pettitte decided to pack it in, they are going to try and load up the bullpen.

It has been rumored that the team is looking into signing left-handed setup man Brian Fuentes as well as right hander Grant Balfour and Rafael Soriano. Fuentes is a possibility and the team has been in discussions with his agent. Balfour may be less of a possibility because he is a Type A free agent, and thus the Yankees would have to give the Twins their first round draft pick if they signed Balfour. Soriano seems to just be talk because the Yankees have no interest in paying closer money for Soriano to set up Mariano Rivera, and Soriano will close somewhere. I guess since the Yankees are taking the patience approach that's just what we will have to be, patient. Hopefully the Yankees can make some moves that counter those great ones made by the Red Sox.