Shaun Ellis said he is planning to play despite having a broken left hand but will pull himself from tomorrow’s AFC Championship game against the Colts if he is incapable of doing the job.
Ellis fractured his hand on the first play of the Jets’ 17-14 victory in San Diego, but he was able to finish the game. He plans to do the same tomorrow at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
“I can’t grab. But it’s one hand,” said Ellis, playing in his 10th season with the Jets. “Just got to go out and play. I’ll be able to be functional with it. . . . I have a right hand.”
Ellis, who said he is in a lot of pain, will wear a protective contraption on his hand. Mike DeVito is Ellis’ backup at defensive end, but Ryan said he expects the longest-tenured Jet to play his normal amount against Peyton Manning and Co.
“He’s not restricted,” Ryan said. “I know his hand is in a cast and all that stuff, but there are no limitations for him.”
The Jets, who want to put some pressure on Manning, need Ellis to be in top form. This season, Ellis recorded 6½ sacks, the second on the team behind Calvin Pace’s eight.
Nevertheless, Ellis said he won’t play just to play, and he won’t compromise the Jets’ chances of winning if he’s not performing.
“I’m not going to go out there and be a handicap to the team,” he said. “If I feel like something’s not going right for me, I’ll just come out. I’m not going to be that selfish.”
Ellis said he will have to tackle using his body and wrapping up ball carriers. He dismissed the notion that he would be sitting out if this weren’t the AFC Championship, saying the hand isn’t bad enough to keep him out of a regular-season contest.
If the Jets win tomorrow, it will be Ellis’ first appearance in the Super Bowl, but he’s not looking ahead.
“Just try to keep the same approach,” he said. “You can’t make it bigger than what it is. The game itself is already enough pressure. So mainly you just can’t go in pressured. When you start doing that, then you start messing up.”