Jets running back Joe McKnight suffered a high left ankle sprain last week, but insists he’s going to play Sunday against the Patriots.
“I’m playing,” McKnight said yesterday. “For first place? I’m playing.”
A high ankle sprain involves sprained ligaments in the lower leg and is much more painful than a regular ankle sprain. It usually requires several weeks to come back from. Jets center Nick Mangold missed two games last year with the injury. A team source said the Jets remain unsure if McKnight will play.
Coach Rex Ryan would not reveal any information about whether McKnight or fellow running back Bilal Powell will play Sunday against the Patriots. Neither player practiced yesterday. Powell has a separated right shoulder and will not play, according to a source.
Ryan would not reveal what his feeling is about either player being available.
“I have a feeling but I’m not necessarily going to share it with you, but both those guys won’t practice today,” Ryan said. “We’ll see as the week goes on if they’ll be available or not.”
Ryan has been much more secretive about injuries this year than in previous years. When that was pointed out to him, he disagreed.
“I think I’ve been pretty well open,” Ryan said. “I’m not just saying ‘upper body injury’ or something like that.”
Former Jets coach Eric Mangini was famous for his secrecy when it came to injuries. Ryan’s “upper body” remark is a reference to a practice Mangini used until the NFL made him be more specific on the injury report.
For whatever reason, Ryan is more guarded about injuries now.
“Sometimes it’s competitive reasons or sometimes I just don’t know yet,” Ryan said. “That’s probably it.”
* Ryan on toppling the Patriots, who have won the AFC East in nine of the last 10 years: “To be the man, you have to beat the man, that old saying, and I think that’s the case.”
* Former Jet Kris Jenkins took a shot at general manager Mike Tannenbaum on WFAN yesterday: “I think he’s great with money and crunching the numbers. … He finds talent that is raw. But if you don’t have people that know how to put it together, then you can’t select those type of players.”
* The Jets had several other players who did not practice other than the two running backs: NT Kenrick Ellis (knee), center Nick Mangold (ankle), safeties E
ric Smith (knee) and LaRon Landry (heel). The players who were limited in practice: LB Bart Scott (toe), LB Bryan Thomas (hamstring), NT Sione Po’uha (back) and WR Clyde Gates (shoulder).