Ellis questionable but Rex says he'll play
New York Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis strikes a pose during warm-ups. (Jan. 12, 2011) Credit: Joe Epstein
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Rex Ryan began his Friday news conference in typical fashion, rattling off his injury report. But the mention of one name in particular caught listeners by surprise.
Shaun Ellis did not practice Friday because of a knee injury, according to Ryan, and is questionable for Sunday's AFC Championship Game against Pittsburgh.
Ryan, however, left little doubt that Ellis, 33, will be healthy enough to face the Steelers. "Ellis is the only one that didn't practice, but he's going to play," the coach said.
WR Brad Smith (groin), CB Drew Coleman (knee) and S James Ihedigbo (knee, ankle) also were limited in practice and are questionable, but Ryan expects to have all hands on deck.
"They're playing, OK," he said. "That's pretty much it."
Troy the X factor
Quarterback Mark Sanchez will face former USC teammate Troy Polamalu in Sunday's game.
"They let Troy kind of do whatever he feels is right, and 99 percent of the time, he's right," Sanchez said of the Pittsburgh safety. "He's one of the best. Everything you hear, everybody you talk to, he's just a great competitor."
Stoked by Bart
To get them in the mood for the biggest game of the season, the Jets blasted Bart Scott's emotional postgame rant through the indoor practice facility speakers during warm-ups.
"I thought it was pretty funny," Sanchez said of the Scott footage. "It was all in good spirits and he was so amped up from the game. That's him. That's his personality. If I would have done an interview like that, I don't know if it would have gone over so well. That's just not me. But that's Bart to a T. That is how intense he is and excited he is to play. His passion and emotion really showed. So I don't think anybody had a problem with it. We've just been giving him a hard time."
