Jets defensive tackle Kris Jenkins sits on the field after...

Jets defensive tackle Kris Jenkins sits on the field after tearing the ACL in his left knee in the first quarter of the Jets' loss to Baltimore. (Sept. 13, 2010) Credit: Joe Rogate

Kris Jenkins' season is done.

The Jets nose tackle has been diagnosed with a torn ACL in his left knee, marking the second time in less than a year -- and third time overall -- the 10-year veteran has suffered a torn ACL. He also tore the same ACL on Oct. 18 while playing against the Bills, but had made it all the way back from the injury and was ecstatic with how healthy he was.

Now, he's back on the shelf and will undergo surgery at some point. 

"Obviously, this is gonna be a huge blow for us," Rex Ryan said. "Again, we're about team, but I just feel really bad for Kris, a guy that rehabbed that injury and every day he worked at it. That's part of this business. It's a 100 percent injury rate in this league and that's one of the unfortunate things in this business.

"I just spoke to Kris. He's down, but I think he'll come through this. But it's a big loss."

Jenkins was hurt during the Ravens' second possession -- their sixth offensive play overall -- injuring himself after making a tackle.

How big of a loss is it to no longer have the massive 6-4, 360-pound Jenkins?

"He's got a physical mismatch against anybody he plays against," Ryan said. "There are not too many people walking the face of the Earth that are like that -- just a big, powerful man that's athletic and is hard to block one-on-one. It's impossible really. That's something we can overcome."

Ryan said no date has been set yet for surgery for Jenkins. But at 32 and being he's spoken numerous times about retirement in the past, Jenkins' career may be over.

"I think he's going to get away from it a little bit," Ryan said, "and then he'll make a decision."

Jenkins' loss is another blow to a defensive line that's already thin after Ropati Pitoitua went down in the Jets' second preseason game with a torn Achilles. Sione Pouha, among others, will slide into a bigger role and there's also Adalius Thomas floating around. Thomas, according to a league source, visited the Jets' Florham Park, N.J. training facility and there's a good possibility the Jets will ink the former Raven and Patriot.  

"We lost a heck of a football player," Ryan said. "The thing is we did overcome him last year. The guys did rally around the guys that were out there -- Sione, Mike Devito, he was tremendous out there. So, we talk about it's about the unit, it's not about the individual. No matter who's out here on your roster, you are going to need [them] at one time or another.

"And we've just got to step up. We've got to find a way to overcome it just like we did last year."

 

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