Jets lose Pace with broken foot
Calvin Pace finds himself in a different situation, but it has a bit of familiarity to it after his experience of a year ago.
The sleek linebacker will have surgery Monday in Charlotte, N.C., to repair a broken bone in his right foot, something that could open the door for the Jets to bring in free agent Adalius Thomas.
The Jets have not given a specific timetable for Pace's return, but they've ruled him out for the opener against the Ravens. "Beyond that," Pace said, "I don't really have an idea."
Rex Ryan said the team will have a better grasp of things once the surgery is complete. Some estimates have Pace out anywhere from four to six weeks. Either way, his absence is a significant loss.
Pace was forced to sit out the first four games a season ago after violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Now there's another cloud hovering over him, but he's still in good spirits.
"I'm still upbeat. I really am," he said yesterday. "Stuff happens in football. I'll say this: It's better to get injured playing rather than having to sit out four games because of a silly mistake as far as a supplement."
Noted foot and ankle specialist Robert Anderson will perform the surgery. Anderson has treated current and former Giants such as Ahmad Bradshaw, Plaxico Burress and Michael Strahan, among others.
Pace, the Jets' top pass-rusher, had a team-high eight sacks in 2009. His versatility is nearly irreplaceable; he can defend a tight end, drop back in coverage or go get the quarterback.
Pace was injured early in the third quarter Friday night when Redskins backup tackle Stephon Heyer struck him in the foot with his helmet while attempting to block the blitzing Pace from the left side. Pace was taken to the locker room for X-rays, which revealed a fracture. "It happens," he said. "I guess I should've gotten my foot out of the way a little quicker."
Jason Taylor and Vernon Gholston will see more snaps at outside linebacker. Ryan also is interested in Thomas, a familiar face from their days together in Baltimore. Ryan said he's already spoken with the free agent, a Raven from 2000-06. "I would say it would be a possibility," Ryan said. "I'm not going to rule that out."
Ryan seemed almost ready to sign Thomas immediately, talking about how he'd fit right in. But he cryptically said, "Sometimes what really makes sense might not make sense to the organization. So we'll see."
The Jets might prefer to sign Thomas, who was released by the Patriots in April, after the first week of the season so his salary wouldn't be fully guaranteed.
No matter who steps into his role, Pace is confident the Jets' defense will get the job done without him, just as it did a season ago when the team got off to a 3-0 start.
"You've still got a lot of guys,'' Pace said, "and that's the beauty of playing in Rex's defense is the fact that every week, he's dialing somebody up, somebody different who the week before might not necessarily have had the same role. That's the beauty of the defense that we play. But I missed four games last year and the guys did great.
"So that's part of being a team. Sometimes guys go down and the next man picks up the slack."
