Jets' Sanchez says he'll be ready for training camp

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Mark Sanchez hasn't been cleared to start running and isn't sure when he'll be able to begin football-related activities.

But relax, Jets fans.

Six weeks after a minimally invasive procedure to stabilize ligaments surrounding the patella tendon in his left knee, the quarterback proclaimed he'll be ready by the start of training camp.

"Oh, absolutely," he said Thursday. "Without a doubt."

Sanchez said his rehab is right on schedule and that the doctors are pleased with his progress. He had surgery Feb. 17 to help strengthen the knee he dislocated during practice at USC in August 2008 and tweaked Nov. 29 last year against the Panthers.

He's continuing to build strength in the knee but doesn't know when he'll get the green light for football drills.

"No clue yet. As cliché as it sounds, one day at a time, and it's really like that," he said. "They've used the term 'cautiously aggressive.' They want to make sure that I'm getting sore and the right kind of sore - the right kind of sore without hurting, the kind of sore that you bounce back from.

"So it's getting stronger. It's feeling good and I'm just happy I can walk around already. That's good. The doctor was really happy about that."

Sanchez has been a fixture at the Jets' facility throughout the offseason, spending countless hours going through his rehab with the training staff. But for two weeks after his surgery he wasn't able to drive, so his older brother Brandon chauffeured him around - even in snowstorms.

The Jets also brought equipment to Sanchez's house during that period, turning his living room into a makeshift rehabilitation center so they could get him back on his feet as soon as possible. Because Sanchez wasn't able to do much besides his strengthening exercises, he spent much of his time at the facility watching game film with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and other coaches.

But things just didn't seem the same without his teammates, most of whom had gone home to get a little rest and relaxation before the Jets' voluntary offseason workouts kicked off March 22.

"The rehab process was a lot more difficult when no one was here and I was barely moving my leg and trying to get the swelling down," Sanchez said. "But now that I'm moving around and a lot of people are around, it's easy now. It's fun. I feel like I'm back in my groove, I'm back in the swing of things. Those first couple of weeks were long and the weather wasn't great, so it wasn't very fun.''

Notes & quotes: CB Antonio Cromartie, who has fathered seven children in five states with six women, said his paternity issues are resolved. But he said he wasn't the one who approached the Jets for a $500,000 advance of his $1.7- million 2010 base salary. "No request made at all," he said. "The Jets wanted me to get all my off-the-field issues settled. It's done.'' . . . RB LaDainian Tomlinson already is looking forward to the Jets' rivalry with the Patriots. "It's going to be fun,'' he said. "The Patriots have always been one of the teams that it's hard for me to swallow that pill of losing to them, so it's going to be fun to play them twice a year. And it's going to be one of my main goals to beat them twice.''