Jets' secondary to get reinforcements for Chargers
Running back Steve Slaton #20 of the Houston Texans fumbles the ball as he is hit by cornerback Donald Strickland #27 of the New York Jets. (September 13, 2009) Credit: Getty Images
Faced with the task of trying to shut down the passing of San Diego's Phil Rivers and all the dangerous receivers at his disposal, it's all hands on deck for a Jets secondary that has suffered its share of bumps and bruises lately. Cornerback Donald Strickland, who missed the past two games with a quad injury, has been practicing fully and expects to be in the lineup Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium.
"I definitely feel like I'm ready to go and can push the envelope on it and give my best to help this team," Strickland said Wednesday. "I do all the drills and go through the team activities full speed. I'm capable and ready to perform."
You can say the same for defensive back Drew Coleman, who was dinged near the end of the Jets' 24-14 wild-card victory in Cincinnati and didn't return to that game. "I'm good," Coleman said. "When broke into his route, he stepped on the top of my [right] foot. Being as cold as it was, it really hurt real bad at the time.
"That was towards the end of the game so I didn't go back in. It bothered me the whole ride home. It was cold, and he stepped on the bone. It was tender, but I'm 100 percent fullspeed right now."
Considering the playoff situation, all hurting Jets will do whatever they can to get on the field, but having extra defensive backs is critical to the coverages the Jets plan to throw at Rivers. "We know we've got our work cut out for us," Coleman said. "Not just the secondary, but this team knows what's at stake. All the injuries, we know we can suck it up for the next couple of weeks.
"I know this team and its mentality is that we want to go and get the job done whether we're banged up or not. If you're banged up or not, we're going out and playing fullspeed."
>> PHOTOS: Reasons to fear the Chargers | Jets playoff history | Jets 24, Bengals 14
>> BLOG: Latest Jets news and analysis
>> FUN: Why the Jets should fear themselves | Best of Rex Ryan (Updated!) | NY vs. San Diego -- A Tale of Two Cities
>> STATS: Jets | Chargers | The matchup
