Jets' Terrelle Pryor broke ankle in May
Jets wide receiver Terrelle Pryor looks on during training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center on Aug. 2. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
RICHMOND, Va.—Terrelle Pryor raised eyebrows after the Jets’ joint practice with the Redskins on Monday by announcing he would not play in Thursday’s preseason game against the Redskins, then adding he needs to play in one to be ready for the opener.
Then the Jets receiver raised those eyebrows even higher when he revealed that he broke his ankle in practice in May —something not previously known publicly.
He said it was a “miracle” he is on the field at all, seemingly healthy after missing most of last season with the Redskins because of a foot injury he suffered in September, then the ankle break in May.
“It’s amazing I’m out here,” he said. “Amazing.”
Pryor, 29, a quarterback-turned-receiver, has had an enigmatic career. Now he has a fresh chance with the Jets, who signed him in March. But he is eager to play more. He said he only has been getting 10 reps a day this week.
“We know he’s a freakish athlete,” coach Todd Bowles said. “He was just coming back (from injury), so we’re taking it easy with him. Expectation No. 1 is to get healthy. When he gets healthy and we see him at full tilt, we’ll see what he can do fully.”
Pryor said he is “fully healthy” already. “It’s a miracle — a miracle,” he said.
Cooler heads prevail
There was no repeat of Sunday’s several skirmishes between the teams. Bowles and Redskins coach Jay Gruden spoke to one another and laid down the law to their players.
"They did a good job; we did a good job,” Bowles said. “That’s how it’s supposed to be run.”
Cornerback Trumaine Johnson took issue with the Redskins’ account of Sunday’s biggest fight, saying one of the Redskins’ offensive players took a run at him.
Bowles recalls burgundy and gold
Bowles grew up in New Jersey, but this week’s joint practices have been a homecoming of sorts. He won a Super Bowl as a Redskins safety after the 1987 season.
“Just coming back here and seeing Doug [Williams] is great,” he said. “Doug is very close to me. He got me into coaching, as a matter of fact. Just seeing the burgundy and gold has been great.
“Obviously, the Super Bowl, but it's more so the guys I played with: the Darrell Greens, the Charles Manns, the Dexter Manleys, the Wilber Marshalls, the Alvin Waltons and all those guys I played with are really the fondest memories that I have.”
