Ryan says Sanchez is throwing 'great'

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - For the third straight day, Mark Sanchez looked good on the practice field, "zipping the ball around," coach Rex Ryan said. Though Sanchez again was limited in practice Thursday because of his sore right shoulder, Ryan insisted he "feels great."

"He was throwing the ball great today," he said. "Like I say, no excuses. They're going to get us at our best."

Crowd noise simulation

The Jets turned up the volume in practice, booming loud music and recordings of cheering fans through speakers set up inside their indoor facility.

"It gets pretty loud in that stadium," Ryan said, referring to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. " . . . Make practice as difficult as you can. That way, in a game, hopefully it's the same or even easier.

Asked if the music was his own, the coach laughed and said: "That's definitely not from my iPod, because there would be a lot of country on there."

Leonhard on the mend

Safety Jim Leonhard hopes to ditch his crutches as soon as Monday, when he will meet with doctors for his second evaluation since a season-ending fractured right tibia five weeks ago.

"I feel pretty good, actually," Leonhard said while sitting on his motorized scooter in the locker room. " . . . These guys need to keep winning because time flies during the season and I have a feeling it's going to slow down significantly when we're done playing. So I'd appreciate some wins out of these guys."

He also lamented having to watch games from home. The team's medical staff won't allow him to attend games. Said Leonhard, Woody (knee), S James Ihedigbo (ankle/knee), DL Sione Pouha (back), DL Trevor Pryce (back), CB Darrelle Revis (hamstring) and LB Bryan Thomas (ankle) were limited in practice.