Coach Rex Ryan said there is no problem between quarterback Mark Sanchez and wide receiver Santonio Holmes after Sanchez said Holmes should have kept his postgame criticisms in-house.
“Those two guys are fine,” Ryan said. “I think he threw 20 balls to him [in practice]. I don’t see that as a problem at all.”
Sanchez said Wednesday that he addressed the issue of keeping things out of the media earlier this week. ESPN reported that Sanchez gathered the offense at practice Monday and talked about staying united as a team. This came after Holmes was critical of Sanchez and the offensive line following Sunday’s 34-17 loss to the Ravens.
“Our message was, ‘Hey, guys, you know don’t be distracted by anything,’ ” running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. “If we have a bad game, we lose together, we win together. Let’s all make sure we’re on the same page and all saying the same things and not putting one of your teammates down but being on the same page and encouraging each other.”
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As expected, the Jets will have center Nick Mangold back for Sunday’s game. The All-Pro increased his workload in practice yesterday, and Ryan said he is a full go for Sunday.
Mangold has missed the last two games with a high right ankle sprain, and the team has felt his loss, as the offensive line has struggled.
“That’s a huge plus for us,” Ryan said.
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With Bryan Thomas out for the season, the Jets plan on using a committee to fill his role. Expect to see some packages with four defensive linemen, plus a mix of Jamaal Westerman, Aaron Maybin, Josh Mauga and Bart Scott on the outside.
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The big question this week is will the Jets use cornerback Darrelle Revis on Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker. Ryan is not tipping his hand, but said they will use several different schemes against Welker, some will include Revis.
“I’m sure Darrelle will get an opportunity to cover him,” Ryan said.
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OLB Calvin Pace (abdomen) and WR Plaxico Burress (elbow) practiced yesterday after missing Wednesday. Burress went through the full practice, while Pace was limited. OLB Garrett McIntyre (concussion) did not practice, and probably will not play. . . . For the Patriots, defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (back) and tight end Aaron Hernandez (knee) returned to practice, but were limited.