This bad break couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Jets.
Safety Jim Leonhard, the little man with the big heart, the quarterback of the secondary and the team’s leading punt returner, fractured his right tibia in practice yesterday. Now the challenge of stopping Tom Brady and beating the Patriots on Monday at Gillette Stadium has become that much more difficult.
Leonhard is lost for the season and had surgery last night.
Jets coach Rex Ryan immediately began to rally his troops, and the best way to do so was to call out the Patriots. After several minutes of answering questions about Leonhard, Ryan fired off this missile to New England:
“We are ready to play. There’s no doubt,” Ryan said. “We know New England is. I know they say we are a great team and I see the sarcasm. Well, they are going to find out if we are a great team or not, I can tell you that much.”
Asked in what way he sensed Patriots’ sarcasm, Ryan said: “I just sense it because they all have the same comment; that well . . . we’ll just say this, we’re coming. We’ll show up and we’ll see what happens.”
It will be up to Eric Smith and Brodney Pool to make up for Leonhard’s loss. In addition, James Ihedigbo and cornerback Dwight Lowery, who is returning from a concussion, could see prominent time at the position.
A somber Ryan began his 2 p.m. press conference with these words: “We’ve got some terrible news. Jim Leonhard won’t play this week. He’s got a shin injury that is severe, I don’t know the extent of the injury, but he will be out this week. That was a huge blow to us.”
Nearly four hours later, the Jets announced the 5-foot-8, 188-pound Leonhard had fractured his tibia, the major bone in the lower leg, commonly referred to as the shin bone, in a collision with wide receiver Patrick Turner. He was carted off the field, leaving teammates and coaches stunned.
“You get a sick feeling in your stomach,” Smith said.
A stabilizing rod was placed through Leonhard’s tibia during surgery. The Jets said Saturday that Leonhard is tentatively scheduled to be released Sunday or Monday, and is expected to make a full recovery.
Ihedigbo told the Post the players tasked with filling the void are ready.
“The Patriots can say whatever they want, come Monday night they are going to have to deal with us,” he said. “They can be sarcastic, they can be nonchalant, but we believe in each other, and we’re prepared for what’s going to take place. . . . It’s going to be a test, but we are the men for the job.”
Even if they are one man short.
“We’re about the team. It’s not always about an individual,” Ryan said. “Guys will step up. We feel sorry for Jim. We feel terrible for Jim, but we don’t feel sorry for ourselves.”
Smith will captain the secondary and make the calls.
“I’m going to prepare the same way I always do, but it’s going to be a big step taking over Jim’s job,” he said. “We’ve got confidence we’ll get it done.”
The Jets must avoid communication breakdowns.
“He’s about the smartest guy I know, and he’ll be able to handle it,” Ryan said of Smith. “It’s going to tough to replace Jim, but we have a lot of talent.”
Turner explained the collision.
“It was just two guys going for the ball running into each other,” he said. “[Leonhard] was in pain. He grabbed his shin and waited on the trainers.”
Jerricho Cotchery, who is coming back from a partially torn groin that forced him to miss two games, will return punts.
“This is another challenge for us,” Ryan said. “We are going to find a way to get it done. Do I think we’ll win the game? Absolutely.”
With AP