No sooner said than done, Chris Ivory was back on the field, in full uniform, taking handoffs and catching passes again.
Ivory spoke with reporters Sunday about his slowly rehabbing hamstring, saying he's feeling better, the tightness had been gone for two days, and he expected to play in Saturday night's preseason home opener against Jacksonville.
No. 33 was not initially available to reporters today, having to go immediately from that first full practice of training camp at SUNY Cortland and into a mandatory lifting period for running backs. But head coach Rex Ryan spoke volumes when asked about Ivory at his daily news conference.
"That was big to get him back today," Ryan said. "I hope he does play Saturday. He's a big, powerful man. I think every Jets fan is looking forward to seeing him run."
Unfortunately, the Jets' RB picture seems to resemble the proverbial inchworm climbing up the slippery well: two inches up, one inch down. Ivory finally ran under his pads and Kahlil Bell rejoined the Jets after his four-game stint late last year. But then Joe McKnight, back in limited action after sitting a few days with a head injury, left again when he tried to pull in a pass in the end zone, toppled to the turf and lay there for a few minutes as trainers tended to him.
"There was no contact. He just fell down and stayed down. I have no update on his situation," Ryan said, adding, "We know Joe. He's led the league in kick returns, he has plenty of talent. But durability, there is a concern about durability."
More on the Injury Front
CB Antonio Cromartie hit the turf during two-minute drills with what seemed to be a painful elbow, but he somehow got up and stayed on the field for the next two plays before going to the sideline. ... WR Clyde Gates (head) stayed out of practice. ... QB Greg McElroy, who tweaked an ankle at Detroit, retweaked it while rolling out during 7-on-7's.
Rex Cetera
Mark Sanchez, with the first offense today, hit three big throws in a row — to Kellen Winslow on the sideline over Dee Milliner, to Ryan Spadola down the other sideline over Cromartie, and finally to Stephen Hill down the middle past two defenders. ... Geno Smith, back with the twos, tried to hit Jeremy Kerley with a hard low throw on the in-cut but Isaiah Trufant slid in ahead of the throw for the artful pick. But later Geno hit Konrad Reuland in the end zone for the TD to end a successful two-minute drive. Welcome back: LB Danny Lansanah popped Kahlil Bell hard after a catch. ... Matt Simms, coming in after McElroy's injury, launched a 40-yarder that hit WR Joseph Collins in stride past Royce Adams for the score. ... Numerology: CB Mike Edwards switched numbers from 43 to 44 in green. ... Bell is wearing No. 24 and new WR Rahsaan Vaughn No. 18. ... Today's attendance: 1,016.
