Mark Sanchez suffered more than just a sore shoulder in the Jets' win over the Steelers on Sunday.
As the Daily News first reported on its website Wednesday, Sanchez has a slight cartilage tear in his right shoulder. Sanchez admitted that "it didn't feel right" when he landed awkwardly on his throwing shoulder during a first-quarter run. Whether the cartilage damage will hamper the second-year quarterback for the remainder of the season is debatable. Rex Ryan revealed on Monday that Sanchez had a precautionary MRI that day.
Sanchez maintained Wednesday that he'll absolutely play against the Bears on Sunday. Ryan was "99% sure" that Sanchez will start. The Jets (10-4) will clinch their second consecutive playoff appearance under Ryan with a win. They'll also punch their ticket to the postseason if either the Colts or Jaguars lose.
Sources told the Daily News that Sanchez should be "fine" for Sunday. The quarterback could conceivably play the remainder of the season and playoffs without incident.
"If he can't go and he doesn't feel like he can go, then we'll play (Mark) Brunell and Kellen (Clemens)," Ryan said. "I think he's going to be able to go."
Sanchez left little doubt that he'll be under center in Chicago even if he's not 100%.
"Whether I am or not, I'm in there," he said. "I'm playing. That's all there is to it. I got to be on the field. That's what I'm here for and that's what I'm going to do."
Wednesday, Sanchez only did some soft tossing in position drills and handed the ball off, Ryan said. He also mixed in a few left-handed throws at one point. Both the coach and quarterback said that he could have played if the Jets had a game Wednesday.
"I'm being safe about it," Sanchez said. "I'm in it for the long haul. We have hopefully 6-7 weeks left. I want to make it through all those weeks. I know I can with our trainers . . . and the rehab stuff going on there . . . I'll do my best to get a full practice in (this week), but if not, I'll be ready to play."
Although Ryan said that Sanchez didn't necessarily have to fully practice during the week to get the start, the coach admitted he'd like to see his quarterback "zip" the ball at some point.
Sanchez was nearly flawless against the Steelers even after suffering the injury. He said he kept his shoulder loose throwing on the sideline.
"Once you get in the game, your energy and adrenaline take over," Sanchez said. "I felt like I could still help the team so I didn't want to go and come out."
Sanchez took part in what he called "invisible football" during Wednesday's practice. He gave calls to Brunell and Clemens and worked on footwork drills on the side with quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh. Sanchez worked on drop-backs and audibles to help get ready for the Bears and "try to make it as game-like as possible."
Sanchez also admitted that he wasn't thrilled with Ryan's decision to pull a few first-team practice reps from him last week.
"We have an understanding that I don't always agree with him," Sanchez said. "It's personal to me. I think he knows that. I think the guys on the team know that. I don't care if it's a handoff or a Wildcat play. I want to be in the game. That's just the way I feel. I'm possessive about this job."
Sanchez said that he didn't harbor any ill feelings toward Ryan. He also said his talk with the coach wasn't heated.
"We're both competitive," Sanchez said. "I think part of it was a psychological thing just to kind of test me a little bit . . . Last week, I disagreed with coming out. That's all."
