Jets Free Agency 2012: Tim Tebow Will Become Starter, Says Amani Toomer

Add Amani Toomer to the growing number of people who believe Tim Tebow will supplant Mark Sanchez as the New York Jets quarterback sooner rather than later.

According to Joel Schwartz of the New York Post, Toomer feels that Tebow is the future for the Jets behind center.

It's certainly not a hard scenario to see playing out. If and/or when Sanchez struggles early on, fans will be screaming at the top of their collective lungs for Tebow. Forget that Tebow barely completed 46 percent of his pass attempts last year, he's a winner they'll say.

It also stands to reason the Jets love the limelight, and what better way than to throw Tebow into the starting lineup? Head coach Rex Ryan has already talked about putting Tebow in for as many as 20 plays per game. Considering an average game sees each team have about 70 snaps, that's a pretty high percentage.

It remains to be seen what happens when New York hits training camp this summer. It will most definitely be a circus.

For more on the Jets, be sure to check out our blog Gang Green Nation and SB Nation New York for all the latest news and updates.

Rex Ryan Being Fined For Profane Remarks

For more on the Jets, visit SB Nation's Gang Green Nation.

Amani Toomer Prefers Tim Tebow Over Mark Sanchez

When asked duirng a Saturday radio appearance who he would he would chose if he were starting a franchise today, given the option between Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez, former New York Giant wide receiver Amani Toomer said he would chose Tebow.

"[Tebow] and Sanchez are both not great quarterbacks," Toomer said. "The only reason why I'd say Tebow is because we've seen what Sanchez can do. This is his third year. Tebow hasn't even started for a whole season. Give the kid an opportunity to prove himself a little bit more and I think he can ... work on his technique."

Toomer later indicated that his choice is less of a testament to Tebow as it is an inditement on Sanchez.

"I'm not a huge Tebow supporter, but when you're going against Sanchez, it's not that big of a curve."

These responses of Toomer were on a radio show he co-hosts on ESPN New York 1050.

-- For more on the New York Jets visit our team page or Gang Green Nation.

Rob Ryan Attacks Tim Tebow's 'College Football' Style In 17-13 Win Over The Jets

Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow scored a 20-yard rushing touchdown in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter on Thursday night to secure a thrilling come-from-behind win over the New York Jets at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colo.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was not impressed.

Maybe it's because he doesn't like the current "Tebowing" craze, one that has NFL fans across the globe snapping photographs of themselves in deep prayer against unusual and often hilarious backgrounds. Or perhaps he has a certain disdain for the city of Denver.

Could it simply be sympathy for his brother Rex, who coached "Gang Green" to a 5-5 start to the 2011-12 season? Actually, it may be none of the above.

He just doesn't like college football.

"I don't like it because it's college football. We're getting a lot of two tight ends blocking for empty sets. Who would have ever thought that? This is the NFL. Those teams don't win."

Following Thursday's 17-13 loss on the road, the Jets have put themselves in a situation where every game is a "must win," starting against the Buffalo Bills on Nov. 27 at home.

For more on the New York Jets visit our team page or Gang Green Nation.

Rex Ryan Press Conference: 'Our Playoffs Start Right Now'

Here is the complete transcript from the press conference held Friday by New York Jets coach Rex Ryan to discuss Thursday night’s 17-13 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Opening Statement…
First off, it was obviously a huge loss for us. At times, we did some things that were outstanding in this game. Starting off with (Mark) Sanchez throwing 11 straight completions at one stretch in the game. You look at the defense, how they played for really the majority of the game. There were (seven) three-and-outs. Five times the ball started out inside our territory and the defense gave up three points. But then there were the inconsistencies, obviously we had some breakdowns in protection, we had a turnover for a touchdown, we fumbled another special teams play on a kick return after we had a huge return, and then obviously the 95-yard drive which, it’s still hard to really fathom. It really is. But, you’ve got to give Denver credit. They made the plays. They made more plays in critical times in that game than we did. Rest assured, we’re going to be working on that.

On how the team will bounce back from the loss…
Our playoffs start right now. There’s no question. We have to beat Buffalo. I don’t see any breathing room. We’ve already used that up. We have to get right back at it. I know this team wants to be in the playoffs. We work hard. This team probably works as hard as any team I’ve been with. I know we want it. I believe in every player. I believe in every coach. I think we’ll get better. I really believe that.

On whether one thing stands out as his biggest concern…
Every area of the team has certain issues, even our special teams. As good as our special teams has been, we have a shanked punt, a fumble on a kickoff return—that’s two weeks in a row. I think we’ve had four fumbles on returns, even though that’s an area of strength on our team, we know that. Our kick coverage team has been the best in the league, and yet we give up a 60-yard return yesterday. On the offensive side of the ball, obviously the running game, we had 28 attempts, but we only averaged three yards a carry. I think our pass protection has been inconsistent. Sometimes, it’s really good. Sometimes, it’s really bad. So, those are things that concern me. And then on defense, (we need to) close out games. As good as we played for 59 minutes of it or 57 minutes of it, whatever it was, it wasn’t good enough to get the job done at the end. Those are things, as a coach that we have to become more consistent. We have to eliminate those mistakes, and that’s my responsibility as the head coach. I’m looking forward to the preparation and everything, because I think we can get better. I don’t think there’s any doubt. We have a resilient team. We’re going to be in this thing. We’re going to be shoulder-to-shoulder, with coaches, players and everybody, and we’re going to try to find a way to get this done.

On whether there are any updates on injuries…
Not really. To be honest, we’re just now getting in, doing our film and stuff like that. With Shonn (Greene), obviously, he had some ribs. I’m not sure. He came out there like he was going to try to go back in. Again, I don’t know the extent of his injury. I know Sanchez, obviously, was beat up pretty good. And then you mentioned Muhammed Wilkerson. I’ll say this. I know one thing. He played a great game. That entire front was tremendous. I know this is off of your topic, but I will say this. I think that’s the best our front three has played since I’ve been here. They absolutely dominated the inside running game.

On the thought process behind sending an all-out blitz on Tim Tebow’s game-winning touchdown run and whether he would do things differently…
Hindsight behind 20-20, obviously, we would’ve done something, anything but that. But at the time, you make several calls in a game. At that time, we had pressured him. We thought there were going to do really what they did. They ran verticals in the passing game, so we wanted to pressure it, and quite honestly, he made a great play. If you had to do it over again, of course you would’ve called something else, knowing the result. I even told the defense before (the play), this kid is not going to take the ball out of his hand. He is going to keep it in his hand, and that’s exactly what he did. He ended up just making a great play. None of us saw it coming. The call wouldn’t have come in that way if we didn’t think we’d actually get better.

On if Eric Smith should’ve have taken a wider rush on his blitz to provide more containment…
When you look at it, it’s a tough thing on him. I’ll just say this, it’s a tough assignment. There is no question. Quite honestly, I’ll take Eric Smith every day of the week. He’s a tremendous player. Could we have said, ‘Hey, (have) him be wider? Should the end be wider? Everybody be wider.’ Maybe you could’ve, but you have to give Tebow credit. He made the play. I will say this, Eric sold out. Eric laid it on the line for us and we came up a little empty. (He) made a diving stab at him, but he never quite got him on the ground. Again, when you look at it, I think it’s easy to obviously second-guess, but we need to start looking forward, instead of behind us.

On the decision at the end of the first not to use a timeout and settle for a long field goal attempt…
I thought we had the better team. I thought our defense was doing a tremendous job. I thought our offense was moving the ball, effectively. I just thought, ‘Ok, by us playing this clock, we’re not going to give this team another chance.’ You might recall the week before, there were a couple of opportunities (for the opposing offense). Really, the last two games, the defense has been on the field for two two-minute drives. You have to try and balance that. I wanted them to go into halftime with just three points for sure. That was the number one priority. Then, we take the ball and we take our shot at getting Nick in field goal range to go ahead in the game. That was basically my reason behind it. I was not one to put extra time on. In that light air, you can launch that 60-yard field goal. I didn’t want to give them any momentum, whatsoever.

On if he feels that some of the criticism of Mark Sanchez after last night’s game is undeserved…
It absolutely doesn’t belong on Mark’s shoulders. He’s just a player. He’s a big piece of the puzzle, but it wasn’t all on Mark Sanchez. I know he takes it. That’s the kind of young man he is. He would be the first one to admit that he has to be more consistent. We need to cut down on some errors and things, as does the rest of the team, myself included and every other coach. We’ll all take this collectively, but he doesn’t need to put it on his shoulders. Was it a poor pass, maybe a poor decision at that time where to throw the ball? Ok, sure, but that’s certainly not what lost the game for us. It was a big play for Denver, but there were several opportunities for us to win the game: protecting the football, we have a great return, protecting the quarterback, on defense, not allowing them to drive 95 (yards), we have a chance to get almost a safety and we miss the tackle with one of our best tacklers. It’s just different things. Everybody earns wins and everybody earns defeats. I think Mark certainly doesn’t need to take more of the responsibility than he should, but that’s the kind of guy he is. He wants to put it on his shoulders. He’s a super-competitive young man, but certainly that game was not his alone in that defeat.

On having so many areas of concern this late in the season…
Each year, you’re trying to get better at all kind of phases, there’s no question, throughout the year. That’s why I’ve always said before, that the best we’ll play is right at the end of the year because it seems like we get better, and better and better and better. But certainly there are some things here that I didn’t think that we’d have maybe as many issues right now, but every year we go through it. I just think that our team is set to where, and I believe that we will work through this and we’ll become more consistent. When we eliminate the mistakes, I think we’re going to have an excellent football team. But again, there’s plenty of work to do, we understand that, and I think that also gives me reason to believe that we can change.

On his confidence level in Sanchez…
I’m extremely confident. We’ll go out there and play tomorrow. That’s how I feel about Mark. This is our quarterback, he’s going to be our quarterback for as long as I’m here, which I hope is a long, long time. He can make all the throws, he’s a competitive guy. Has it been perfect? No, absolutely. But it hasn’t been perfect for our entire team. We just have to keep getting better and the one bad throw he makes, if we eliminate that, then all we’re focused on, if we found ways to win, how he was, at one point in the game, 11-for-11. So, we know we have the right guy, and we just have to get a little bit better.

On if Sanchez has to get better in order for the team to make the playoffs…
We all have to get better. There’s no doubt. We all have to get better. Again, I’m confident that this group wants it in the worst way, and it’s a resilient group. We’ve done it before, and we just have to do it again.

On if he will shake things up this week or change the approach…
I think you probably do both, when you look at it, are we going to change a few things, yes I think we need to. I think we really need to look, study some things. I won’t get into the particulars, but I think we really do, and also learn from our past, how we did things, and really try to look at that and try to get better. I think when our players come back on Monday that we’re going to have a great plan for them. We’ve already, this morning even, looked at several things where we feel that we can get better at. So I’m excited about it. I wish Monday was here already, but I’m sure the players don’t because it’s tough to play two games in four days. They need a little rest to come back, but when they come back I’m excited about some of the things that we’ve already talked about as a coaching staff.

On if those changes are procedural or on the field…
I think we all talked about the run and things like that, but it’s more than that. How can we run the ball more efficiently? Are there different things that we can do? Are some of our techniques different? And like I say, I think we’ll get better. I look at that front three that we had and how they played and they’re constantly working to get better, honing in on our techniques. And believe me, that was the best that the front three has played since I’ve been here. So I’m really encouraged by that. Is it a certain protection? Are there different things that we can do to give Mark a little more time back there? Maybe our routes, we’re looking at some different things right now.

On Wayne Hunter and choosing not to use timeouts on the Broncos final drive…
We had two timeouts left. I was going to take the timeout on third down, and then we would have one timeout left and I would save that to try to set our guys up in field goal position. That was the thinking behind it. There was an opportunity that they could get a first down, and then basically you’ve done them a huge favor because you’ve given them the time to find a way to possibly punch it in for a touchdown, and you lose the game. I (didn’t want to do that, I wanted to save the timeout. Obviously if we stop them on third down, which we thought we were going to, we take the timeout there. Then they come and kick the field goal, you assume they’re going to make the field goal at that time. Then you have a chance, you have one timeout left with your offense on the field and just needing a field goal. And Nick Folk has already proved he could kick a 60-yard field goal. So that was my thinking going into that. As far as Wayne Hunter was concerned, he was going up against an outstanding football player. Von Miller, I think, will be a Pro Bowl player this year. If not this year, he’ll be one next year. And that’s going to be tough on anybody. I thought Wayne, for the most part, did a nice job on him, but he did get Wayne a couple of times. There’s no question about that. (Miller’s) just an outstanding player and those things happen. It’s unfortunate, but Wayne might block him for 90 percent of the time, but the 10 percent that the guy got the better of Wayne are the ones that everybody is going to be focused on.

Shonn Greene Injury Update: Rib X-Rays Come Back Negative

New York Jets running back Shonn Greene underwent x-rays after injuring his ribs during Thursday night's loss to the Denver Broncos, but the results were negative.

Greene left early in New York's 17-13 loss after being tackled on a reception. He walked off the field under his own power, but did not return. Prior to the injury, Greene had carried the ball three times for 10 yards.

"I felt alright, but Joe (McKnight) and Bilal (Powell) were going good," said Greene, who underwent X-rays that came back negative.

Greene has rushed for 573 yards this season with two touchdowns, and has caught 17 passes for 95 yards. He had come on strong in the last two weeks before his injury, running for 112 yards against San Diego two weeks ago and 83 yards against New England last week.

-- For more Jets coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Gang Green Nation.

Rex Ryan Defends Mark Sanchez After Loss To Denver Broncos

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan defended Mark Sanchez on Friday after the quarterback received a bundle of criticism for his play during a 17-13 loss against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.

"This is our QB. He's going to be our QB as long as I'm here, which I hope is a long, long time," said Ryan.

Sanchez completed 24-of-40 passes for 252 yards, but threw an interception that Andre Goodman returned for a score and also failed to lead a drive that resulted in a touchdown. 

New York sports radio shows have been brimming with Sanchez critique following the loss to Denver. 

Thursday night, New York's only touchdown came on a fumble retcovery by guard Matt Slauson. The offense mustered just two field goals and the Jets fell to .500 for the season when Tim Tebow charged around the left end for a 20-yard touchdown with less than one minute remaining.

-- For more Jets coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Gang Green Nation. 

Jets-Broncos Fallout: The Good (There's Not Much), The Bad and The Ugly

Check out Gang Green Nation for more Jets news and analysis.

Jets Fall to Tebow Led Broncos in a Heartbreaker 17-13

The Jets fell to 5-5 last night with a heartbreaking loss to the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow. New York’s hopes for a third straight trip to the postseason are now on life support.

It was over when: Mark Sanchez’s Hail Mary fell to the turf incomplete short of the end zone as the clock showed 0:00. Sanchez had rallied the Jets in the final minute and completed a pass on 4th and 18 to extend the final drive, but New York never had more than a chance to heave it to the end zone to try and win it. The play wrapped up an inconsistent second half for Sanchez. He was 10 for 23 in the final two quarters.

Turning Point: The Broncos started their final drive on their own 5 yard line. On the first play, Tim Tebow took a shotgun snap and threw sideways to Eddie Royal at his own goal line. Jim Leonhard flew up and missed a tackle that would have resulted in a safety and could have iced the game. Had Leonhard made that play, the touchdown drive would have been over before it started.

Three Goats:

1. Mark Sanchez: Sanchez was inconsistent all evening. The Jets only put up 13 points. He also spotted the Broncos their first touchdown with a pick six. He stared down Plaxico Burress. That was really bad because the Jets led 10-3 at that point and were in complete control of the game.

2. Offensive Line: The line did not get much of a push in the run game. The unit was part of the reason Sanchez looked so bad as well. He was sacked 4 times and consistently hit, even once on a one step drop quick pass. Hits can pile up on a quarterback and shake even the confidence of the best.

3. Eric Smith: He was the outside guy on the all out blitz the Jets ran when Tebow scrambled for the game winning 20 yard touchdown. The Jets sent as many men at Tebow as possible to eliminate his running lanes. Smith’s responsibility was to not let him get outside. The touchdown was on him.

The only good for the Jets is they return home next week with some extra rest to play a Bills team they dominated less than a month ago. They likely will need to run the table to make the postseason now, though.

Jets-Broncos Final Score: Tim Tebow Leads Denver To 17-13 Win Over New York

Tim Tebow did it again Thursday night, leading a 95-yard touchdown drive in the closing minutes to give the Denver Broncos a 17-13 victory over the New York Jets at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colo.

New York appeared to have taken control with its opening drive in the fourth frame. Quarterback Mark Sanchez took his team 42-yards downfield to set up a successful 45-yard field goal from Nick Folk to make it 13-10 in favor of the Jets.

It wouldn't last.

Tebow drove the Broncos 95 yards in 12 plays, ending the drive with a 20-yard scramble for a game-winning touchdown with 58 seconds to play.

The Jets are now 5-5 and have lost two games in four days. The Broncos are also 5-5, but are 4-1 since Tebow took over at quarterback.

For more on the fallout from tonight's game visit our team page or Gang Green Nation.

Jets Vs. Broncos Score: New York And Denver Tied 10-10 End Of Third Quarter

The New York Jets looked like they were about to take control in the opening minutes of the third quarter on Thursday night against the Denver Broncos in Mile High Stadium.

"Gang Green" quarterback Mark Sanchez drove his team downfield for 80 yards across eight plays (4:03), only to find the end zone following a fumble recovery on the one yard line. Nick Folk was on the money to make it 10-3 in favor of New York.

And that was it from the Jets offense for the remainder of the quarter.

Not that Denver's offense was lighting up the scoreboard, but it didn't need to. Broncos cornerback Andre Goodman intercepted Sanchez and ran it back for a 26-yard touchdown. Matt Prater split the uprights to make it 10-all.

New York was stripped of the football in the ensuing kickoff return, giving them two turnovers in a span of 10 seconds. Fortunately for the Jets, Denver was unable to capitalize on the mistake and were eventually forced to punt.

With 15 minutes left to play, this is still anyone's game.

Jets Vs. Broncos Score: New York and Denver Tied 3-3 End Of First Half

Well, there isn't much negative to say about the New York Jets as they head into the half against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night at Colorado's Mile High Stadium.

Unfortunately, there isn't much positive to say, either.

That's because "Gang Green" has been on the field for 30 minutes and the best they could do was a field goal. Luckily for them, that's all "Orange Crush" was able to muster up as well.

New York was down 0-3 heading into the second quarter, but Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez was able to get his team 32 yards downfield to put Nick Folk within field goal range. 21 yards later and they're tied at three apiece.

Both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter, with the longest drive totaling 4:05. Folk tried to send one in from long distance to close out the half, but his 61-yard field goal was no good and the game remains deadlocked at 3-3.

Jets Vs. Broncos Score: Denver Leads New York 3-0 End Of First Quarter

The New York Jets flew into Mile High Stadium to battle the Denver Broncos on Thursday night to try and rebound from last Sunday's beatdown by the New England Patriots.

They're not off to a good start.

After 15 minutes of play, "Gang Green" trails "Orange Crush" by a score of 3-0. New York actually won the coin toss, but deferred to Denver, who were unable to do much on the opening drive, despite 5:11 of possession. The Jets did even worse on their first time out, giving back the ball in less than two minutes.

That enabled the Broncos to move the ball down field for Matt Prater, who split the uprights from 37 yards out to put them up by three.

So far, it's all they need.

Jets have the ball to start the second and are moving downfield, but will they be able to find the end zone?

Stay tuned.

New York Jets Inactive List, Week 11: LaDainian Tomlinson, Brodney Pool, Jeremy Kerley Out Against Denver Broncos

The New York Jets inactive list for Thursday night's game against the Denver Broncos is headlined by running back LaDainian Tomlinson, safety Brodney Pool and wide receiver Jeremy Kerley, the team announced Thursday.

Tight end Shawn Nelson, cornerback Ellis Lankster and quarterback Kevin O'Connell are also inactive.

The Jets are looking to bounce back from last week's 37-16 loss to New England that gave the Patriots control of the AFC East, and will need to do so quickly in order to qualify for the playoffs.

"We have to just go out there, have fun and give it to these guys, not give them a chance to make plays," Santonio Holmes said. "Shut them out if we can, score about 60 points if possible. Keep these guys buried down in the ground as far as possible, and I think that will jump-start our offense and defense from this point on."    

-- For more Jets coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Gang Green Nation. 

Tim Tebow Vs. The New York Jets Defense: NFP's Matt Bowen Breaks It Down

We have already spent time this week trying to figure out how the New York Jets will handle the unique -- at least in the NFL -- offense deployed by Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. The real question, though, might be the reverse one. How will the Broncos' 'read-option' run-heavy offense fare against a Jets defense superior to the Oakland and Kansas city groups Denver defeated the past two weeks?

Matt Bowen of the National Football Post, a former NFL defensive back, delved into that topic this week. 

Bowen has three primary questions:

1. Will Denver open up and pass more than eight times?
2. Will the Broncos be able to handle the blitz packages deployed by the Jets?
3. Can the Broncos create any big plays?

Bowen is probably right that tonight's Thursday Night Football matchup (8:20 p.m. ET, NFL Network) will teach us more about the Broncos than it will about the Jets.

Jets Vs. Broncos: Time, TV Schedule, Radio Streaming And More

The New York Jets take on the Denver Broncos at 8:20 p.m. ET on the NFL Network in week 11 action from Mile High Stadium.

Pro Bowl Voting: New York Jets' Darrelle Revis, Joe McKnight Top Positions In AFC

New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis and kick returner Joe McKnight lead AFC Pro Bowl voting at their positions, after the early returns on balloting were released by the NFL on Wednesday.

Jets Injury Update: LaDainian Tomlinson, Jeremy Kerley Out Vs. Denver Broncos

New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson was ruled out of Thursday's game against the Denver Broncos on Wednesday, three days after spraining his MCL during a loss to New England.

Wide receiver Jeremy Kerley was also ruled out after suffering a knee injury Sunday against the Patriots. Tight end Shawn Nelson (illness) and safety Brodney Pool (knee) will miss Thursday's game, too.

Coach Rex Ryan had said Tuesday that Tomlinson would do everything in his power to play.

"I hate to say that because you've seen guys sometimes, each one you don't know the severity of it. I know this, he wants to play. He's trying to do everything in his power to play," said Ryan. "It being on a short week, is it good for a running back and all that? Probably not, but I never want to hold it against him because I think I know the kind of competitor (Tomlinson) is. If he thinks he can help the team, he's going to go. Obviously, you have to protect the player from himself as well. So you have to lean on your trainers and your medical advice."

-- For more Jets coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Gang Green Nation. 

Tim Tebow And The Denver Broncos' Offense: Like Nothing Else In The NFL

The Jets and Broncos meet on Thursday Night Football.

New York Jets Injury Report, Week 11: Brodney Pool Ruled Out Against Denver Broncos

The New York Jets ruled out safety Brodney Pool for the second straight week on Tuesday, two days before the Jets play the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.

"Brodney Pool is out. He had to get a cortisone shot in his knee (for) that swelling and all that stuff. But he's going to be out this week as well," said Jets coach Rex Ryan. 

A long list of Jets joined Pool on the sidelines for Tuesday's practice, headlined by running back LaDainian Tomlinson (knee). Wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (knee), tight end Shawn Nelson (illness) and wide receiver Patrick Turner (kidney) also missed the session.

Ryan said he expects Tomlinson, Kerley and Turner will all be game-time decisions.

"It being on a short week, is it good for a running back and all that?" said in regards to Tomlinson's MCL sprain. "Probably not, but I never want to hold it against him because I think I know the kind of competitor (Tomlinson) is. If he thinks he can help the team, he's going to go."

Cornerback Darelle Revis (knee) was limited in practice, but Ryan was not worried about his defensive star.

"Darrelle Revis was limited today. He had a knee. Don't worry, he's playing. I'm not even going to make the trip if Darrelle doesn't go," quipped Ryan.

-- For more Jets coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Gang Green Nation.

LaDainian Tomlinson Injury Update: Tomlinson (Knee) Suffers Setback In Practice, According To Report

New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson (knee injury) did not participate in the 30-minute portion of Tuesday's practice open to the media, and Adam Schefter is reporting that Tomlinson suffered a setback.

Coach Rex Ryan said he was hopeful on Monday after the trainers told him Tomlinson would be okay, but Schefter reports that the Jets are no longer optimistic Tomlinson will play Thursday against the Denver Broncos.

Tomlinson suffered what is reported to be an MCL sprain during his final carry on Sunday against the New England Patriots, when the running back was tackled by New England's Julian Edelman. He limped off the field and wore a knee wrap after the game.

Wide receivers Jeremy Kerley (knee) and Patrick Turner (kidney) and safety Brodney Pool (knee) also did not participate during the media portion of practice. Pool missed the New England game and did not know his status for Thursday, but said Monday he is making improvements.

-- For more Jets coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Gang Green Nation.

NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Giants No. 10, Jets No. 13

Jets At Broncos: Ryan Calls Denver's Unique Offense 'A Great Challenge'

LaDainian Tomlinson Injury Update: Sprained MCL Threatens To Keep Tomlinson Out Against Denver Broncos

New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson suffered an MCL sprain against the New England Patriots Sunday night, and the team is unsure whether he will be available Thursday against the Denver Broncos.

Tomlinson was injured with less than two minutes remaining in New York's 37-17 loss on Sunday, after a hit by New England's Julian Edelman awkwardly bent Tomlinson's leg. After limping off the field, Tomlinson wore a leg wrap in the locker room.

After the game, Tomlinson told reporters his status for Thursday was unsure.

"Yeah, my leg just got hit low,":Tomlinson said. "And I felt my leg. And that's all I can pretty much say right now. ... I'll get some more tests tomorrow and we'll go from there. I'm sure coach will give you an update as we get a little later in the week."

"I won't even speculate yet, " Tomlinson said when asked about his status for Thursday. " I can't do it. We'll see what happens."    

Tomlinson has rushed for 167 yards and one touchdown this season. He has also caught 25 catches for 312 yards and another touchdown.