Jets' Sanchez can't run on knee, but he says he'll be OK for camp

Published: Apr 01, 2010 at 09:25 AM

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Mark Sanchez has his sights set on jogging onto the field during training camp, even though he can't run anywhere right now.

The New York Jets quarterback is limited to only walking on his surgically repaired left knee six weeks after the procedure to repair the patella ligament.

"We're just working on strengthening, getting the range of motion back, and it's feeling really good," Sanchez said Thursday. "I'm walking around without a hiccup or anything. So they are really excited about the progress."

Sanchez said he had "no clue yet" when he would be able to get to football activities, but he insists he'll be ready by training camp in late-July.

"Oh, absolutely," he said. "Without a doubt."

Last month, Sanchez had an elective procedure to help prevent future problems with his knee. He dislocated the kneecap during fall practice before his junior season at USC, then aggravated the injury during a Nov. 29 game against the Carolina Panthers.

"As cliche as it sounds, one day at a time, and it's really like that," Sanchez said. "They've used the term 'cautiously aggressive.' They want to make sure that I'm getting sore and the right kind of sore -- the right kind of sore without hurting. The kind of sore that you bounce back from, and that's the way it's been the entire time."

Sanchez, who led the Jets to the AFC Championship Game as a rookie, was bedridden for a few days after the procedure and couldn't drive for two weeks. So, the Jets helped him by bringing equipment for his rehabilitation to his home in New Jersey.

"The rehab process was a lot more difficult when no one was here and I was barely moving my leg and trying to get the swelling down," Sanchez said. "But now that I'm moving around and a lot of people are around, it's easy now. It's fun. I feel like I'm back in my groove, I'm back in the swing of things. Those first couple of weeks were long and the weather wasn't great, so it wasn't very fun."

Sanchez has spent much of his time at the Jets' facility going over game film for hours at a time with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh.

"This surgery taught me a lot about what I can accomplish in the offseason," Sanchez said. "And if I never would've had the surgery, who knows? I might've been home. But now that I've been here, I feel like this is where I should be as soon as the offseason starts to get a couple weeks here to sit down with the coaches, talk to them about all the plays that we watched at least two, three times from the entire season."

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.