quarterback Mark Sanchez might have surgery this offseason to stabilize
the patella ligament in his left knee, which was injured during college.
Sanchez, who just completed his rookie season,
won’t need any procedures on his right knee, which sustained a sprained
posterior cruciate ligament earlier this season.
He had both knees examined by team doctors
this week, and also had them looked at by Dr. James Andrews in
Birmingham, Ala., on Wednesday.
General manager Mike Tannenbaum said Sanchez
would be ready “well before training camp” if he elects to have the
procedure, which isn’t considered major, but could miss some early
offseason workouts.
“It would certainly be much sooner than later
because, right now, nothing has been decided,” Tannenbaum said
Thursday. “So, we’re going to keep the lines of communication open and
make a decision pretty soon here.”
Sanchez dislocated his kneecap during the
first week of fall practice before his junior season at Southern
California. He has worn a brace on the knee since, even in the pros.
Sanchez also banged up his left knee against Carolina on Nov. 29.
“You don’t want to have anybody miss any time,
especially a young quarterback,” Tannenbaum said, “but we’ll balance it
out with a medical procedure that may give him more stability in there
and give him a chance to play without any worry about that.”
Sanchez’s right knee, injured against Buffalo on Dec. 3 in Toronto, will heal through rehabilitation.
“I think everyone’s on the same page,” Tannenbaum said. “It’s not going to be anything major.”
Sanchez injured the right knee when he dived
headfirst on an 8-yard run early in the third quarter against the
Bills. The play came a few days after coach Rex Ryan brought in Yankees
manager Joe Girardi to help teach Sanchez how to improve his sliding
technique.
He missed one game when Ryan kept him home
for the trip to Tampa Bay on Dec. 13, and was replaced by Kellen
Clemens. Sanchez returned the following week against Atlanta wearing a
brace, and had no apparent signs of injury during the last several
weeks of the season.
He helped lead the Jets to the AFC
championship game at Indianapolis, playing some of his best football
during the playoff run. After throwing 20 interceptions during the
regular season, Sanchez had just two in three postseason games and fell
a win short of becoming the first rookie quarterback to start in the
Super Bowl.
The fifth overall pick last year out of USC,
Sanchez finished the regular season throwing for 2,444 yards and 12
touchdowns, but had a dismal 63.0 quarterback rating.
Armed with a color-coded system and numbered
plays on his wrist to help him, Sanchez took much better care of the
ball down the stretch. He finished the playoffs going 41 of 68 for 539
yards with four touchdowns and a 92.7 rating.
Sanchez also joined Baltimore’s Joe Flacco as the only rookie quarterbacks to win two playoff games.