FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Jets Coach Rex Ryan said Thursday that he planned to play receiver Plaxico Burress for a few snaps in Monday’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans, even though Burress continues to be limited in practice because of an ankle injury.
Burress wore a full set of pads for the Jets’ two-and-a-half-hour afternoon practice Thursday but participated only in individual drills. Burress, who hurt his ankle last week, took no repetitions Tuesday during team periods. The Jets were off Wednesday.
“He had a little more swelling in the ankle, and that was to be expected, but, again, it wasn’t terrible,” Ryan said before Thursday’s practice. “That’s the thing you try to avoid — how much do you push him? If we were to really push him, that could have really been a problem, but now, it’s just, let’s cut back a little, make sure he’s where we want him to be.”
Asked if Burress had undergone a magnetic resonance imaging test on his ankle, Ryan said he did not think the injury was that serious, adding, “I don’t think it’s anywhere close to being that serious.”
The Jets’ All-Pro center, Nick Mangold, sustained what a team spokesman described as a stinger during a collision on the last play of a goal-line drill between the Jets’ first-team offense and first-team defense. Mangold will be evaluated daily, the team said.
Burress was unavailable for comment with reporters after Thursday’s practice but plans to talk about his progress Friday. The Jets are scheduled to have practices at their training center on Friday and Saturday afternoon before traveling to Houston.
“Nothing’s like playing live anyway,” tight end Dustin Keller said, referring to regular-season games. “As soon as we get in a couple of those games, and he starts to get that feel back, I think he’ll be fine for when the season starts.”
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