The NFL preseason is in full swing and the biggest thing on the minds of coaches around the league are whether they can get through the schedule without having any major injuries that can set their teams back as they move into the regular season.
The Packers and other teams have had to scramble to get things together after losing major players, including the Broncos on the offensive line, and some other players are nicked up heading into week 2, including Jets quarterback Geno Smith, Colts tight end Dwyane Allen as well as Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd.
Smith injured his ankle in the opening preseason game against the Detroit Lions and was able to get through practice on Sunday, taking the most reps over Mark Sanchez. Both quarterbacks played in the opening preseason game and Smith was cleared after testing on his ankle showed no major injuries. Smith said he had no problem playing through an injury and he likely will be playing a nice amount against the Jaguars on Saturday night and that could set up who starts the third game, whether its Sanchez or Smith, as that game on the schedule is usually an important one for most teams.
"Marty [Mornhinweg] told me about Brett Favre and how he played through pretty much every single injury," said Smith, referring to the Jets' coordinator, a former Green Bay Packers assistant. "I try to be the same way."
Sanchez is coming into the season trying to win back the starting job and while he settled in after throwing an interception for a score in the preseason game, many feel that Smith has the advantage over Sanchez. Allen will be out for a "few weeks" after dealing with a foot injury in the 44-20 preseason loss to the Bills on Sunday. Last season Allen was very solid for Andrew Luck, making 45 catches for 521 yards in 16 starts as a rookie and the team is expecting him to perform this season as well.
"We're going to keep him off his feet, he's in a boot, he's on crutches," Pagano said. "They don't want any weight on that foot for a couple of weeks. Nothing major. We expect to have him back sooner than later, and knowing Dwayne, he'll do the necessary things he has to do as far as treatment goes and staying off that thing."
Floyd got his knee looked at on an MRI after the first preseason game and no serious damage was found. The team also dealt with injuries to cornerbacks A.J. Jefferson and Xavier Rhodes and free-agent linebacker Desmond Bishop, but all returned to practice.
"No worries on my part," he said. "At the end of the day, it's (coach Leslie Frazier's) call, not mine."
