Most of the attention Friday at Jets practice was focused on whether cornerback Darrelle Revis will play Monday night when the Jets host the Minnesota Vikings. A couple of days earlier, Santonio Holmes’ return from his four-game suspension was the big story.
The return of outside linebacker Calvin Pace hasn’t garnered that kind of attention in Florham Park. And that’s totally fine with Pace.
"That’s kind of the story of my football career," said Pace, who will be making his season debut Monday after missing the first four games of the season following surgery to repair a broken bone in his right foot.
Pace, 29, missed the first four games of last season as well, when he sat out an NFL suspension for using a banned substance. When he did step on the field, he was a force for the Jets’ defense, leading the team with eight sacks in the 12 games he played.
This year, the team signed former Dolphins star Jason Taylor to spell Pace and Bryan Thomas, in three-man rotation for the two outside linebacker spots, in an effort to keep Pace and Thomas fresh.
When Pace was injured, Taylor became the starter and has played well, recording 14 tackles and two sacks in four games, but now the Jets can get back to the original plan.
New York's already strong defense gets even better.
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