Jets coach Rex Ryan let receiver Eric Decker play on Monday night, eight days after he suffered a hamstring injury against the Bears. And against the Bears, Decker injured the hamstring again.
On Thursday, Ryan told reporters he has no regrets about playing Decker.
“No, because again, especially when you get a veteran player, guy [who] knows his body and things,” Ryan said. “We weren’t planning on playing him that many snaps. How much it’s going to hold him back, we’ll see. We’ll see if it holds him back at all for this game. I’m not sure. . . .
“It’s easier to look back now and, ‘Oh, he tweaked his hamstring again.’ Let’s see how it affects him moving forward. If he was out for five weeks then absolutely you’d regret it, but I don’t think that’s going to be the case.”
Ryan remains hopeful that Decker will be able to play against the Lions on Sunday. If the Jets plan to outscore Detroit’s high-octane offense, they could use him.
But at some point it will make sense to give Decker a week off, or he’ll be constantly tweaking the hamstring, all year long.