Jets' Chrebet Practiced

October 7, 1999 / 12:50 AM EDT / CBS/AP

When the New York Jets play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night, star receiver Wayne Chrebet might be in the lineup. He has been listed as doubtful, but just the fact he returned to practice on Wednesday was a boost for the 1-3 team.

Chrebet, who broke his left foot in the final exhibition game Sept. 3, was expected to miss at least six weeks, probably more. But earlier this week, he worked out for coach Bill Parcells, who was satisfied enough to give Chrebet the OK to practice.

The practice went "OK," Parcells said. "He didn't get a lot of reps, but he did OK. There was nothing unusual."

Having Chrebet back so soon might seem unusual.

"I just wanted to get back, so I dedicated myself to the treatment and to the physical therapy," Chrebet said. "I was doing things on my own maybe that was stupidity on my part as soon as I could put weight on it."

"Bill asked me what hurt the most, then he asked me to run pretty much what feels the worst. Of course, the first route, he asked for basically the same movement as when I broke it. And on wet turf after I didn't run for a month."

Last year, Parcells actually sneaked up and kicked Chrebet in the ankle to test that injury. The coach didn't do anything like that this time, but he gave Chrebet enough of a workout to prove the receiver is ready for a full-scale practice.

"I think it is going to be cut and dry, not a complicated process," Parcells said of evaluating Chrebet's health, rustiness and, ultimately, his availability. "All I have to do is see; can the player function and do what we ask? If the answer today is yes, how does he feel tomorrow? Did that practice not allow him to do it as well tomorrow?"

"I will not rely on him; you have got to show me."

What Chrebet has shown in his four NFL seasons has been exceptional. One of the league's best third-down receivers operating out of the slot, Chrebet averaged just over 70 catches a year and scored 18 touchdowns. He set a career high for yardage with 1,083 and scores with eight in 1998.

New York's passing attack ranks just 18th, and Chrebet's absence has hurt almost as much as the season-ending Achilles' tendon injury suffered by Vinny Testaverde in the opener. Keyshawn Johnson draws more double-teams and Dedric Ward, until last week, hadn't taken up the slack. The tight ends have either been injured or ineffective, and Leon Johnson, the top receiver out of the backfield, also was lost for the year in the opener.

Even Keyshawn Johnson, whose relationship with Chrebet could be termed cold to be kind admitted having Chrebet back would provide a lift.

"Any time you get a key player who is off your 53-man roster coming back, it's going to help your team to some capacity," said Johnson, who comes off his best game of the year in the team's first victory, at Denver. "Offensively, defensively, with leadership, that's one individual you did not have for several weeks."

"I don't know if it will change the way defenses are playing us, but if we get anybody back who can help us out, it helps tremendously."

Chrebet has a three-inch titanium screw in his foot and is wearing an orthotic to relieve some of the discomfort. But the biggest hurt has come from not being on the field.

"Sundays are rough," he said. "I went to the first game to see how well it was going and what the other guys were going through, and Vinny and Leon got hurt. And watching on TV has been horrible."

Those spectating days might be over for Chrebet.