Jets QB Sanchez caused buzz by returning to practice

The New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is likely to get back his starting job for this week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons as he has been back to the field and taken snaps with other starters.

“I felt good today,” Sanchez said Wednesday. “We’ll see how it goes, play it day to day and talk to the doctors again (Thursday). But I feel confident.”

It was the first time Sanchez took part in practice since spraining the posterior cruciate ligament in the knee during the game against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 3. Coach Rex Ryan wants to be sure there’s no stiffness or swelling in Sanchez’s knee before deciding whether he or Kellen Clemens will start against Atlanta on Sunday.

Sanchez appeared unimpeded by the injury that sidelined him for New York’s 26-3 win at Tampa Bay last Sunday. Practicing with a brace and splitting the snaps with the first-team offense with Clemens, the former Southern California quarterback was wearing short sleeves Jets jersey as his teammates despite near-freezing temperatures, showing that he was fully prepared for starting a cold-weather game.

Eagles lost to Jets by 38-27 on Thursday night

Hours after the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell decided to fully reinstate Michael Vick in Week 3, the controversial quarterback failed to help the Philadelphia Eagles win over the New York Jets in Thursday night’s preseason finale.

He was 7 for 11 for 26 yards and ran for a 2-yard touchdown, but was sacked four times, lost a fumble and was intercepted, while Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez completed all five of his passes and capped his only series with a touchdown pass. And during the game, Vick was booed each time he ran onto the field.

The disgraced quarterback was released from federal custody July 20 after serving 18 months of a 23-month sentence for his role in operating a dogfighting ring, and he has been allowed by the league to play Sept. 27 against the Kansas City Chiefs.