NEW YORK -- Mark Sanchez is still focused on coming back this season for the New York Jets. Coach Rex Ryan thinks it could happen. Sanchez, hurt in the teams third preseason game, is rehabilitating his injured right shoulder rather than immediately having season-ending surgery. The exact nature of the injury has not been revealed, although some published reports say it is a torn labrum. "If we didnt think itd be realistic that Mark would get on the field, then he would be put on IR," Ryan said Friday. "And thats not the case." Sanchez visited Dr. James Andrews this week to take another look at his shoulder, a decision that was agreed upon mutually by the team doctors and the quarterback. In an interview with NFL Network before the Jets 13-10 loss to the Patriots Thursday, Sanchez said he was not planning on having surgery anytime soon, but instead wanted to continue to rehabilitate with his sights set on playing again this year. Before the game at Gillette Stadium, Sanchez threw passes left-handed while warming up with the rest of the team. "Hes doing a great job in rehab," Ryan said, "and our doctors and our trainers are pleased." Sanchez appeared to have an edge in the tightly contested quarterback competition after rookie Geno Smith struggled with three interceptions in the preseason game against the Giants. But, Ryan decided to play Sanchez in the fourth quarter of that game, a call for which the coach has taken a lot of criticism since it was in garbage time when Sanchez took a crunching hit from Marvin Austin. In the interview with NFL Network, Sanchez said he was disappointed by the injury because he felt he undoubtedly beat out Smith for the starting job. Ryan, however, has never declared a winner in the competition. "As a competitor, I guess thats what you expect," Ryan said. "You want your players to believe that. If you dont believe in yourself, nobody else will. I certainly would expect that from any competitor, to think that theyre winning the job. "His comments about that he clearly thinks he won the competition or whatever, thats his opinion." ---- NOTES: Ryan had no update on DL Muhammad Wilkerson, who injured his right ankle late in the game. The Jets are hoping its not a high ankle sprain. Wilkerson was seen leaving the locker room with heavy ice packs on his ankle. ... After benching CB Dee Milliner, the teams top draft pick, Ryan would not commit to starting him against Buffalo next Sunday. "I dont know," Ryan said. "Well see." Milliner was replaced by Kyle Wilson and Darrin Walls against the Patriots. "At that time, I just thought it was best that, hey, you know what, sit him down, let him watch it and well go with more experience out there," Ryan said. ... Ryan hopes to have WR Jeremy Kerley back against the Bills after he missed the game Thursday night with a concussion. Blake Wheeler Jersey . 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Chris Paul added 13 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who apparently are trying to make up for decades of humiliation at the hands of the Lakers all in one season; theyve won the last two meetings by a combined 84 points.The Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets hooked up to make a deal involving veteran wingers, both of whom have size and can score. Numbers Game looks into the trade that sends Scott Hartnell to Columbus for R.J. Umberger and a pick. The Blue Jackets Get: LW Scott Hartnell. Hartnell, 32, is coming off a season in which he scored 20 goals for the seventh time in his career and his 52 points represented the third-highest total of his career. Since joining the Flyers in 2007, hes one of eight players with at least 100 goals and 500 penalty minutes. While Hartnell does take more than his share of penalties, hes an aggravating player to play against, doesnt hesitate to go to the other teams net and has a tendency to fall, which means he also draws a lot of penalties. So long as hes healthy, Hartnell gets involved in the play. Despite his style of play, Hartnell is durable. Hes missed 23 games in seven seasons with the Flyers, including 16 games with a broken foot in 2013. Part of the reason that Hartnell has been so effective is that he has been riding shotgun alongside Claude Giroux for a good portion of the last handful of seasons. While Hartnell isnt necessarily the one driving play on that line, hes been a very good complement to Giroux and Jakub Voracek, most recently, as that trio has generated better possession numbers together than when they were apart. In Columbus, that ability to play with top talent, could give Hartnell a legitimate chance to spend time on the wing with Ryan Johansen on the Blue Jackets first line, though Boone Jenner and Nathan Horton can make some claims to those wing spots as well. Where this deal could become an issue for Columbus is that Hartnell is signed through 2019, thats five more seasons, at a cap hit of $4.75-million. Hartnell isnt the fleetest afoot already, so as he gets into his mid-thirties, that is only going to be more of an issue in a game that is getting ever faster. But, if Hartnell could fill a top six role for the next couple seasons, and a third or fourth line spot for a couple more, then maybe the last year could be tolerable when compared to what the Blue Jackets felt they could be getting out of Umberger going forward. The Flyers Get: LW R.J. Umberger and a fourth-round pick. Umberger is a 32-year-old who can play all three forward spots and is a five-time 20-goal scorer who has hit for 50 points or more three times in his career. This past season, Umbergers role was reduced, his 16:53 average time on ice reprresenting his lowest since 2006-2007, when he was playing for Philadelphia.dddddddddddd. While Umberger doesnt stir things up the way Hartnell does, hes still a physical player, using his 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame to his advantage and Umberger is a stronger skater. The trouble for Umberger is that hes been getting worse as a possession player. He had some okay years mixed with some bad years earlier in his career, but Umberger has been thumped in possession terms over the past three seasons and virtually every one of his teammates has fared better without Umberger on the ice. That doesnt mean Umberger cant play. It does mean he was likely playing too big a role on a Columbus team that, until 2013-2014, has been on the wrong side of the scoreboard all too often. Where does Umberger fit in Philadelphia? Well, his flexibility does help in this respect. While Umberger isnt necessarily a natural choice to play with Giroux and Voracek, playing alongside Sean Couturier and Matt Read could be a possibility. Umberger has also played enough centre that he could fit into that spot if the Flyers juggle some pieces around when composing their lines. If Umberger isnt going to play on the Flyers top line, thats a plum opening. If it is going to come from within, Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn or Vincent Lecavalier could get that opportunity. Umberger is signed for three more seasons, at a cap hit of $4.6-million per season, so he doesnt provide much cap relief, aside from the fact that his deal runs a couple of years less than Hartnells. A fourth-round pick doesnt offer huge value, but of the 600 picks in the 91-120 range made between 1990 and 2009, just over 4% became top-six forwards, top-four defencemen or starting goaltenders, while just under 20% have played (or are most likely to play) 100 NHL games. Immediately, the Blue Jackets appear to be the better team for making this deal. Not that Hartnell holds a monumental advantage over Umberger, but hes been more productive and has fared positively no matter who he plays with. Umberger had requested a move out of Columbus, not appreciating his declining role, and he should have a chance to play a top nine role in an organization that he played with for the first three seasons of his NHL career but, in a vacuum, this deal makes the Flyers slightly worse. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '