BY NICK ST. DENIS
The New York Jets confirmed Monday that safety Jim Leonhard will miss the remainder of the 2011 season to injury.
Leonhard, who acquired a torn patella tendon Sunday in the Jets' 37-10 victory over the Chiefs, will watch Gang Green fight for a playoff spot down the home stretch for the second year in a row. Leonhard suffered a season-ending leg injury late last season. He is in his final term of a three-year contract with the Jets.
"I want to thank everyone for the support," Leonhard wrote Monday on Twitter. "We've been here before and came back stronger than ever. Things happen for a reason, I'll find it."
The loss is certainly a big one for the Jets (8-5), who depend on Leonhard to quarterback the defense. Jets coach Rex Ryan, who brought over Leonhard from Baltimore in 2009 to help acclimate the Jets' defensive personnel with Ryan's system, was understandably bothered by what Leonhard's MRI revealed Monday.
"You feel absolutely terrible for him," Ryan told Jets reporters Monday via conference call.
New York has won three in a row and currently holds the final Wildcard spot with three games to go.
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