It's looking more and more doubtful that running back Steven Jackson will play Sunday against the Jets, even though Jackson wavered between reality and claiming he was optimistic while speaking to the media Thursday. His session followed another practice in which he was nothing more than an observer.


When he was asked if it was realistic whether he could go full speed in practice, Jackson said, “Not a full practice, probably not to be honest with you. I am surely hoping that I come in tomorrow and something miraculous happens today and I can come in and give a full practice because that is what he (coach Jim Haslett) wants. I have had a discussion with him but I was unable to do it today.”


Later, Jackson claimed to be optimistic that he might play, saying, “I am very optimistic. I am hoping that maybe even Saturday when we have our walkthrough I can have my own personal practice to see if I am able to burst and maybe he will let that slide. As of right now, today and yesterday I was not able to give him a full day of work.”


The last comment came after Jackson acknowledged that an MRI Monday showed that there was some inflammation still in there from the original injury. "This MRI was actually worse than the first MRI. Our thoughts are that it was not worse but it was just a hard, tough day and it wasn’t ready and that is why it kind of flamed up on me like that.”


Asked if he's getting better, Jackson said, “It is getting better but with a hamstring, a quad or groin, those kinds of injuries, one day you feel great and the next day the slightest tweak could really set you back. That is what I am dealing with right now. One day I feel great, I feel like I can go and when it is time for me to show and prove that I am ready, it is just not responding the way we want it to.”


As for the lack of burst, he said, “That is exactly what it is. My change of direction and bursting in and out of holes is just not there yet. It's nothing serious, it's just a waiting game."


Said Haslett, "If he doesn’t go tomorrow, he won’t go in the game on Sunday.”


SIMPLY NOTING
*Running back Antonio Pittman might be able to play Sunday. Said Haslett, “I think he’s going to work tomorrow and we’ll see how he looks. He worked on the side today, I thought he looked fine, but I just talked to him and we’re going to work him tomorrow and we’ll see how he looks.” Asked where he might be in the rotation if he plays, Haslett said, “We haven’t really discussed that yet, we’ll see. Obviously, he knows all the runs, but I want to see how he looks tomorrow before I decide if he’s going to be one, two or three.”


*Haslett on wide receiver Derek Stanley's ankle injury: “He’s all right, he gets hurt every game, I just ignore him. He says he’s got an ankle, I say, ‘I don’t want to hear it.’ He gets knocked down, it’s the ankle. That’s just Derek Stanley.”