Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green says he probably won't practice again Thursday, which means he probably won't play Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Channel 12) against the Jaguars, and he says his surgically-repaired ankle hasn't suffered a setback.
"I'm just taking my time. I'm not sore. I just have to take my time," Green said before Thursday's practice. "If I can go, I can go. If I can't, I can't. It's no big thing. Like I said from day one, if I'm healthy enough to play then I'm going to play. Right now, I still have a little ways to go."
Green said he wants to be able to play every snap when he comes back and not be limited to a number like 20. Although he practiced in limited fashion for the first time this season last week, he said he doesn't want to come back too soon, like he did last season on Dec. 2 against Denver when he re-aggravated his big toe and needed season-ending injury after he sat out three games.
"Not at all," said Green when asked if he regretted returning for the Broncos, where he had his last catch for seven yards before limping off. "I was going to have to have the surgery anyway so why not go out there and test it and if you are going to rip it, just rip all the way off and have it repaired?
"You can't just throw me into game week where I got to play 60 snaps where I haven't practiced. I'm the type of guy where I need my practice time and then as I feel good in practice then my confidence gets higher to be able to play a full game at a high level. 'Oh, A.J., you just need to play 20 snaps.' No. If I'm full-go, then I'm full-go. No limitations."
Green says head coach Zac Taylor's dictum of last week that the Bengals don't plan to trade him by the Oct. 29 trade deadline hasn't taken off any pressure because there was no pressure.
"There never was pressure," Green said. "Like I said, I've been in this league a long time. I already know the ins and outs. At the end of the day, it's a business. This is the business and I respect anything that happens. But it's always good that the head coach comes out says (that). But it didn't take any pressure off me. Like, I didn't hear anything."
Green says the ankle hasn't had a bad reaction to last week's work. He said he just got a week off in the comeback. He won't rule out playing against the Rams Oct. 27 in London and he also said that the Nov. 10 game against the Ravens at PBS isn't a natural target because it comes after the bye. And he'll go to London whether he's playing or not.
"I'm still going to make the trips. I make all the other trips," Green said. "It doesn't even matter. I'm still part of the team. I still go to meetings. I'm still standing in the huddle hearing the plays."
