FLORHAM PARK, N.J.� Calvin Pace is eager to finally get his season started.
The veteran linebacker rejoined the New York Jets on Monday after completing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL�s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

�Man, I�ve never been so happy to see 58 guys in my life,� Pace said. �Being away from the game is tough. People asked me, �Man, why are you home? Don�t you have a game today?� And, I had to explain to them why.�
Coach Rex Ryan was pretty excited to see his pass-rushing standout back at the team�s training facility.
�I wasn�t going to kiss him on the lips,� Ryan said, smiling, �but I thought about it.�
Pace participated in training camp and preseason games, but was banned from contact with the team after being suspended in July without pay for testing positive for a banned substance.
�It really humbled me,� said Pace, who�ll practice for the first time Wednesday. �When you�re not playing and you don�t have what you love to do, and you�re not doing it, it�s tough. I�m just happy to be back.�
After he was alerted at the end of last season of the test result, Pace sent in the supplements he took to the league, but lost his appeal. He hasn�t specified what he took, only saying it was �something that you can get at any GNC.�
During his suspension, Pace worked out for a week in Las Vegas, training with members of mixed martial arts star Randy Couture�s team.
�I�m 14-0 right now,� Pace said, laughing. �Nah, it was cool. It was a different aspect of training, but I think more than anything, it�s good for handspeed and it�s a good cardio workout. I�m not going to be signing up for any fights anytime soon.�
He spent the rest of the suspension home in Atlanta and continued to work out five days a week, keeping a close eye on his teammates as they opened the season 3-1. His pass-rushing presence will add to a defense that has been outstanding even without him. The Jets rank fifth in overall defense and have allowed just three offensive touchdowns.
�I think the way the guys handled themselves and the way they played, I�ve got to step my game up to their level just because they�ve been flying around and making plays and really making it happen for this team,� Pace said. �It�s really about me being one piece of the puzzle and going in and fitting in and not trying to do too much.�
Pace, in his seventh NFL season and second with the Jets, led the team last year with a career-high seven sacks.
�He�s a rare guy and one of the premier players in this league,� Ryan said.
After such a long layoff, Pace wants to make up for lost time.
�I kind of pride myself on not taking plays off and not coming off the field,� he said, �but they�re going to have to drag me off the field now.�