The Jets aren’t planning to break out the “hot sauce” for Lions running back Reggie Bush in Friday’s preseason opener, but a former member of the Jets injected a little bit of spice into the matchup this week.
Wide receiver Chaz Schilens caught an unmemorable 28 passes in 15 games for the Jets last season, starting six times for a team short on wide receivers. They didn’t make much of an effort to bring him back during an offseason that saw many Jets veterans move on and Schilens thinks that he was a victim of the team’s desire to blame everyone but Mark Sanchez for their 6-10 record last year.
“For me there?” Schilens said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “Really, when it came down to it, I kind of felt like they were looking for scapegoats and besides everyone except for, you know, maybe the quarterback position, and it was what it was. When free agency didn’t start off right away, I just kind of understood what it was and part of the business.”
Schilens didn’t stop there when it came to expressing his feelings about Sanchez. He employed many a mother’s favorite maxim when he was asked about Sanchez’s chances of winning back the support of the team’s fanbase.
“Nothing good to say, so I’m not going to say nothing,” Schilens said.
There aren’t many easier targets for criticism in the NFL these days than Sanchez, a point that’s well illustrated by the guy fighting to be the fifth receiver in Detroit.