Geno Smith has Mark Sanchez's back. Chaz Schilens does not.
One day after the New York Jets announced that Sanchez would start at quarterback during the Jets' preseason opener at Detroit on Thursday night, Newsday.com reported that Smith - the rookie QB from West Virginia - had no reaction.
The two have been vying for the starting job from the moment the Jets took Smith in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.
"I fully back Mark, I fully back the coaches' decisions,'' Newsday reported Smith as saying. "I'm all about helping this team grow, helping us win.''
That comment was far more positive that what came out Detroit, where Lions wide receiver and former Jet Schilens resides.
Schilens, who signed with the Lions one day before the start of training camp, is trying to become Detroit's fifth wide receiver. He had six starts and caught 28 passes for the Jets last season.
He was less then complimentary about the organization as a whole, according to USA Today.
"For me, there?" Schilens said. "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."
Asked specifically about Sanchez, Schilens replied, "Nothing good to say, so I'm not going to say nothing."
Both Sanchez and Smith will play with the first-team offense in the scrimmage, Newsday reports, but no clear front-runner exists for the starting job. Smith denied that the announcement of Sanchez's start provided any extra motivation.
"Oh, I've got a fire,'' Smith told Newsday Wednesday afternoon. "It's been there all along. ... But once you get to know me, you'll see that nothing's going to ever change about me. I'm always going to be the same -- on and off the field. I'm just that type of player.''
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