Tonight at 7:30 p.m. the New York Jets circus rolls into Detroit, with quarterback Mark Sanchez as the main attraction. The embattled Gang Green passer is getting the start tonight over hotshot rookie Geno Smith, and there will be near playoff-level pressure on him to look good. The game can be live streamed here; Jets fans who want to listen to the game on the radio can do so at 98.7 ESPN FM. Lions fans can do the same on 97.1 The Ticket.
Last season was an unmitigated disaster for Sanchez from the get-go; in the offseason the Jets traded for cult-hero Tim Tebow, which turned half the fanbase against him before the season began.
As camp rolled along, the Jets coaches made it clear the Tebow was brought in to back up Sanchez, even as Tebow's disciples roared for their man. Once the season began, matters only got worse. Sanchez lost his No. 1 target Santonio Holmes in Week 3, while tight end Dustin Keller was in and out of the lineup (but mostly out).
Sanchez had his worst season as a pro, completing just 54.3 percent of his passes and tossing only 13 touchdowns while getting picked off 18 times.
While Tebow didn't have the passing chops to really bypass Sanchez, Smith certainly does. In his senior season at West Virginia Smith was a marksman, completing 71.2 percent of his passes and chucking 42 touchdown passes to just six interceptions.
The Jets will also debut their two first-round draft picks, Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner and Missouri defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson
As for the Lions, tonight will be Reggie Bush's first appearance in a Lions uniform. The Lions inked Bush this offseason to serve as a featured back to bolster a rushing attack that was in the bottom 10 of the league last season.
With the Dolphins Bush carried the ball 227 times for 986 yards and six touchdowns. He also is a gifted pass-catcher out of the backfield, and figures to serve as an elite safety valve for Matthew Stafford against heavy pass rushers.
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