Gang Green has been without their No. 1 wideout during OTAs. They're also missing their No. 2 this week. Oh, and their No. 3 and No. 4 options are no-gos of late.
While coach Rex Ryan maintains all will be well soon enough, he used the term "brutal" Wednesday when answering a question about how difficult it is to assess the receiver corps with the injuries.
Even more, Sanchez said the team has given the replacement wideouts "funny nicknames" to keep the situation relaxed.
"When you don’t have [the starters] out there, you just have to do the best job you can with the guys you have and I think they’ve done a great job of stepping up," Sanchez said, according to the team's website. "There are guys that nobody has heard of that have really made a name for themselves in these camps."
As Sanchez and Smith continue to absorb Marty Mornhinweg's offense, they're working with guys they'll probably never throw to again past mid-summer. While it's up to the signal-callers to rise to the occasion, there can't be a whole lot of chemistry building going on among the offense in Florham Park.
Santonio Holmes is still recovering from his season-ending foot injury from last September, and Stephen Hill is out with a swollen knee. Jeremy Kerley was sidelined with a heel issue, and Clyde Gates has a hamstring ailment.
So names like Joseph Collins, KJ Stroud, Zach Rogers, Thomas Mayo and Vidal Hazelton ran routes for Sanchez and Smith Wednesday, and by all accounts, it was ugly. Ryan said after practice that the team wasn't close to naming a starting quarterback, and the receiver situation certainly isn't helping the thing along.
