Braylon Edwards backs Sanchez: Blames 'idiots calling shots' for problems

A former Jets player who helped Mark Sanchez through the first two years of his NFL career has come out and said the benched quarterback is not to blame for the team's current struggles.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who spent most of 2009 and all of 2010 as Sanchez's main target with the Jets, posted to his Twitter account early Tuesday morning:

"I played there.  Blame the idiots calling shots. Mark is a beast and will [prove] it when given proper chance."

The Twitter blast may be directed at the Jets general manger Mike Tannenbaum.

There is no love lost between Edwards and Tannenbaum.  The animosity began after the Jets let Edwards go as a free agent before the 2011 season and the GM chose not to reunite him with Sanchez before this season when he was a free agent again.

The tweet is probably not directed at head coach Rex Ryan whom Edwards has always had a good relationship.  Edwards was caught by HBO's "Hard Knocks" cameras naming Ryan as the one person in the NFL who would give him a good reference when he was trying out with the Miami Dolphins this summer.

The Jets quarterback situation has reached a three-way fork in the road after Ryan benched Sanchez in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals.  Sanchez's backup Tim Tebow was inactive with broken ribs, so third-string QB Greg McElroy replaced Sanchez and led the team to a 7-6 victory.

Who will be the starting quarterback when the Jets meet the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday is any one's guess.