Jets head coach Rex Ryan dicussed with the media today the status of center Nick Mangold ahead of the Jets’ Week 3 matchup at the Oakland Raiders. Ryan called Mangold’s status for Sunday “very iffy”, adding “I don’t think it looks very good as far as playing this week.”
Mangold was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain after injuring himself in the Jets’ 32-3 victory last Sunday over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s started 82 consecutive games for the Jets, and Mangold himself has said he could go. But with three road games in a row including clashes with the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots on the horizon, the Jets want to be extra careful with their prized center.
“He’s a tough guy, but the trainers will always do what’s in the best interests of the player and we’ll never put a guy out there that shouldn’t be out there,” Ryan said.
If Mangold can’t go, it will be a tough blow to the Jets’ offense who has struggled to run the ball in Weeks 1 and 2. Backup Colin Baxter would take over for Mangold, a player Ryan is comfortable with inserting into the lineup.
“I think he has a good grasp of our system, anyway,” Ryan said of Baxter. “The fact that the terminology is similar to that of where he came from, San Diego, I think he already has a decent grasp of it.”
Ryan also added that he was comfortable with the Jets’ current players and depth, insinuating that the organization would not be seeking help from free agents or via a trade.