CORTLAND — The Jets will line up opposite the Buccaneers in 25 days to open the 2013 season. Who will be under center for the Jets remains a mystery.
Jets coach Rex Ryan said yesterday the team has no timetable for naming a starter and is not committed to naming a starter next week, as many people expect. Normally, a team wants its starters set before the third preseason game when the starters typically play into the second half.
"That's usually it, but that's not set in stone that that's an absolute must that that still has to happen," Ryan said yesterday. "We might still be in the evaluating stage for all the positions."
Anthony J Causi
TICK, TICK, TICK ... Geno Smith (left) and Mark Sanchez may not learn which one of them will be the Jets starter for the season opener until after the third preseason game. It was presumed Rex Ryan would name a starter next week.
The battle between Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith has been the story of the spring and summer for the Jets. Some speculated the competition would be decided in June, but here we are getting deep into August with no puff of smoke from Ryan's office.
Ryan would not say whether anyone has taken the lead in the quarterback competition.
"I think it's too early to say is this guy leading or whatever," Ryan said. "Again, the competition is not complete. We'll go through the competition and I'm confident that the right decision will be made."
Ryan won't even say which quarterback is starting Saturday against the Jaguars in the team's second preseason game. Sanchez started the first preseason game last week against the Lions, which would make it logical Smith will start this week.
"We're going to see how it keeps going as the week goes and then we'll make that decision," Ryan said, making it sound as if the decision won't come until Friday.
One complicating factor could be Smith's injured right ankle. Smith suffered a mild sprain in last Friday's game, but has practiced on it all week. He is limping noticeably, although he moved better yesterday than the prior two days.
"There's a lot of variables in that some depending on health, some depending on how we're practicing and some depending on the big picture plan tentatively set up before we started camp," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg.
The Jets have altered their quarterback rotation this week. During the first two-plus weeks of camp, each quarterback got two days with the starting offense on a rotating basis. Now, both quarterbacks are getting time with the starting unit, but Sanchez has taken more snaps with the first team the past two days.
Mornhinweg said the switch is because they are now playing games and they want the players who will play together in the games to work together in practice. That could mean Sanchez will play more with the starters.
Smith struggled in practice yesterday, throwing three straight incompletions from inside the 10 during a goal-line drill. Ryan disagreed with the idea Smith's play has slipped since the beginning of camp.
"I don't know about that," Ryan said. "He's certainly had his moments where he's looked great, not just the first week but he looked good in the game. He was 6-of-7 passing. Did he have a couple of rough days? Absolutely. But everybody's had some rough days."
Mornhinweg blamed himself for not being able to get a true read on Smith against the Lions. Mornhinweg said he wanted to run some plays to get reads on specific things like how guards were pulling or receivers were running routes. Those types of play did not help Smith, Mornhinweg said.
brian.costello@nypost.com
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