Mangold (ankle) not likely to play Sunday

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Brandon Moore has looked directly to his left for the Jets' past 82 regular-season games, only to see that same guy with the flowing golden locks and sharp wit battling next to him in the trenches.

So the right guard admits things will be different when the Jets take on the Raiders on Sunday in Oakland, knowing that All-Pro center Nick Mangold most likely won't be there and Colin Baxter will.

"It's going to be tough," Moore said Monday. "People deal with this across the league -- guys having to step up. Offensive line, we've been blessed in the sense of having guys for the most part start for the last three or four years. But it's no different than other teams around the league.

"Baxter has got to step up and learn a lot in a short amount of time."

Mangold, who has been to three straight Pro Bowls, had an MRI Monday that revealed a high ankle sprain, which could shelve him for a couple of weeks. Rex Ryan was hesitant to rule Mangold out but wasn't overly confident he'll be able to play, especially with the Jets making a cross-country flight that could lead to swelling in his ankle.

Mangold's right leg was rolled up on by linebacker Daryl Smith in the first quarter of Sunday's 32-3 win over the Jaguars. He was in a walking boot afterward, using crutches to help move about.

"I would say his status for the game would be within question, I would assume very iffy," Ryan said. "I don't think it looks very good as far as playing this week. But with that being said, he thinks he can go and he's started 80-something games in a row. We'll see how it progresses. I wouldn't count him out."

Still, Ryan made it clear the final call won't be Mangold's, not after the situation that happened with Darrelle Revis a season ago. The cornerback tweaked a hamstring against the Patriots while chasing Randy Moss, sat out two games and came back to play against the Vikings in Week 5. Revis later said he was out there running on one leg.

Ryan has since put the onus on the training staff to determine who's in and who's out, and Mangold won't be any different.

"He's a tough guy, but the trainers will always do what's in the best interest of the player,'' Ryan said. "We'll never put a guy out there that shouldn't be out there. With that said, I think it's iffy whether he plays or not, with all due respect to Nick."

Ryan said the Jets have no plans to look outside the organization for help, meaning it's all on Baxter, an undrafted rookie free agent. Baxter, who played center and left guard at the University of Arizona, signed with the Chargers in July and was waived at the end of camp. The Jets signed him Sept. 4, looking to add depth to an offensive line that was weakened after key reserve Rob Turner broke his leg in the first game of the preseason.

Baxter was thrust into Sunday's game when Mangold was injured and had one notable error, snapping the ball before quarterback Mark Sanchez was ready. Baxter will be on a crash course this week, although it's not as bad as it could have been because the Jets' offense has some similarities to San Diego's.

"Oh, it definitely helps a lot because that just cuts down on a lot of the stuff that I needed to learn," Baxter said. "There's a few things techniquewise and some runs and passes that have different nuances to them. So I've been able to adjust to that pretty quickly."