New York Jets: Who Is Colin Baxter and How Will He Fare Against Oakland Raiders?

The New York Post reported that New York Jets center Nick Mangold did not practice today and head coach Rex Ryan does not expect him to play against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

Mangold, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday, was told by team doctors that he will miss two to three weeks of action. If he does in fact miss all three weeks with this injury, Mangold will sit out against teams like Oakland, Baltimore and New England, all of which I explained earlier this week are crucial games.

Ryan has told the media that he plans to start rookie Colin Baxter in place of Mangold this week. Baxter has practiced with the first team all week and has been working with Mangold on the playbook and asking a number of questions to prepare himself for Sunday.

But who is Colin Baxter? The relatively unknown center is an undrafted rookie out of Arizona, where he was second-team All Pac-10 in 2009 and a candidate for the Rimington Trophy, which is awarded to college football's best center. He was also the leader of an offensive line that ranked 10th in the country in pass protection.

According to NFLDraftScout.com, Baxter was projected as a late-round draft pick in the 2011 NFL draft, and was considered the 14th-best center available. He went undrafted and signed with the San Diego Chargers in the offseason.

Earlier this month, Baxter was cut by the Chargers and signed with the Jets, where he was listed as the third-string center on the depth chart. However, after an injury to backup Rob Turner, Baxter found himself in the backup role.

If Mangold cannot go on Sunday, which is looking more certain everyday, Baxter will be the first center not named Nick Mangold to start for the New York Jets in 80 regular-season games dating back to Mangold's rookie season in 2006. The situation can be compared to Peyton Manning's injury with the Colts. After years of expecting Mangold on the field, they will suddenly have to change their game plan due to injury.

According to Rich Cimini on Twitter, the Jets columnist has received a number of messages from NFL personnel saying the Jets are "in trouble" with Baxter at center. The Jets plan to use current left guard Matt Slauson at center if Baxter struggles, but that mean the Jets offensive line would include Slauson, Vladimir Ducasse and Wayne Hunter at the same time (yikes).

Not all hope is lost for New York, who have started the season 2-0 after wins against Dallas and Jacksonville. However, the Jets will have to hope Baxter can hold the fort down without having to rush Mangold back from injury, or else they may find themselves in trouble against three of the league's most dominant defensive lines.