Jane McManus, Reporter & Columnist, espnW.com 11y

The QB battle will rage on

ESPN Insider Aaron Schatz has taken a look at the bottom five NFL teams and tried to figure out what they can do to be successful.

Schatz projects Geno Smith will have to be the Jets' starting quarterback this season if Gang Green hopes to improve on 2012's record.

According to Schatz:

"A 23-year-old with no NFL track record generally has more potential than a 25-year-old with two years of NFL mediocrity on his track record."

But that is far from a settled matter in Florham Park, N.J. Sanchez’s recent video notwithstanding, he is still the presumptive starter. New quarterbacks coach David Lee said as much in a recent interview, although he added it wasn’t out of the question to have a rookie like Smith ready to play by opening day.

Smith, however, is still a project. During OTAs, the days that Sanchez struggled, Smith struggled. When Sanchez played well, Smith did the same. It shouldn’t be hard to outplay Sanchez, but Smith hasn’t just yet.

As much as some teammates still have his back, many Jets fans are fed up with Sanchez. If Smith were to clearly outplay the veteran, it would be an easy way to recalibrate an offense that clearly hasn’t worked.

The Sanchez versus Smith competition is set to arrive in Cortland, N.Y., in late July. In the meantime, the debate goes on.

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