Geno Smith (left) and Mark Sanchez. (Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post)
The model for how to develop a franchise quarterback comes from Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers, who had the luxury of letting Colin Kaepernick get his feet wet before throwing him into the deep end of the pool midway through his sophomore year.
On the other end of the spectrum we have the rebuilding Jets and Rex Ryan, who no longer has a veteran quarterback he trusts and sure as heck doesn’t have a Super Bowl contending supporting cast surrounding him.
So as we sit 95 days from the season opener, with no immediate verdict in sight, this is my suggestion:
Unless Geno Smith shows he is Andrew Luck, or RG III, or Russell Wilson or Kaepernick, do not throw him to the wolves. Let Mark Sanchez start the season.
When the wheels start to come off, and when Smith is deemed ready, just give him the damn ball, and give it to him before Tom Coughlin gave it to Eli Manning in 2004, meaning no later than midseason.
It will be imperative for general manager John Idzik to learn quickly whether Smith can be his franchise quarterback so he can resist the temptation to make a play for one of the stud quarterbacks in the Class of 2014.
Ryan can’t dare anoint a starting quarterback if for no other reason than it would make a mockery of the organization’s new “competition isn’t everything, it’s the only thing” mantra.
“It’s going to have to be 100 percent clear to me,” Ryan said. “And if it’s not, then we’re going to keep competing all the way ‘til … .whenever.”
Smith throws lasers, blind men will come to the stadium to hear him throw eventually. He can run the read option, but acknowledges he is a long way away.
Remember Manning (6 TDs, 9 INTs) was overwhelmed over the last seven weeks of his rookie season. Sanchez, over his first six starts as a rookie, threw 5 TDs with 10 INTs, five of which came in a Game 6 disaster against Buffalo.
Cam Newton (7 TDs, 9 INTs, 6 rushing TDs) was thrown into the fire and lost five of his first six games with an inferior team. Ryan Tannehill (4 TDs, 6 INTs) started from Day 1 and was 3-3. So was Luck (7 TDs, 7 INTs). Wilson (8 TDs, 6 INTs) was 4-2 — thanks to that infamous gift from the replacement refs. Kaepernick (10 TDs, 3 INTs, 6 rushing TDs) was 5-2 after replacing Alex Smith.
“It won’t just be my evaluation, but at the end of the day, I guess it will be … if there’s a split camp or whatever, then I will make that decision,” Ryan said.
Smith was asked if he has enough time to get ready to start by Opening Day.
“There’s no timeline on that,” he said.
Was he encouraged by what Luck and Wilson did a year ago as rookies?
“Every single quarterback is different, every single situation is different,” Smith said, “so I’m not going to try and look at theirs and compare it to mine.”
Sanchez and Smith both struggled mightily yesterday with their four top receivers sidelined. But Sanchez was the one more engaged with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, huddling with him at every opportunity. And he threw the ball away when nothing was there.
“That is encouraging to me,” Ryan said.
Smith appreciated the guidance Sanchez has been giving him. He’s saying all the right things.
“I don’t think it’s too big for him,” Ryan said. “He can throw it with anybody. That’s been impressive as well.”
Sanchez took issue with Steve Young’s contention he was a broken-down quarterback at the end of last season.
“We’ve had a little rough patch here, and we’ll dig our way out,” Sanchez said. “My confidence has not wavered.”
I asked him what it was like fighting for his job.
“This is nothing new, it’s nothing big or scary. I’m just being myself and doing my very best and that’ll be good enough,” he said.
But it is new to him as a Jet.
“It doesn’t bother me,” he said. “I’m apathetic to it.”
He has his eyes on the prize. He loves Mornhinweg. Somehow, he’s still standing.
“Luckiest guy in the world,” Sanchez said again.
His job to lose. Maybe not right away.
steve.serby@nypost.com