I'm posting this in this draft section since i'm hoping to get some knowledgeable responses. Erik Ainge was a 5th round pick but he played over 40 games in the SEC and completed 60% of his passes. He's got good size and footwork. Seems to have a pretty good arm. Why was drafted in the 5th round? And do you see him as a potential starter in the future for the Jets?
Injury prone, not a great record or season his senior year. Slow footed and some thought slow release.
A lot of injuries....Separated Shoulder, knee surgery, high ankle sprain, broken finger on throwing hand....I'm sure there's more. Injuries slowed his career. Not mobile at all and when flushed from the pocket, can't throw the ball accurate on the run. Has "happy Feet" in the pocket under pressure (Sound familiar....like K.C.). Not a great arm, average. Ainge may turn out to be a good pro QB, but may be difficult to get the opportunity. At times looked great at UT and other times made poor decisions at a critical point in the game. Some people question his mental toughness.
how are you slow of foot in the SEC, but i think his senior year he was sacked all of 3 times? cmon! his o-line wasnt that good...give him credit, he is a shifty side step QB like brady in the pocket
In addition to the injuries, there was a lot of concern about Ainge "cracking" under pressure. In several big games throughout his college career Ainge made some truly bad (if not completely bonehead) plays. The Tenn fans really crucified the kid for his mistakes and he seemed to lose some confidence as his career went on. His arm strength is also unclear. Some say he has a Chad Pennington arm. Other say it is very strong. So who knows. If he can keep himself on the field he's definitely got the height and build to be an NFL QB. But it's unknown if he's got the necessary mental composure during crunch time to lead a team.
5.02 40 time is slow for an O lineman in the NFL, forget about QB.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2008/draft/players/11744.html
UT had a chance to be an elite team during Ainge's sophomore year and blew it because Ainge threw some costly interceptions. During his junior and senior years UT didn't have enough talent to do crap and so the team wasn't on national tv. What most fans nationwide remember about him is throwing key INTs in his sophomore season because he did that on national tv. I like Ainge's chances better than Sanchez's or Leftwich or most of the people Jet fans seem to be creaming for. Its worth noting that the Jets said the reason they drafted him is because they projected him as a 3rd round pick and he fell to the 5th round.
Moronic statement!!!! Everyone in the SEC is fleet of foot , especially the QB's.......Gee!... thanks for the for that info.
Remind me again why we drafted him then. Or was this just another clueless QB draft by Mangini and Tannenbaum..like Clemens was.
I liked the Clemens pick. I thought at worst he'd be a decent backup. At best a possible starter. And Jaws loved him which carries a lot of weight with me. The Ainge pick I never liked. I thought he was a very long term development project that would likely never pan out. I was never a fan of his.
According to Rotoworld: 2008 fifth-round pick Erik Ainge is reportedly a "non-factor" in the Jets' bid to replace Brett Favre. This could change if Ainge stands out in minicamps, but he probably won't even get the reps to do it behind Kellen Clemens, Brett Ratliff, and a QB to be named. Ainge was suspended four weeks on injured reserve as a rookie. Source: New York Daily News
I'm not a big believer in Ainge, just because he has NFL size and played in the SEC does not mean squat. There have been dozens of drafted SEC QBs who didn't pan out, most of them were classified as "long term projects" and most of them did show flashes of potential in college.
I thought it was a wasted pick at the time. We'll see. I don't want to waste a pick on a QB this year either. Next year will be a much better QB draft.
Ainge was a wasted pick. I hated it then. I really wanted Jon Goff, LB from Vanderbilt who went a few choices later in the 5th. He turned out to be a scrub for the Giants. Since their D has so much talent, though, maybe that isn't so bad. He definitely would have played more for the Jets.
I liked Goff alot there too. I don't think he is a scrub, he is behind Pierce, which is understandable.
I once heard his mobility is sort of like Peyton Manning's mobility (no I am not comparing him to Manning), he isnt the guy that can run by guys but he can make a few moves to avoid being sacked a lot
Ainge wont be on the team at the start of the 2009 season. I dont know if we will go with a vet or draft someone, but Ainge seems like the odd one out. Word is the regime loves Ratliff, go figure. I guess they will go the cheap vet route if they like Ratliff that much.
