Something for everyone, and some food for thought. It's not a full blown quarterback controversy. Yet. The progress of Kellen Clemens in Jets training camp has been widely reported this summer. After spending the entire off-season in the New York are (minus a few days at his ranch over Christmas) Clemens' dedication and hard work may be starting to pay off. He has looked like a reliable backup quarterback after getting off to a shaky start in camp. Clemens threw for three TDs in the first pre-season game, and looked serviceable in the second, when he threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin McCairens, who did most of the work after the catch. Clemens' interception came on a tipped ball, but his so-so performance against the Vikings flew under the radar, as the loudest groans were directed at the rusty play of Chad Pennington, who committed bad judgment in his two interceptions that put the Jets in a hole early in the game. As the team entered the fourth week on training camp on the Hofstra campus in Hempstead, Pennington remained the number one QB, although he has yet to display any semblance of a deep passing game during the scrimmages. Relying on a precise short passing game and his guile, Pennington has managed to stave off challengers for the last few camps, including last summer, when an open competition at every position was declared by then rookie coach Eric Mangini. But on Monday, some more of Pennington's armour appeared to have been pierced, as during the 7 on 7 drills, he took over the first team offense on the 30 yard line against the first team defense, and came up empty. Unable to find any open receivers, he held on to the ball for an eternity, and didn't know where to go with it. After a repeat of that play happened again, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer yelled for Clemens to come in for Pennington, and the backup looked much better than the starter, and took the offense in for the score. They soon reverted back to their respective starter and backup positions, but the damage had been done. The gap between them had narrowed and the distance between the bench and the field may have shortened. It is unlikely that Mangini would allow the situation to devolve into a full-blown quarterback controversy. He is much too decisive, and focused, and driven to win to do that. When he decides the time has come to make the necessary change, it will happen, and he wont need a long, drawn-out media controversy to precede the inevitable. As the team prepares for its annual preseason contest against their co-tenants, the Giants, the game may take on a subplot or two. Typically, the third preseason game comes closest to a regular season game, and many will be focused on the respective performances of Pennington and Clemens against their cross-town rivals. We'll keep an eye on how things continue to develop. If the Jets' staff determines that Pennington's skills and onfield savvy have eroded to the point of diminishing returns, and Clemens' development has advanced enough, they won't have too many second thoughts about pulling the trigger. Whether that occurs in week three, week six, week ten or sooner, will depend on numbers 10 and 11 in the green and white jerseys, and Mangini won't need any beat reporters or message boards to advise him. ------------------------------------------------------------
Good job, Jetcane. You beat me to this idea, by the way. I, too, was going to open a thread this morning titled something like "Still Too Early For A Quarterback Controversy?" or some such thing. After I read Hutchinson's article about Chad's performance yesterday afternoon, I posted the article instead (I actually have been unable to find the "Who's Hot" section online, yet I know it exists in print in this morning's paper). Be that as it may, you've done a better job than I could have done. I especially agree with your speculation concerning how such a quarterback change might come along, should it become necessary. Mangini's in the mold of Bill Belichick and even Bill Parcells, in that neither of these two mentors would ever think of dragging something like this out and allowing the press to have a field day with the emotions of it all. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Mangini confided in Bill Parcells prior to making such a determination, seeking his opinion. And there certainly wouldn't be anything wrong with doing that. And he'd certainly want to consult with Tannenbaum and Schottenheimer and others prior to that particular phone call. But you are dead on when you speculate that the decision will be quick and decisive. And it won't necessarily reflect our record at the time either. It could happen as easily at 5-5 as it could at 2-8, but my guess is, if there's major concern, it won't even go to 10 games. Great thread, man....
What i like most about that is that when Pennington was not getting it done they had no hesitation in bringing in Clemens, that might be the setting stone for things to come this season.
Great minds, and all that. :beer: we're also on the same page about it being a decisive move, and not something that lingers. You're right in that it would be Parcellian. Good call on that. And i still believe that Chad is the starter as of now, but it does appear that Clemens is gaining ground by developing and moving along the learning curve, and that is good news for all Jets fans.
Two questions. What are you guys on, and where are you getting it. After preseason week 4, Clemens sees the field only from the sideline, unless..... A: Chad gets injured. B: We're under 500 at the bye, and It's clearly due to QB play. C: Mop up duty in blowouts. And I wont list D: Getting benched for a series or a quarter. Because I dont think the distraction that would create would be worth Mangini's effort
For several years now, I've tongue-in-cheek referred to what I call the "Chinese Firedrill Effect" when talking about Chad's overall performance. I started out calling it the "Keystone Cops Syndrome," but decided a Chinese firedrill was a more apt description of the goings-on when things become less than perfect for Chad while in the pocket. In all seriousness, in my mind this is a very important aspect of the QB job. It doesn't trump all else, mind you, but it's an important ingredient. Chad is really smart. He's also probably the best in the NFL at his play-action stuff. And give him some time in the pocket and he'll make those accurate passes that will pick you apart. And he'll even run the ball himself. Leadership is no question, and he's certainly likeable in the locker room. He even has the right sound bites down pat... "Putting the team in the best position to win"... etc., etc. Almost always, when there's one single criticism of Chad, it's almost invariably the "noodle arm" thing you hear the most. The arm-strength controversy, as if that is paramount. It's not. None of Chad's weaknesses glaringly trump others, but if there's one thing that bothers me more than Chad's mediocre arm strength, it's the Chinese Firedrill that happens when things go wrong. And let's face it, things go wrong sometimes. It's how a QB handles that... when things collapse around the pocket, that (IMO) separates the really good QBs (winners capable of overcoming this and still making the play or having their wits about them long enough to keep the play from turning into a disaster). The Kansas City opener two years ago is probably as good an example of the Chinese Firedrill Effect as we've seen to date. You saw a brief glimpse of it Friday night. Now, from what I've seen so far of Clemens, and Lord knows none of us have seen enough of this young man yet to be certain of much, but what I've seen of him so far shows me he doesn't have that panic about him. He seems to be a pretty cool-headed guy under fire. True, he probably still lacks a lot of what Penny brings to the table, but that's the one thing I haven't seen from him. I just wonder if Mangini and Company put the same emphasis on the Chinese Firedrill Effect as I do.
That is the fairest criticism of Chad so far, and the one that accurately describes what holds him back from being an elite QB. HOWEVER....If you fix the OLine, by extension you fix Chad. Team Game.
This is why i'm not worried. I love Chad because he's always been the man and until he proves that he can no longer be counted on i'll still stick with him. The moment he starts sniffing like shit i know Mangini will wipe the sole on the concrete steps...
I don't like how negative many Jets fans are. It is sad really. I am called a sunshiner, but the truth is I like/enjoy the Jets.
It is not fun to nitpick and insult your team. When Pennington made those mistakes or the defense looked like crap, I felt bad for the team because I know how hard they have worked. I didn't say Chad sucks or bench him, or the defense is horrible like other fans. It was a preseason game. Talk about overreacting from the general public. That is why I am happy the fans don't run the team. Continue to laugh.
This just goes to show that even with many knowledgable fans, the best guy on the team is the 2nd string QB. Last year it was what ever RB didn't play that week. Clemens won't fix this offense, and neither will Thomas Jones. It's all about the offensive line. Pennington leads the team to the playoffs in a year most pundits had picked the Jets to have a top 3 draft pick. He has one awful preseason game, and a bad series in practice, and it's time to bench him. Right. The guy brought this team to the freakin playoffs with a horrible running game. Is he perfect? Far from it, but he wins, and that's the bottom line. Now, if Pennington turns in not one, but two REGULAR season games like this last one against Minny in preseason, then we can talk about getting Clemens in there. Pennington deserves at least that much.
like it or not, there's going to be a qb war with the fans if clemens keeps showing improvement. we already know what penny brings to the table and if penny loses the first two games this season(like i think he is going to) jets fans are gonna start yelling for clemens to come into the game. should the jets lose the third game of the season, it could get ugly!!!!!
I share a similar viewpoint. However, my ability to rectify Chad's apparent limitations in my own mind is beginning to dwindle. In a way though Chad is the perfect QB for the Jets; so much to love yet still lacking something. Clemens may end up as our starter by the end of the year, but then I feel it'll be "oh Clemens is just too small to be a great QB." I would have really like it if the FO had just beefed our lines in this last draft.
