Ratliff takes a quick 3 step drop on every snap. He gets no depth and can't see the whole field. He is still too used to the shotgun offense. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the second Brett and he just stands tall in that pocket regardless of what rush is coming his way, what you want a true leader to do but as far as he has come, he still has his issues.
Granted it is too early to make that decision but based on what we've seen from both Ratliff and Clemens these past two games, anyone who doesn't know it would think Ratliff is our #2 guy. He has a coolness to him on the field and his awareness is very high, like the two times where he avoided sacks by simply taking one step to the side and avoiding a hit while pump faking and staring down the receiver. That takes skill that just can't be coached.
I've seen him take 7 steps and complete the pass, but he is still trying to shake the spread offense that he played in Utah. He is still a year away at the least of being a QB i would want to start behind Mangold, but seeing a guy go from "How do you say that play again, I can't remember that last part" to "Ratliff ran a perfect 1 minute drill only ruined by a dropped TD pass" in a years time is amazing. I trust Daboll can continue that progress.
Clemens is not an NFL quarterback. If it were up to me, I'd keep Ratliff and Ainge and cut ties with Clemens. With another performance like he had today, I believe that Clemens will not play another regular season game in the NFL. IMO, last season was no fluke; he is a bust.
it would really look bad for Tannenbaum and Mangini to even release Clemens...this was the guy they spent their draft pick for and all of a sudden they are gonna give up? i think he will stick around for a bit, but Ratliff is going to get more and more action
OK so...Clemens showed some real signs last year...the Ravens...the Redskins...Miami...Cleveland...and thats thrown away cause he's looked bad in 2 preseason games? Plus, he hasn't looked bad so much as made really obvious mistakes to a crowd that hates obvious mistakes with a passion. I mean the way the announcers talk and even the little bit that comes from Mangini sound really positive. I really like Clemens skillset and I think he's tougher than alot of people here give him credit for. But I'm a homer so...
I don't think the FO cares that much about that type of thing. Schlegel is already gone, and he was a 3rd rounder. Penny is gone, and we wasted 2 seasons with him as QB. If Ratliff is better than Clemens, and in my opinion he is the far better prospect, then Clemens goes and Ratliff takes that spot.
Clemens has never looked comfortable in games. I think he is overwhelmed. He had his chance last season, where at times he looked okay, but overall he stunk. He was the worst QB in the league. I am hoping that he never plays for the Jets again. If I were the Jets, I would not take that chance. I would rather have Ainge sit and learn from Favre and Ratliff. Clemens should be headed to the Arena league
The pump fake was money...looked like a seasoned veteran on that lay....he will definitely learn from favre
I agree. Ratliff looked pretty good out there. He definitely should be #2. A couple of seasons with Favre, he'll really be ready to lead the team (heck, he could be ready now, judging from tonight's game).
Ratliff definetly looked to be more polished at the QB position than Clemens however, I have to give KC a mulligan on those drops. Looked like he was pressing and throwing too hard. I agree KC does have to pick it up and do it pretty damn quick or else his job title will be practice Qb.
If anyone remembers the deep out that Ratliff threw, it was a thing of beauty. He didn't gun it in there, he released a crisp ball right to where the receiver was going to be - The defender didn't have a chance at it. Stood in the pocket despite the pressure right in his face and threw a PERFECT pass. The deep out is possibly the most difficult throw in pro football, and this kid with only one year of experience who last year didn't know a corner route from holding a clipboard threw it perfectly. Two other issues I have with him: He can lock on to defenders and he takes big risks. He had two extremely risky plays this past game: One where he floated the ball over a linebacker (and just barely above his raised hand) on a hitch and another where he threw it right over the helmet and an inch or two away from the raised hand of a DT on a quick out to his right. They were perfectly thrown balls, but better players could have intercepted and knocked down these passes, respectively. They should not have been thrown.
I didn't see him telegraphing or locking on. On half the plays he'd look to one side of the field and then the ball went to the complete opposite side. Also, Brady and Manning throw plenty of passes over outstretched hands. Better players don't suddenly grow 10 feet tall and have superhuman predictive and reactionary speeds. The balls come out too fast for some guy that's 5 feet away to jump up and intercept a pass. It's all the more ironic for this complaint since Chad would do the same thing but extremely slowly, yet plenty of fans couldn't stop falling over themselves talking about his anticipation and accuracy for doing that. He didn't get intercepted that much on that type of thing, despite how much I had always wanted him to, so I doubt it will be a problem for Ratliff. I think people are looking for problems that aren't there imo. Let's see Ratliff play some more, it's not like anybody is saying he should be the #1 QB. Favre has that and he just doesn't miss games. We've got a year or two to see Ratliff get better.
Clemens should not be cut. Maybe he goes to #3 but he stays with the team for some time. Until there's a guy to replace him, he stays on the roster. And Ainge is not that guy. Worse comes to worse and Clemens becomes a backup t
Clemens should not be cut. Maybe he goes to #3 but he stays with the team. Until there's a guy to replace him, he stays on the roster. And Ainge is not the guy to replace him.
