As evidenced by the...3 preseason games...whats that...3 quarters against second and third stringers? Ratliff is nice, but IMO he's being groomed as a future backup who really knows the offense.
And what is Clemens? You groom players and teach them the offense, whether they become starters or backups is ultimately up to how they preform. Clemens has had a couple chances now and he's still a backup until further notice, Ratliff has made the most of the chances he's had so far. He can only play against who he's put in against and except for one bad throw he's proven he's ready to take on better competition.
If the Jets season started tommorrow and there was no Favre...Clemens, and no Ratliff, would be starting. And thats for a reason. Ratliff is just our shiny new toy at a position where we're desperate for shiny new toys...he's got the potential to be somebody but I just can't buy that he's ahead of Clemens.
Ratliff is hardly a proven player himself and we have no idea if he is a quality backup. Young qbs with potential have a ton of value in this league, Jets can sign a vet to back up Favre if they can get a high draft pick for him.
No question about that. But without Chad, say something happens now (knock wood it doesn't) and we had to make that choice this week, Clemens would probably start over Ratliff based on being in the system for three years and having 8 starts under his belt. But that doesn't make him the better prospect for down the road when Favre leaves.
Ratliff does not get rattled like KC. Maybe KC has been damaged by last years performance. I think there is more to Ratliff than a cannon. Ratliff has short term memory loss after an int. KC is a shell of whattever people thought he was.
I really, really don't get how everyone is so concrete on this shit after 3 postseason games...like WTF? Clemens is a shell of what we thought he might be? He *just* had his best looking game of the preseason, and he hasn't even played 3 seasons yet like...WTF is going through peoples minds here? Not saying that he's going to be anything...but it makes noooooo sense to be so concrete about something from the little to nothing we all have seen and know.
First, what do you think an undrafted FA back-up QB such as Ratcliff would fetch in the market? A 6th or 7th rounder? Do you think we can recoup a 2nd rounder for Clemens? Do you think that these alternatives make sense? Second, name one veteran QB who can be salary-cap friendly and fits the team's core values? Clemens and Ratcliff already fit well within the team's culture and salary cap structure. Why unsettle the settled? Favre, Clemens and Ratcliff (in that order). This is what I see for this upcoming season up until Favre retires. Hopefully both Clemens and Ratcliff continue their developments at the same pace.
You get a 7th for Ratliff. You get a 5th or 6th for Clemens. Kelly Holcomb? Tim Couch? We brought Favre in as a buffer to the heir to the Chad Era, a young kid will be drafted, or someone we have on the roster now. If those two continue to progress, the Jets will have a good starter. I root for Ratliff seeing as he has not shown any falter this preseason. Even after the pick he came back and essentially won the game.
A 7th for the QB with the highest rating in the pre-season? A 5th or a 6th for a former second rounder? Not enough. Holcomb, Couch or possibly Culpepper? All three would probably command a larger chunk of the salary cap than either Clemens or Ratliff. Plus their age probably won't lend itself to anything more than another stop gap player. I'm with you on Ratliff. With both of them continuing to progress, the Jets are in healthy shape in terms of having a QB-of-the-future waiting in the wings. Now if we somehow we get a shot at Tebow, then all bets are off......
Why would you draft guys, find out they're good and just trade them for more draft picks? It defeats the whole purpose. Eventually the draft picks have to show up and play or they are no help. It's the draft picks who can't play that you want to cut loose, not the ones who can.
Guys like Taylor and Chambers are getting 2nd rounders and they are great players and starters. Clemens is a backup with holes in his game. His value has been reduced substantially. Its like a car, the minute its driven the price goes down, unless it wins a lot of races. I don't race for slips with the Clemens car. Ratliff hasn't really been driven off the lot, so the UFA can sell for a late pick. He shows a lot of promise. If Culpepper stops thinking its 2004 and lowers his asking price, the he'd be a great pickup. But he thinks he can start on our team right now. He's the QB Ty Law, maybe a little better though. Tebow I like, and Curtis Painter, maybe Cullen Jenkins. I saw an interview with Stafford, he has a Ryan Leaf vibe to him - not good.
Young QBs with potential always hold more value then veterans at a different position. Desperate teams are more willing to give up that draft pick for the chance to strike gold with a franchise QB.
