..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................still waiting for him to actually throw a ball. The Jets website season review is spotlighting Clemens today. Not much to say. Hopefully, Mangini can work the rook in next year and we can get some idea of whether or not this guy is the heir apparent.
They moved him up to #2 on the depth chart at one point late in the season, so they obviously were paying attention to him in practice. But when Chad went out for a play vs Houston and in the playoff game, they went to Ramsey, so who knows? I trust this coaching staff from what I've seen so far. If he deserves to be out there he will.
For 1 game. He was listed as #3 in the playoff game along with the regular season finale. Ramsey coming in in the playoff game was proof.
If they believe in him we will see a lot of him in the pre-season and he will probably start the year at #2. If they don't, look for another veteran to be added in the off season. I can't believe Ramsey will be back even if they did give him that extension; just doesn't seem to be a future here for him. We will see....
Even though he didn't play this year, the difference between being a rookie in the league and a second year guy in the very same offense is like night and day. Just the familiarity with what he's doing will allow him to play and react at the speed he will have to, because of the learning curve.
I often reported here last summer about what he looked like at TC last year and it was impressive. Of course, that was TC, but the kid surprised a lot of people in the stands not for his zip and accuracy, but the way he conducted himself. He exhibits poise and leadership and exudes confidence, something I wasn't prepared to see. I was next to a couple of guys and one guy said, "Holy shit, is that Clemens out there? He looks like he's been in the league a couple of years!" It struck me as funny because I was sitting there saying the same thing to myself at the time. He really had command presence out there and looked comfortable, so it wasn't somehting I expected.
Just to add to that, I was on the sidelines before the Miami game and Clemens was warming up right in front of me. This is not a small man like I was led to believe. He has good height and was solidly built, and his throws were quite impressive. Fingers crossed....
Yeah, the "fingers crossed" thing is what we need to emphasize. But he's had a year now to learn a lot and have plenty of practice time with the 1st team. I'm guessing he'll get even more time this spring and summer, so if he DOES NOT move up to the permanent #2 spot, that should tell us he's not progressing. But I don't see him doing anything but impressing further from here. He really needs to get into some meaningful games, under pressure and against top-notch defenses for us to get a better feel. I was hoping we could have inserted him into that kind of situation this year, but we could never avail ourselves of the opportunity because we kept on winning at the end... not a particularly bad "problem" to have.
Do you guys think they should send Clemens to NFL Europe to get in some games or is he too valuable to risk geting hurt?
If Clemens really is the future, I really hope we are able to keep Schotty Jr. because staying in a system for a long time(like Chad did) will really help him mature as a player.
Well, it looks like you've got your wish for at least another season with Schottenheimer, but I'm not sure he won't mature under someone else (if Schotty should leave) a year from now either. Part of the learning/maturation curve is learning different systems sometimes and getting experience from all angles. All this stuff under Schotty can only be a good thing for Clemens, whether Schotty departs a year from now or not. It'll only make him a better QB, IMO. The frustrating part of having Clemens here has been, we don't really know what we've got yet. I'm anxious to see him make #2 permanently and see him get a real workout in preseason. I'd even be willing to start him in all four preseason games, to get at least one or two quarters in against other 1st-team defenses. Let Chad come in and mop up then, or put in the #3. This would give us a real good sense of where he is then.
Maybe , but it would do him good , plus I would get to see him :wink: . Am I the only one who thinks he looks a bit like Favre in his stature? He does look solid , and got straight up after getting fed to the sharks in the loss to the Bills. He did look good in pre season though... ?This was the first week that he was the No. 2,? said Mangini of Clemens in December. ?He has had some really good weeks; he had earned that opportunity. I thought Kellen had really strung together some good weeks and earned being bumped up to two. Whoever plays better will be the No. 2.? In the preseason, Clemens saw considerable action against the Buccaneers down in Tampa and completed 10 of 14 pass attempts for 92 yards. The rookie even orchestrated the club?s only scoring drive of the evening, culminating with a 20-yard Mike Nugent field goal. Four weeks later, Clemens started for the Green and White when they hosted the Eagles ?This is an opportunity for me,? Clemens said in the preseason. ?Chad Pennington is a guy who has proved that he understands the game at that level and can win at that level. There is a good veteran guy that I can learn behind for a couple of years and then hopefully get the chance to play, so this is a chance to bust tale and try to get ready to play and compete.? Clemens, who grew up a cattle rancher in Burns, Oregon, confirmed his leadership ability early on in Hempstead. During rookie camp, the 6-2, 223-pound passer took charge of the offense and turned some heads in the process. ?What I liked out of Kellen this weekend is his presence and his ability to run the operation - that's been really positive,? Mangini said following a rookie workout last May. ?Someone was misaligned and he said, ?Over here, you need to be set here.? That presence, that understanding of what we're trying to get done and seeing the big picture was good to see. And it's what I expect to see moving forward.? games in a season for the first time in his seven-year career, would go on to win Comeback Player of the Year honors while leading the Jets to a postseason berth. However, with the coaching staff viewing each week in the regular season as its own entity, a quarterback competition remained all season long between Clemens and veteran Patrick Ramsey for the backup role. As the season progressed, Clemens provided good looks on the ?show team? at practice and he impressed the coaching staff. He would eventually earn the backup role for the Jets? December battle with Buffalo at the Meadowlands in the preseason finale. In just one half of action, Clemens connected on seven of 10 pass attempts for 75 yards. After a full season under his belt, it will be interesting to see how much Clemens has developed when the Jets take the field for their 2007 training camp. The transition from college to the pros is especially difficult for quarterbacks because of the complex systems on both sides of the ball. It was a good sign that Mangini liked Clemens? practice habits down the stretch, and the rookie surely learned a lot from just watching the consummate veteran in Pennington.
I can't wait to go to TC again this summer. It'll be the last time they have it at Hofstra, so that will be something nostalgic, I'm sure, for the Long Islanders. But I'm anxious to watch Clemens in camp this year. He'll be a year older and more experienced. It should be a fun camp. After that, it's off to NJ, where the camp will only be about 45 minutes away from my home.
I'm not sure how they do that, but it would make sense to get him some action. A 2nd round QB may be treated differently than any other position because it's harder to get on the field for any significant time.
NFL europe usually gets "projects" assigned by NFL teams. Instead of doing Off season works with the team, obviously they play. Clemmons will probably have a very mentally tough off season, that requires him to continue to learn the system. QB play last year was not a problem, so I would continue to let him sit through next year. After that, we would see another year from Chad and depending on if this Kid is ready give him the ball.
That's true, he will also benefit from being around the Jets during the off season, another advantage of having a second year guy as opposed to a rookie.
I sometimes think those who call for a "Chad trade" don't realize the gift or added benefit we have with him. I can't think of another NFL quarterback who is as selfless as Chad and as willing to be a mentor or tutor in order to help the team in the long run. We need Chad with the Jets for as long as we can keep him, not only in a backup capacity but for being the invaluable future asset he'll be in the teaching department. Long after he outlives his usefullness to us on the field, he'll be a great asset to bring along guys like Clemens or whomever. Clemens will learn a lot from Chad, both now and in the years to come. I could even see him being a Jets Quarterbacks Coach some day. He's smart, selfless, experienced, and a real team guy. Anybody who wants to kick him aside just isn't seeing the big picture.
The other thing is this--who do we bring in? It's easy to just say we need a guy as good as Brady to compete with New England, so where do we find this guy? Hang all your hopes on Clemens? And with the 95% chance he's not a Hall of Famer like Brady, then what? Make a prototype QB out of clay? If you say get rid of Chad, provide a viable solution that would make us better than a 10-6 playoff team or stop bitching about Chad.
Chad will probably have the QB spot for most or all of next year, barring injury. I think Clemens will permanently move up to the #2 QB slot. I have no problem with the team grooming him Philip Rivers-style if they want to do that...
