Let's face it; the New York Jets' quarterback situation is not of the greatest quality at the current time, and it is nothing to celebrate either.
They have one quarterback, Chad Pennington, who can win ball games, but who cannot throw the ball more than 20 yards. They have another, Kellen Clemens, who has a rocket arm, but whose brain operates as if a rocket exploded in it.
Finally, they have a fifth-round draft pick, one Erik Ainge, who was selected mainly because there was nothing to lose with the pick.
If he ends up being a great quarterback, then the Jets made one of the best picks of the draft. If he ends up being nothing special, then who cares? Just release him and move on.
Right now though, the Jets cannot afford to be careless with their picks. They are at a point in their franchise's history, where if a few moves do not pay off, then they will not be a contender for years.
Knowing this, they spent an incredible amount of money to get free agents on the team, such as Alan Faneca, Calvin Pace, and Tony Richardson.
In addition, they drafted Vernon Gholston with the sixth overall pick in the draft, hoping that he would become the next version of Lawrence Taylor.
With all of these factors in mind, many of the weaknesses have been eliminated. Thomas Jones has a solid fullback in Richardson to run behind and a vastly improved offensive line ahead of him as well.
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The defense has plugged many holes together as well, with the signing of Pace and the trade for defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, which will make the team much harder to run on than in previous seasons.
Finally, Kerry Rhodes is locked up in a long-term deal, and as long as he is around, the secondary will at least keep plays ahead of them.
But what about the quarterback, the most important position on the field?
To many, it seems as if the Jets have ignored this need. Many people see this as a sign of many different egos getting in the way.
The team doesn't want to admit that it dropped the ball with Pennington's contract. They do not want to admit that Clemens probably is not the long-term answer, considering he was a second-round pick just a few years ago.
As a result, they took a guy in the fifth round of the draft, just in case neither one ends up being the answer at quarterback.
The real question is though: Will Erik Ainge be the Jets' quarterback by the end of the season?
The answer is yes, for better or worse. Ainge did come from Tennessee, where one Peyton Manning played his college ball. He also has two stellar seasons under his belt going for him.
At the same time though, the pressure of New York may be too much for Ainge to handle. He is going to have to quickly learn how to deal with it.
Why?
First, Pennington will either play to a level where the fans will be booing him off the field, even if he is limping from injury, as they so brutally did last year, or he will get injured somehow yet again.
Second, Clemens will again prove that he is not the man to take over for the Jets. With the system that the team runs, making the right reads is a must, and he does not have the mental makeup to run the team to the level that it has to be run at. He probably never will either.
This leaves Ainge as the man for the job by default. Will he succeed? Only time will tell, but by the end of the year, or hopefully sooner so that Ainge has some games under his belt, he will be the man.
Let's just hope that he does not lose any games for the team, and let's hope that his teammates do most of the work, which could lead to a playoff spot. Even though, unfortunately, the playoffs seem just out of reach at the current time, considering that the AFC is such a tough conference to play in right now.
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6 months ago
I watched Ainge for four years in Knoxville, and was excited for these very reasons when the Jets drafted him. He has the physical tools, and if his head is on straight (something David Cutcliffe perfected with the Mannings and brought Ainge a long way on) and he gets the opportunity if the other NYJ QBs don't get it done, he could make the most of it.
6 months ago
It just cracks me up that with all the improvements the Jets have made, columnists and analysts still say the playoffs are a long shot. 2005 4 and 12, 2006 10 and 6 (playoffs), 2007 4 and 12. This team is better than the 2006 team. No one can judge Kellen Clemens behind the 2007 offensive line.
6 months ago
Considering how things are with the Jets, the starting QB position should be considered a three man competition for the job RIGHT NOW, Ainge should be considerd immediately for the starting job competition.
Why wait until Pennington and Clemens screw things up again in order to turn to Eric Ainge?? Lets see what the young man has to offer right now!
6 months ago
Penny is the man give him a shot because of his experience and record. The 2007 Offensive line was horrible so you can't judge Penny. Ainge is 2nd and should be ready at any given moment “Even taken reps with the first string during practice” to take over the offence if Penny shows us last year’s performance. Clemens who has the arm just can’t hit the target and needs to go play for the Dolphins where he can help us the most.
Jetboy
6 months ago
Give Chad the edge here, most Jets fans hate to hear it, but he should be fine this season with a better o-line. Look for Pennington to win the competition, and barring injury, finish out the season. I think in a couple of years, if Ainge progresses nicely, it's what he is here for. If Pennington does get injured, I expect Ainge to get a shot though.
6 months ago
Fair statement Ally. Ainge will see play time if we see the old Penny offence that has trouble getting first downs and moving the football consistently. But I really think if Jones does what is expected behind this new offensive line it will take the pressure off the QB and that’s when Penny can be dangerous with his great ability to audible around the defense.
6 months ago
Clemens has been around for years? Seriously?? Try 2 years, going into his 3rd. He looked exactly like most 2nd year QB's making their first 8 starts do. Ad to the fact how pisspoor our OL was and can you really have possibly expected any more from him. This is yet another article from a guy who has absolutely zero knowledge on the Jets or football for that matter. If both Clemens and Pennington get injured, you might see Ainge, otherwise there's not a chance in hell. Next time, when you decide to write an article, actually do some homework to get the information you are writing about and try using facts to support your claims. Using USA Today articles and others as your proof to base your claims on is amateurish to say the least. I see you are looking to be a professional sports writer full time based on your bio. Suggestion number one is learn to write. Suggestion number two is try to base your article on facts.
6 months ago
I agree that the OL play last year made it tough to judge anything. We will see what happens I guess. Thanks for all of the comments so far!
P.S. To Mike, I stated Clemens was a 2nd round pick a few years ago. I also said the O-Line was vastly improved from last year. Finally, I said Pennington will probably get injured, and that Clemens will not do anything special after since the mental part of the game is not there yet, which will lead to Ainge falling backwards into the job. I never said he will win a battle for the job, there is no way in hell I believe that. I hate to say it, but considering we almost always get injuries that ravage our team, I think Ainge will be the 3rd quarterback playing for us in the '08 season, whether we like it or not.
6 months ago
Jonathan are you metal challanged??? If clemens was a second round pick and this is his 3rd year in the the NFL and the "metal part of his game is not there." Do you really expect a 5th round rookie to have his sh!t together? Pennington is done stick a fork in him he is 32 he is not the answer and mangini knows that. Clemens was a little shakey last year but i liked what i saw. he did pretty good for having 1.2 second to throw the ball before the opposing DT and LE were in his face thanks to athony (i can block a teddy bear) Clement and Adrian (wait who am i suppose to block again) Clarke. Clemens showed some posie winning us 3 out 4 of our game last year. Tom Brady, Peyton manning and Other big name quarterbacks werent elite QBs in there 2nd year either. I not Saying that Clemens is the next tom brady, but i have faith in this kid and look for to get in a solid rythem with a much improved O-line.
6 months ago
great article. clemens will out of league by the time his rookie contract runs out, total loser. go ainge!
6 months ago
Eric. i hope ur not a jets fan.
6 months ago
To Kyle:
I hope that you are right, let's face it though, Oregon is not a great schools for QB's to come out of. Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, what are they doing right now? Smith is out of the league, and Harrington, I do not know how he is still in it! Ha ha!
from 6 months ago
Akili Smith and Harrington were both Jeff Tedford bred QB's who played the stat friendly run and shoot, the same run and shoot that makes a guy like Colt Brennan look good. Kellen Clemens did not play under Tedford, nor de he play in the run and shoot. He played in an NFL style offense very much like USC employs. Again man, do your homework.
6 months ago
To Everyone And Anyone Who Reads This:
Thanks for the read!
6 months ago
Clemens is your typical Jets draft bust. Lets just hope Ainge isn't.
6 months ago
Mike and Kyle are the only ones in here with anything intelligent to say. Our offensive line gave up over 50 sacks last year. How in the hell do you expect a rookie quarterback, coming into a losing season, with no time to throw the ball, to come in and perform well. Those expectations are way too high. The things I like about Clemens...1. His arm, he throws as hard as Bret Favre. 2. His mobility, he is certainly more mobile than Chad. 3. His camera presence. When he is interviewed, he sounds like a veteran QB. You may discount this, but to me it says he can be a leader. 4. He grew up a rancher in Oregon. What does that have to do with it? It means he has a tough hard working character. For all of you doubters, Clemens will prove you wrong this year and by the end of the year, everyone will be talking about him the way they did about a guy like Tony Romo.
6 months ago
To Mike And Bruce:
Again, I hope Clemens does something this year. All I am saying is either way, Oregon has not been a hotbed for quarterbacks recently regardless, hopefully Clemens does change that.
6 months ago
Erik Ainge is a headcase. I saw 4 years of Ainge and it was painfully/Paingefully obvious that he is not tough. He spent a part of every season in Knoxville either hurt physically or damaged mentally (2005).
6 months ago
At this point though, do the Jets really have anything to lose if it came to Ainge being the guy?
6 months ago
I watched all but 4 or 5 of Ainge's games at Tennessee. He was good enough as a youngster to make Robert Meacham and Jason Swain look like pro material. His Senior year he took some kids who didn't have a dozen catches and put together a season that was second only to Manning's Senior year. 31 TD's, 62 percent completion rate and 3 sacks. He'll need a year or two but he's a damn fine quarterback.
6 months ago
I agree!
6 months ago
HEY JON UR CRAZZZYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
HAHAHAHA
LMAO
6 months ago
As a vol fan, I can honestly say we were sooo relieved when he left.
He is a horrible QB, can't take a hit, can't stay in the pocket under pressure, can't throw the quickout and has a penchant for losing the big games.
But by all means, start him. It couldnt have happened to a nicer team.
lmao
6 months ago
If that's the case, why didn't the Pats pick up on him? :)
6 months ago
After playing for fans as demanding as Tennessee I dont think he will have any problems adjusting to the New York media
6 months ago
We will see!
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