Quarterback Sneak: Who will Lead?
Going through some older content, I came across an article via JetsVine stating the possibility of pursuing Matt Cassel as the new quarterback for the upcoming 2009 season. Now we already know that Brett Favre is in his seven week mind jumble considering whether to come back or not and although mostly everything has been installed for Rex Ryan’s system, the ball now rests in Favre’s court . If Brett Favre does not return the Jets have a mix of quarterbacks to pursue, utilize, whatever you want to call it. But even so it poses a question with these other guys, will they be able to step up to the challenge and take the reigns?
Kellen Clemens: Clemens is going to be the first guy everyone looks at because of his time he served when Chad Pennington was in the middle of a slump. Without a doubt Kellen’s strength and skills are good but his accuracy is a lot to be desired and the fact that he saw little action this past season with Favre at the helm it is hard to tell what to expect from Clemens. Overall at this point I would deem Clemens usable but with a major caution, don’t depend on him to be the future.
Brett Ratliff: Obviously Ratliff has gone from the third string nothing to the fan favorite that everyone wants to get his chance particularly after his performance in the preseason. At this point, I can’t say Ratliff is the future because first off it was a garbage game so there really wasn’t the “NFL pressure” that is normaly present and plus he has been on the bench since with Clemens so I’m concerned about how well he warm up to the job but he does have upside and is deserving of his shot.
Erik Ainge: Until I can see how he handles the big leagues I would be inclined to stay away from him.
.jpg)
Matt Cassel: “The Franchise Boy” just got his bonus from New England after they put the tag on Cassel but there is still talks about trading the quarterback in favor of Tom Brady. This might be worth at least investigating, his 400 yard performances are good to have on any resume and yes, there are traces of Tom Brady there. I’m interesting to see if Cassel would consider the prospect of becoming a friend of the enemy but this situation doesn’t seem likely even if he does leave New England but then again the Jets got Favre so anything is possible.
Draft: There are truly no decent QB’s in this year’s free agency frenzy (other than a few) so that leaves the Jets in the position of drafting a quarterback yet again of course teams like the Lions and Chiefs will want to go after big names like Matt Stafford and Mark Sanchez. But lest we forget the occasional surprises the Jets find in the draft. Looking at this from the managements point of view, they already have three (not including Favre) quarterbacks on the team and wasting a pick on one although would be nice to see what they can do to mold “fresh meat” they also have other needs and other positions to be concerned with.
Overall the Jets are looking at some limited options here and trying to piece together the right group of guys is going to be challenging for Rex Ryan, he has his staff but now its time for his “boys.” I can only hope that management will make all the right choices concerning Favre and everyone else aboard. After a 40 year slump, I’m ready to see the 1969 Jets back out on the field but it all begins with these details.
49 Responses to Quarterback Sneak: Who will Lead?
-
Ainge is a clear-cut NO, unless he does something special in the offseason.
HOPEFULLY Favre is gone so we can just move on!
Clemens and Ratliff should have a head to head competition and the winner starts the first game. Give the winner 2 or 3 games for sure and if he doesn’t preform give it to the other person. We will need to take a chance.
Cassel will be too much for the Jets. Two 1st round picks is just too much for Cassel.
Finally, if Sanchez falls in the draft to the Jets, TAKE HIM, but I dont think that will happen. -
SackDance99 says:
As long as the Jets don’t have a bona fide franchise QB, we can all but forget a Lombardi Trophy. I like Freeman and I think Ratliff deserves a shot, but sooner or later the Jets need to use a 1st round pick on a QB. Now would be a good time because none of the other choices at QB are overwhelming and what the Jets really need…more front 8 help…probably won’t be around at 17 or will be added by free agency. Let’s see what a 6-6 mobile QB with a cannon arm and the ability to throw on the run can do. If he fails, it’s not like you’ve paid him top 10 money. If Freeman fulfills his potential, then the Jets have solidified the most important position in pro sports. Taking a chance to do that is worth the risk. The same risk paid off for the Ravens.
-
jerry says:
Brian was on Michael Kay show and he said if Favre retires he thinks we have two very good young QB’s who will compete for the Job. We already have the answer so you can stop asking.
-
Igs says:
What do you guys think about going after Alex Smith? San Fran seems to not believe in him anymore. He’s had some injuries and growing pains but his career aint over. Is that a pipe dream?
I’m not afraid of going into the season with these guys but I’m not really confident in them. Matt Cassel has a noodle arm. A smart guy with a noodle arm. Where have I heard that before?
-
Pete57 says:
Sack, I think the jury is still out on Flacco. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted the Jets to draft him, and he played well at times this year. But they really protected him, and then he was horrible in the playoffs. Many QB’s can look good for a season, let’s see where Flacco is after next year.
-
Smith is an interesting prospect because San Fran is the wild card for Sanchez. If they still believe in Smith than they’ll pass on Sanchez and he’ll fall to the Jets at 17. If they take Sanchez, Smith is the odd man out, really based on injury more than performance. Might be something to think about.
-
Pete, I agree Flacco was a dud in the playoffs, but that’s because teams in the playoffs usually are good enough to do things like force the QB to win the game. It’s not surprising that Flacco failed, but that doesn’t wipe away his regular season…he completed 60% of his passes and nearly threw for 3,000 yards. That’s pretty good for a rookie, especially one from a D2 program. I like his potential a lot.
lgs, I’m not a Smith fan and scouts now say that his small hands inhibit his ability to scramble and grip the ball. Not a good combo. He’d be blitzed relentlessly.
-
Sack, thanks for the response,
Just wondering.
Roethlisburger was a dud when he went to the playoffs and won the superbowl. He aint too much of a dud nowadays. I never understood why the giants ever took Eli over big ben. I guess you just get caught up in the hype.
Actually I never understood why the 9ners took Smith over Rodgers. I have heard about his small hand issue. Not a condemning factor, a few successful guys have had it. He is a franchise QB though.
-
Bryan8900 says:
If Favre doesn’t return the Jets will have zero options at QB. Stafford will go first in the draft to the Lions and Sanchez will probably go around 15-18 in the draft, unless he has a freefall like Rodgers and lands at 20, but don’t count on it. Matt Cassell will cost two first round draft picks, and is still an “untested” commodity in my book, give me Randy Moss and Wes Welker to throw to with the Patriots OL and alot of subpar QB’s would look good. Brett Radciff, Erik Ainge, and Kellen Clemens are professional benchwarmers, so who does that leave? Right now the Jets should be begging Brett to comeback, he sells seats, and without his injury can win games…..he went 8-3 before the injury, and I seem to recall everyone talking about a SB run. Does anyone think that the Jets will even have a shot at the playoffs with Radcliff, Ainge, or Clemens???? Or are you just writing off the season and wasting the money you spent in free agency for the year after when you’ll have bigger problems to deal with. I see all the complaining about Favre but lets face it, he is the ONLY option…period, so get on your deer hunting gear and start kissing some butt because otherwise your in for another disappointing season.
-
David Hildebrandt says:
If Farve decides to go through the pre-season workouts and wants to play, he is the answer and a possible ticket to the Super Bowl.
-
cbiscuit says:
I agree that we’re built to win now, and that the chances of that happening with a rookie Qb are slim. However, I don’t agree that we need a ‘franchise qb’ to make that happen. If we go this route with Favre or Cassel we are over the cap and we will be limited in what we can do in other areas. We need to find a smart, game mngr type guy in the Trent Dilfer mode who won’t break the bank. Jon Kitna sounds good to me and could be had on the cheap. Any other suggestions?
-
lol. That’s a funny post Bryan. Naaaa, it’s time for the Jets to start making the kind of moves that you can build on, set something up on a long term basis. And for winning to become something that’s not just going away tomorow, but here to stay.
-
I think the Jets could win now….they have a relatively young team who has talent, they just need cohesion. I understand the cap issues with the Jets, but with restructuring and some key cuts they can make it happen. A possibility that could occur is Brett taking a pay cut to make way for Ray Lewis, I know people will laugh when I say this, but when he was in Green Bay he was willing to do that to improve the team. Brett wants to win now, and so does Ray, a match made in heaven that you could sell to the 40 year old gunslinger.
-
I am willing to go to camp with the 2 young QB’s we have and sign a veteren guy to compete in camp. Clemens and Ratliff have had mulitple off seasons under B-Schott and our O-line is vastly improved over the line Clemens got killed behind in 07.
lgs….I want no part of Alex Smith. I hated him coming out of college and he has yet to prove he anything more than a NCAA system QB.
-
LukeV says:
I don’t like your attitude bryan8900!!!
-
Ken says:
Ratliff !
-
JjRice says:
I Favre doesn’t come back, I think a really interesting option would be Byron Leftwich. I know he has flaws, but he is a solid veteran quarterback that could come to a new team and win immediately. I don’t think a young quarterback is the answer for this talent filled team.
-
lol…well I just want the Jets to win….its been awhile.
-
Doug from Long Valley says:
NFL Live had an interesting take on a possible Favre retirement. They said (paraphrased) the best best thing for Rex was a Favre retirement so he can go in with a clean slate, set up his own team, and lead right out of the gate.
I like the idea of a big, young, mobile QB who can throw on the run. IMO Cassel was successful this year because of his legs. I wish I had a stat on how many 1st downs he picked up on 2nd or 3rd down with 5 or 6 to go. Yes he put up huge yardage but it was possible because he kept drives alive.
-
I doubt they will give up two first round picks for Cassel, and I REALLY doubt the Patriots would give him to an AFC east rival over another choice, which they will have many….so I think you’d have a better shot at winning the lottery.
-
Wonder if anyone still has Vinnie’s phone number handy>?
-
Okay, no smith? Hmmmm, Leftwich and Carr ar also former franchise guys that are free’d up and looking for a fresh start. I like Carr a little better than Leftwich. He never really got a good chance to do anything. WHat do you guys think?
-
mdh says:
Trade for Vince Young!!! Just playin… that’d be the worst move in Jets history.
But seriously, c’mon, you think the Pats would ever trade Cassel to an AFC East rival? That’s ridiculous. If you truly believe that to be a possibility, you must really think Belichick is a moron.
I’d give Ratliff and Clemens a shot during the preseason to see who can win the starting job. If the Packers, Falcons, Pats & Ravens were all able to succeed last year with inexperienced and untested QBs, there has to be a way that the Jets can do it with one of these guys… am I wrong here?
-
dude… The packers won like 5 games… I wouldn’t call that succeeding…. With that said, I like kellen and ratliff, let em duke it out in camp! Honestly, I just can’t wait to see our defense, now that’s something to talk about!!!!
-
Seriously, do you think the Jets are looking to a long term solution? Last off season they spent oodles of money in free agency on guys who are “win now” players…Kris Jenkins, Damian Woody, Alan Faneca, etc…then they bring in Favre…so if decide to turn the reigns over to Clemens or Ratcliff you might as well have pissed that money down the drain, these guys will take a few years to develope. Right now the Jets are playing a tightrope game with the cap because they have invested in these “win now” players, and starting over from scratch is crazy, that would set the team back and you might as well write off three seasons.
-
the first guy is right this team is ready to win now bring favre back for one more year,no faith in the other bum’s at all
-
What did matt cassel ever do to warrant all this love. You guys ever heard of the Cleveland Browns? Forget Cassel. We had Chad. We couldn’t make it work. Why would I want a QB with one obvious glaring weakness in his game?
-
Leftwich and his slow delivery are a sack waiting to happen….Carr, who maybe a good quarterback would have to learn the system….Favre now has a year in the system…and if he isn’t injured he can win games.
-
mdh, the Pats didn’t succeed this season. everyone else had a 1st round QB.
Personally, Im really leaning toward go get Josh Freeman or take Sanchez if he drops. Not that ratliff is the end of the world, I won’t cry if Clemens is a lifetime backup.
-
Stan Blinka says:
Why are we still looking for a QB. After 2005 and Penny went down we had the prime opportunity in the 2006 draft. Lest we forget that we had our franchise QB in Jay Cutler but Tanny needed to take the top tackle in Brick. Yes of course hindsight is 20/20 but you just don’t find franchise QB’s in free agency. That I know we can agree on. Let’s blame it all on Mangini..please .. Tanny should be held accountable as well.
-
Stan,
I actually think that that was a time when I was ok with the Jets not making the sexy pick or otherwise just trading down. It was straightforward, not a tweener that the Jets would not be able to develop, and not likely to fail.
-
But still, in general, Tanny’s the #1 reason that we’re in this mess.
-
George says:
the answer is: Byron Leftwich.
An excellent quarterback, was great when filling in for Roethlesberger numerous times this season. Never really deserved to lose his job, he simply got hurt and a David Garrad filled in and played well taking over the job forever. Byron Leftwich is a starting quarterback in this NFL and the Jets needs to take a serious look into him.
-
Jets-Fan-4-Life says:
If Favre decides to retire, I hope the Jets do not draft another QB or trade for one. Here’s why….
There are three guys on the roster (two to really look at) that we need to roll the dice with and see if they are worth keeping for the long haul, or scrap them and start over.
Right now we are build to run the ball, so we don’t need a big name QB, so it gives us a chance let them mature. Hell even I can hand off the ball to a running back and I haven’t played in years. If we keep rotating QBs we will never find out if we have the next Payton or Brady.
Whats worse is if we do not let these kids play, they leave and another team will benefit from us overlooking them as we have done before. Lets end this cycle once and for all !!
-
Frank says:
1st round pick on a QB? Just because a Qb is a first rounder doesn’t mean he is going to be extremely successful (Couch, Tim – Leaf, Ryan) Tom Brady was a sixth rounder. The Jets already have 3 QBs on their roster who understand Schotty’s system since they have been with the team. Clemens or Ratliff should have this job. I am leaning towards Ratliff.
Use our first rounder on either a MLB – Someone to play next to D. Harris or a CB to play alongside Revis so we can use our attack style and play man coverage on the outside freeing up Rhodes and Jim Leonhard????
And we still need a 3rd RB, Punter, NT to back up Jenkins, WR – the jets have bigger holes to fill then QB
-
Leftwich – would never fit in our system. He is not the type of game manager we need right now. Leftwich lost his job to Garrard because of inconsistent play and injuries. He has a good arm but I’m not sold on him
-
And as for Cassel – I think he is the most overrated QB in the NFL. He is not even that good and gets credit for playing with Moss, Welker, K. Faulk, Watson and other weapons in a pass first offensive system. His arm is suspect at best and the only reason he had 400 yards is because the Jets decided to play prevent D against him.
And teams wanna give up 2 first round picks for this guy? A drafted QB like Sanchez is better than this guy. Just my opinion
-
ridinmywave says:
Bryan, I don’t know what would warrant you to say that there is no way the jets could make the playoffs with any at the helm other than favre. I mean is this jets team that bad talent wise?…I think not.
And that was a lame excuse to say that favre went 8-3 “before” the injury….you don’t know when favre got “injured”…and as far as he knows it probably happened on one of his last plays of the season on that missed tackle.
And george,
I hear some of the supprt being thrown in leftwhich’s corner, but fact of the matter is he ended up where is right now for a reason, basically another retread and someone elses garbage…including atlanta. Lol.
But in all honesty I like leftwich as a player but his delivery speed and mobility have really been a hinderance at times. Everybody knows leftwhich can be a deer in headlights against blitzing teams. I’m not completely sold off of 2 solid back up cameos this past season.
I would bring him in to compete against the young gunners but I don’t think he would be sold on that idea of possibly being a back up on a different team. I also heard in an interview he isn’t really attracted to the jets anyway because of how his good friend chad had been ran out of town after leading us to multiple playoff births…so basically leftwhich is a pipe dream for the jets…not as if anyone really cared
-
GANGGREEN says:
Kurt Warner and Kerry Collins are availible….Neither the Cardinals or the TiTans have extended their contracts yet….I still say that Clemens and Ratliff should get their opportunities 1st but these two veterans make the most sense due to the fact that they were both on playoff contenders rosters last year…I think Ratliff is the real deal even though he only played the preseason but he has the size and arm strength we need at quarter back if no other options are availible….Clemens has the most time and knowledge of the two but has made horrible reads and decisions with the football when he has had his chances…
-
j0e says:
Vince Young!
-
Harvlis says:
You Favre lovers are nuts. The guy is 40 years old, had 22 Ints with a decent offensive line and plenty of weapons. How many throws did he make when nobody was open? I pray he retires. Ball control is where it’s at.
New York fans are spoiled. They are used to the Mets and the Yanks buying up all the leagues great players. You don’t need superstars at every postion to win. Between Clemens, Ratliff, and Ainge — we will be fine. Clemens will be much better, having had some regular season experience, and I am excited to see if Ratliff can put up a repeat performance of last year’s pre-season. If Ratliff shows that last year wasn’t a fluke — he can not only do the job but, he might be exciting, as well.
-
DAVID says:
think about this people ratliff is the natural choice favre retires so we go with baby brett the “other” brett and he wears number 5!!! favre wears 4 its a natural progression its fate!!just kidding plus kellen reminds me of the 07 season we stunk it up
-
I rather see Woody Johnson play QB than take Vince Young.
-
seanmac31 says:
I think the best option for 2009 would be for Favre to come back, but I don’t expect it to happen and in any event, it wouldn’t do anything to help the long-term development of the franchise. So you’re looking at one of three options- you can draft a quarterback, you can make a major bid to get one through trade or free agency, or you can bring in a veteran to compete with the players on the roster.
The draft is very, very weak. Mark Sanchez is a nice looking player, but his number of college starts is a huge red flag. The second tier group of last year’s prospects- Brian Brohm, Chad Henne, Joe Flacco- are all arguably more attractive than Matthew Stafford, who could go #1 overall. It’s just not a good group. Throw in the fact that drafting a quarterback this year means that you can’t draft one next year in what looks to be a superior QB crop and it just doesn’t seem like a great idea.
The big name on the market is Matt Cassel. There are two things that make him an unattractive and/or an unlikely option. The first thing is that he’s a Patriot, and New England would undoubtedly extract a bigger package from us than from a non-divisional team (in fact, should the Pats be willing to trade Cassel to us, it should give us serious pause as to whether or not we actually want him). The second thing is that he wasn’t very good this year. He was 17th in DYAR and 20th in DVOA while playing with the best offensive unit in football. Now, Cassel was better than Ben Roethlisberger, who is currently sporting two rings, and he was better than Brett Favre, but it’s not like he had the kind of performance that convinces you he’s not a product of the system and the surrounding talent. Moreover, giving up first and third round picks to an opponent who is able to take sixth and seventh round picks and turn them into franchise level quarterbacks just puts you further and further in the hole. What would be nice is if the Jets could develop their own quarterback prospects instead of paying top dollar for someone else’s.
That leads to the third option- seeing what Ratliff and Clemens and Ainge have. It’s certainly the cheapest thing to do, which is no small consideration on a team as cap-strapped as we are. It also gives us flexibility come free agency and the draft in 2010. You would still bring in a veteran to compete (by far the most attractive option is Byron Leftwich), but you rely on your own scouting decisions instead of chasing other people’s players around.
The fourth option, which folds into the third one, is to try to make a lower-profile trade to bring in someone to compete with Ratliff and Clemens. Obvious targets would be recently drafted players who are sitting behind established veterans, or guys who were put onto the bench by recent draft picks. If the Cardinals and Eagles give new deals to Kurt Warner and Donovan McNabb, for instance, you might want to see what it would take to pry away Matt Leinart or Kevin Kolb. Derek Anderson figures to be available in Cleveland, but then again, Mangini may feel differently about Brady Quinn than Crennel and Savage did, so that’s unclear. You would also be looking at players like Alex Smith and Sage Rosenfelds.
-
Seanmac, Like I said — We will be just fine with Clemens, Ratliff, and Ainge.
-
Well, not necessarily. We may be absolutely awful with those three. There just aren’t any notably better options out there.
-
Bent says: All we need now is for seanmac to call Joshy Ice a terrible pro prospect and then we can relive last year’s debate to end all debates!
PS – I agreed with pretty much all of seanmac’s post, although for non-football and non-financial reasons (mainly the media circus), I am less inclined to give the idea of Favre returning as much of an endorsement (although it would not surprise me at all if he outperforms Clemens, Ratliff, Ainge, Cassel, Sanchez, Freeman and anyone else named in this post next year for another team).
-
Ah….
I wouldn’t touch Josh Freeman with a ten foot pole.
there arent any good answers for us at QB.
Ratliff and clemens are question marks.
however, one thing thats not a question mark is that our team is built to win now.
therefore i believe that us jets fans should rally behind favre, hope he comes back and take it from there.