Kellen The Big Brother
Say what you want about Chad Pennington’s arm, injuries, or ability to win the “big one”, but one thing you can’t deny him is that the man is a true professional. Even when the Jets had their mock “QB battles” the last 2 seasons, Pennington always tried to help Kellen Clemens as much as he could. It seems that Clemens never stopped learning and is intent on returning the favor with Mark Sanchez.
“Chad helped me a lot and he didn’t have to, so I’m going to try to do that now with me and Mark,” Clemens said. “For me, it’s the concept of paying it forward. I don’t think I’m as good of a guy as Chad, but I’m going to try my best.”
Clemens has more than a month to come to grips with the Jets’ move to draft Sanchez, and he admits there are times when negative thoughts crop up. They never last long, however.
“If they do pop up – and they do from time to time – you put them out of your mind and move forward,” Clemens said. “It is what it is, and all you can do is go forward. It would not be constructive or helpful to myself or this football team, and that’s what I continue to focus on.
“Any other things that I could do, or say, or think, I avoid them. Tunnel vision is a good phrase. It’s all about the goal and what’s going to help me get there. That’s all you think about when you’re in this building.”
Glauber goes on to point out that (at this point) Clemens is probably ahead of Sanchez, but the truth is that both are going to need each other. Sanchez is going to need Clemens’ experience, and Clemens probably could use Sanchez’s determination and exhuberance to push him to be the Jets’ top QB. It still remains to be seen whether either of these two players are franchise quarterbacks, but it’s good to see that Clemens just wants to help Sanchez succeed — no matter the cost. That’s an important quality to impart on a young QB, and it’s good to see it’s passed from Pennington to Clemens and hopefully, at some point, to Sanchez.
25 Responses to Kellen The Big Brother
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Brett Justin says:
I love to see things like this especially when there in competition together
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I love to see things like this especially when there in competition together
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charleyjet says:
Kellen is a class guy who has really never been given a fair shot by the Jets.
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Zartan says:
Sanchez wont need to. never liked Clemmens and dont evev want to give him a shot. : )
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Freeman 24 says:
I’m the biggest Clemens supporter there is but he’s had his fair shot over the past 3 seasons. If he had “it” Schotty wouldn’t have let them waste the picks on Sanchez. Whether its accuracy, decision making or his barely 6 ft frame something stopped his OC from going to bat for him. I hope this plays itself out like Brees and we find ourselves with a marketable asset OR Sanchez starts from day 1 and Clemens has no choice but to stay as our backup. I like his clutch play and hard nosed professional attitude.
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Nick says:
well see what happens with Kellen… really the only opportunities he’s had was with a bad team.. I say give him the first few games and see how it goes. Regardless he can’t hurt us as much this year compared to past years considering were going to be a run happy team. Sanchez is our QB future, but not all rookies can be Flacco, Ryan.
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Zartan…would it be so difficult to at least acknowledge the quality of Clemens’ character based on this article BEFORE you bash him some more? Wow…you Kellen haters don’t deserve to have a winner playing QB, whether it’s Kellen or not.
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ramble914 says:
I don’t see how anybody can say that Kellen Clemens has had a fair shot. I’m not saying he’ll be good, bad or anything in between, just that the jury is still out whether he will ever be a quality NFL QB. 2007 he was running for his life every game behind that OL. 2008 he didn’t play because of Favre, and this year he has Sanchez to contend with. I don’t agree that you have to light up practice sessions to be given a chance to start and if you’re drafted in the first or second round you have to expect a team to be willing to devote at least a season or two to see if he is Franchise material or not. I don’t feel the 8 games KC played in reveal if he can start or not.
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Harvlis says:
Kellen can be a very good QB but, every Jet fan is hoping that Sanchez can be a star. The pre-season will be the determining factor, as to whether Sanchez is ready. If not, KC can do a good job guiding this team. Those of you who base your opinions of KC on 2007 have no clue. It was his first taste of the NFL, behind a poor O-line, with a bad offensive game plan. Who could shine, under those circumstances. The best of QB’s would have been running for their lives. I can’t wait to see what happens this coming season. My money is on Sanchez to come out and take control.
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Jets-Fan-4-Life says:
Clemens not getting a fair shot? Who are you kidding? The dude had 4 years to earn the spot but was never good enough to claim it!
1 – He couldn’t beat out New York’s favorite man crush Chad in two years of open competition.
2 – Yes in 2007 both he and Chad stunk behind that O-line but when he started he still couldn’t provide the needed spark to lead and jump-start the team to a winning season.
3 – Since he could not beat Chad yet again in the 08 off-season (and the franchise was pushing for him to win the position) they rolled the dice to acquire Brett Favre to lead this team since Chad was soured by us fans and the teams treatment of him (which I do not blame him for).
4 – Favre retired, and they were back to square 1 with Ratliff vs Clemens (one unproven with a year still needed to develop and the other who the team know wasn’t a leader, but maybe one of the best back-up QB’s with an arm and is mobile but lacks the confidence and swagger) so the franchise rolls the dice again and grabs Mark Sanchez (a kid that is ready to play in the pro’s with an arm, has mobility, with character, charm, charisma, swagger, born leadership, and for the chicks out there … the looks).
Clemens time is over, and I believe he may start the first few weeks this season not because he wins the job or because Sanchez is not ready in time. He will be starting only because the team will want to build his value for a trade before trade deadlines are over or for next season.
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greene says:
Jets-Fan-4-Life
1) Exactly, jets favorite man crush. Of course he couldn’t win. He went against a guy who took a 1-15 team to the playoffs, enough said.
2) What 4 starts? You mean the starts he had on a line that even pennington couldn’t play good in? If pennington couldn’t do anything with that line, not many QB’s can.
3) Brett Farve, lol. Argument is self beating.
4) This point makes no sense. Isn’t the whole point in the argument is asking if Clemens got a chance? How does this prove he didn’t have a shot? Drafting Sanchez is the exact point people are saying he never got a real chance.
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come on guys, clemens out, put sanchez now, I dont like clemens, he its a mediocre quarter back, bring a veteran free agent to back up sanchez and thats it guys, or change clemens for anderson or quinn, i prefere quinn to backup sanchez, please clemens out
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Not for nothing, J-F4L, but Clemens could easily have had 3 more wins under his belt – McFly… I mean, McCariens – dropped two sure TD’s in 4thQ rallies that would have put the Jets ahead. And Cotch dropped one – against the Ravens, iirc – in the 4th which, though not a TD, would have put them well within FG range (somewhere around teens/twenty).
So, instead of talking about a 3-5 KC behind swiss cheese OL in 2008, we might well have seen a 6-2 KC being tauted as the new Jets starter… Chad would have been traded outright for a likely 4th rounder… no Brett comes into town, thus keeping those draft picks… and maybe we would have drafted for depth this year, with a wideout, DE, DT, OL & Greene.
Oh, what might have been… all because of two plays where Just-can’t-hold-the-ball-in-my-E%ffin-HANDS McCareins decided to go ditzy.
Of course, the other side of this fantasy-walk would be, Mangini would likely still be the coach — Soooooo, all things being equal, I’m glad they turned out as they have.
T I M
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Gregory Rasputin says:
I really can’t imagine Mr. Sanchez starting this year unless Kellen gets hurt.
I know that Mr.Sanchez is going to learn quickly….but there is a limit to how much can be internalized in a brief time.
But Mr.Sanchez does have the power to sell tickets and that may weigh in more heavily at the sound of the bell…
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How can you say Kellen has gotten a fair shot? He had a few games starting behind a kamikazee offensive line. Then, when he should have been the starter, they bring in the egomaniac and waste a season. Now they draft a kid who I hope will be a star, but that leaves Kellen holding the bag again. I fully expect Kellen to be the starter opening the season, but we know it is only a matter of a short time before Sanchez gets the job. They didn’t make that deal for Sanchez to hold a clipboard for long.
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SackDance99 says:
KC got 8 NFL starts to show what he could do and had 3 NFL training camps to try to win the QB1 position. There is no way he would’ve won the QB1 position over Chad last season. When the deal to get Sanchez was worked out, the HC that drafted him opted for Ratliff, a complete unknown quantity, to close the deal. Maybe, KC is just not NFL quality? There have been dozens of superior prospects than KC that have not been able to make it in the NFL. It’s no disgrace. KC seems like a good guy, but if he was really all that good, he would’ve been starting since after Chad’s week 5 41-0 loss to the Jag in 2006. Who doubts that if KC starts this season and he loses 41-0, Sanchez starts the next week? KC just has never convinced the coaching staff that he should be QB1. But, he’s had every opportunity to convince the Jets (and the NFL) that he should be a starter. It’s time to turn the page and see what Sanchez can do.
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Practice can only tell you so much about a player. Regular season games are the only way to judge whether a QB has it or not. I agree with The Iron Marshall — if a few more balls were caught for KC, who knows what would have happened. Regardless, 2007 was KC’s first real action of his career. There is no way anyone should be judging his ability based on those few games. The reason that Chad would have beat him out, or that they went after Favre, is that management knew what they were getting from Chad and Favre and had no idea of what KC would give them. They still don’t know so, they opted for Sanchez who they feel is a future star.
All teams need at least two good QB’s. There is no need to get rid of KC so quickly. I think Sanchez will be our starting QB, as management believes there is a bigger upside to him but, I wouldn’t be worried, if KC earned the starting role in pre-season. Too many people hate KC and Gholston, without giving them time to prove themselves. Those type of fans want instant gratification. It doesn’t always happen. It would be nice if it did. Some of the best college QB’s, over the past few years, are still waiting for their shots, as well. Have some patience, KC haters.
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Harvlis,
I agree with you 100%. It’s the same thing I wrote a few posts above your’s. 8 starts undre those circumsatnces (2007) does not cut it as fair evaluation, and the position that he hasn’t won it in practice doesn’t work either, there are plenty of players who are lousy practice players, but they can get it done in real games. I’ve seen enough good play in those 8 games to say “give the kid a chance”. It true, if Justin McCariens had made that catch, we’d all be singing a different tune.
Whats going to happen is we’ll trade or release him he will go on to be a good QB for some other team who is willing to give him sufficient playing time, just like Jeff Blake.
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Sackdance99,
You don’t know if Mangini wanted KC and we said no, take Ratcliff. So its unfair to say the HC who drafted him didn’t want him.
LIke I said in the post above, the jury is still out on Kellen Clemens, he has not been givin a fair shot by the NY Jets.
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I just read a new article which says that, if Shonn Greene looks good, they will try to trade Thomas Jones prior to the start of the season. I like TJ. I hope they work things out with him. It shouldn’t take much to keep him happy. I know the Jets have him by the short hairs but, he has played his butt off for us. I hate when we lose good players, when we could easily work things out.
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StvDoe says:
Trading TJ would be stupid, assuming they can’t get much for him. He’s under contract, cheap, and good.
Why trade such a player?It’s not as if he’s been a long term Jet who deserves to get what he wants because of it.
And even if he WAS such a player, it’d still be pretty stupid, if more understandable.
Now if we could get a 2nd round pick, or a quality player that fits our needs, that would be different. But I find those scenarios to be HIGHLY unlikely.
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Bent says: Harvlis do you have a source/link for that article? Thanks.
Trading TJ would also “waste” almost $1m of cap space. Unless they’ll be able to get something really worthwhile in return, they’d be better off retaining him even if they decide not to use him and he threatens to hold out again.
Let’s not forget to give credit where credit is due…Chad learned this charecteristic of paying it forward from Vinnie Testaverde!!!!!