TJB Hijack: ESPN Mailbag
Here’s a quick chat hijack from our friends at ESPN.
Q: Danny in North Lauderdale, Fla., asks who will be starting quarterback for the New York Jets and is it necessarily the same person that gives them the best chance of winning on a weekly basis?A: That’s an intriguing question, Danny. Would the Jets declare rookie hotshot Mark Sanchez the starter if he isn’t quite as good as the more experienced (but still unproven) Kellen Clemens? I think it’s Sanchez’s job to lose. If he doesn’t bomb out in training camp, he will be Rex Ryan’s starter on opening day. But Clemens might give the Jets the best chance to win early in the season. Clemens didn’t take advantage of the opportunity given to him in 2007, but he has faced live NFL defenses. The Jets open the season at Houston, then host the Patriots and Titans. Not an easy start for a rookie quarterback.
TJB TJB: I honestly don’t know who will be the starting QB for the Jets this fall, but if I was forced to choose and boil down my reasoning into one sentence, I think Ryan will pick Sanchez unless the rookie is horrific during training camp and in the preseason. As far as whether it would be a week-to-week decision on who’s QBing, the decision will be made to switch quarterbacks only once, and if it’s made, it will go from Clemens to Sanchez. Once Sanchez is playing, there’s no reason to pull him back, the die has been cast and you need to let him grow and learn the offense. I think going week to week with a safety is one thing, but with the quarterback position, it’s a different animal.
Filed under: Main Page
Its almost better that we will have a rookie going for that Pats game at home. Honestly, thats going to be one of the most insane home openers ever. The stadium will be rocking, waiting to see what the New Look Jets will do agains the Same Old Pats. After this excrutiatingly long offseason, I just want the most absurdly hyped games as possible. Lets just go ALL OUT.
The whole “best chance for winning” is so speculative because KC has no track record of NFL success. This isn’t Warner-Eli; Plummer-Cutler, Collins-Young or Warner-Leinart. So, I agree with Bassett. Sanchez would have to be awful thereby making it obvious that KC would be better. If it’s close, let the rookie play because he’s only a slightly bigger question mark than KC.
Off topic:
According to a report Plaxico and Vick will be suspended for the entire season.
Depending on the QB situations around the league, I still hold out hope that KC will be traded to a team during training camp in desperate need of a starter because of injury to someone on that team be it their projected starter or back up.
This would solidify the starter’s role on the NYJ nd make it more obvious.
Barring an injury to Sanchez, I think whoever doesn’t think he’s going to start has got to be fooling themselves. How else would he look “awful” compared to Clemens?
Start Clemens for the first 8 weeks, needs to 5-3 or better to continue to play. Then the Sanchez watch begins
My gut tells me its Clemens week 1. We will have to wait till preseason to see tho.
The more INT’s Sanchez throws this year, the less he will throw next year – Throw him in there and let him learn the hard way. In any profession, there is no better way to learn.
What’s the point of starting KC for a portion of the season? He is the future, so he might as well get the experience. I just hope they are patient and let Sanchez know he is the starter, good or bad.
The Lions have nothing to lose by starting Stafford – they can only improve on last year’s record. But the Jets are a competitive team right now. If Clemens is clearly better in TC, especially if he shows he can protect the ball better, he will start. There’s no reason to rush Sanchez.
Yes, I agree. I hope they are patient and start the rookie immediately. Wait… What?