Audible: The 2010 Quarterbacks
Every offseason, around this time, we start to drill down on the position groupings for the Jets as we start to think about free agency and the draft. So, in the spirit of our “Audibles” we wanted to hear your thoughts on each unit and what the Jets should consider addressing or leaving alone this offseason. Where do the Jets need to target during free agency, how will the Final Eight rules hamper this for the Jets? Where do they need to trim the fat? Are there any guys down the roster that you think could make an impact?
Next, the Quarterbacks…
For the first time since the winter of 2007, do we know who will be quarterbacking the Jets in the far-off season. Knowing that, Sanchez has to continue to work on some parts of his game, like screen passes, his continued decision-making under pressure, and reading both sides of the field, for instance. Beyond that, no real complaints from the starting spot. He’s a young QB honing his game.
The questions are who will sit behind him? One thing I know for sure, going the course of a season with FOUR quarterbacks is plain foolish, especially when one is Mark Sanchez. If the team had four scrubs, then fine, but that’s not the case at all. So what do the Jets do? Sign a veteran free agent (easier said than done this year) like Pennington to mentor Sanchez? Tender Clemens and allow him to continue one more year as a backup? What about Ainge? O’Connell? Can the Jets spin any of them into a draft pick or two?
41 Responses to Audible: The 2010 Quarterbacks
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Brendan says:
Careful Brian, you spoke poorly of Garcia, the “VETERAN QB A;LFGA;LFGA;GH” crowd is going to come out of the woodwork to get you. Every time I say forget that guy, people act like I just pissed on Joe Namath himself. I couldn’t agree with you more though.
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Jets = (Less) Misery says:
I’ve always thought Garcia was a very solid-to-good quarterback. He’s had some nice seasons, and he’s probably better than a number of starting quarterbacks in the league right now (even though he’s almost 40, which I can only assume is the reason he doesn’t have a team). I don’t think he belongs in the same category as a Leftwich, who has basically been mediocre his whole career.
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Turn one or two of them into draft picks (hopefully clemens) and sign a vet back up. Everyone is talking about how there will be many more guys available thru waivers as teams can cut salaries this year. Hopefully a qb back up can be found there.
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The vet back up is more for helping Sanchez than anything else, if he ends up starting too many games (no matter who he is), it can’t bode well.
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neauone says:
Ainge is a QB with a high I.Q. and he is a film rat. The guy has shown me time and again that he can not only be a good back up, but maybe someday be a goo starting QB in this league. I would hate to lose him unless we get at least a thrid rounder for him. If you remember when he first became a Jet, Mangini asked him the names of his team mates and he rattled them off without a hitch. Now some might argue, yeah what does that mean? It means he remembers things rather well, he will not make the same mistakes over and over. Keep Ainge, and if you must get a QB to mentor Sanchez, than Ainge can only benefit from it as well.
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vajet says:
neauone, thanks for that tidbit; i completely forgot about ainge doing that.
however, between oc, ainge, and clemens, i’d also have to advocate for ainge to stay on, clemens tendered and if no one bites, let go. i dont see o’connell staying past OTA’s.
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2010 is all about Sanchez….. decide between Ainge and OConnell and get a veteran in here that will be a solid backup if Sanchez misses a game or so…
Chris Redman, Leftwhich, Charile Batch etc…. will do. I am not high of Garcia since he is a guy who is always trying to be a starter and comes into every camp fighting to be “the guy” I dont see much of a teacher or mentor when I think Jeff Garcia….. I want my backup knowing he is a backup.
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bonebreaker says:
If we go after any Vet that is any good he will be pressing for the starting role which might/ might not be good for Marks development. I do not think we should get an old run down QB who was once great (like Garcia) because we would be wasting a roster spot on a player who has no future potentual. It would be a better idea to have an old vet as a QB coach.
brian311 I like your idea of giving “Ainge and OC a ton of reps in preseason games” and go from there. Maybe they both look good and with Mark they would be our three QB’s.
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R3V1S 15LANd says:
id like to see them bring in david carr, who played solily behind eli manning and would come reasonably cheap..
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southfloridajetsfan says:
I have very high hopes for Sanchez so dont take this wrong..
Does anybody else remember the last 1st round QB from USC and what happened when his team brought in a veteran backup…
food for thought
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BubbyBrister/shovelpass says:
“….For the first time since the winter of 2007, we know who will be quarterbacking the Jets in the far-off season…”
How great does THAT feel ?! For the first time since I found TJB, I won’t hafta read and discuss the merits and faults of KC, CP, and every available QB in the draft/NFL.
Whew! I’m feeling liberated already…
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Bent says: I don’t really understand why everyone rates Ainge higher than O’Connell, who was picked a whole round ahead of him. It will be interesting to see if Ainge, a guy I don’t rate very highly, will outperform him in preseason.
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Bubby put into words what I think everyone’s feeling this offseason. Thank whatever god you pray to that we don’t have to deal with that nonsense again for (hopefully) a long time.
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SackDance99 says:
I’m indifferent about a “vet/mentor” for Sanchez. Last season, I thought it was necessary; this season, I’m more concerned that the Jets have a guy that can go in and run the offense if Sanchez has to miss time. I’m also with Bent on the Ainge/O’C debate. O’C has more physical skills and, thus, a greater upside. Whoever wins the training camp battle in now each QB’s THIRD NFL training camp, will likely be an adequate back up QB. The best thing possible would be to groom a Matt Schaub/Matt Cassel that would garner a high draft pick in a trade.
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oleosmirf says:
i still think Pennington would be a great addition. I mean besides Peyton, is there a QB with a higher “field IQ” in the NFL?
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Harvlis says:
I don’t understand the talk about getting an older QB to mentor Sanchez. His QB coach is supposed to have that responsibiity. Matt Cavanaugh is an ex-QB. If he is not doing that job, just fire him and find somebody who will.
A back-up QB is needed to step in and help us win games. It is up to Schottenheimer to groom Clemens, Ainge, and O’Connell, so they are ready to run the offense. I thought he should have gotten them into games that got out of hand, this past season. Schotty seems to have disregarded his back-ups and when Clemens finally did see some action, he didn’t look ready. After four years under Schottenheimer, you would think that Clemens would have a strong grasp of the offense. Unfortunately, he didn’t even have a strong grasp on the ball. I thought Ainge should have been the first off the bench, as he clearly out-played Clemens in pre-season.
Unfortunately, only Schottenheimer knows whether Ainge and O’Connell can handle the NFL. He is doing a great job of avoiding a QB controversy, as none of us has any idea of the ability of our back-ups. Hopefully, Schotty does.
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Harvlis, I have zero confidence in Cavanaugh, who had a QB with a rating over 89 just once, and that was Steve Young in his prime.
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I can’t see pennington coming back to the team that dumped him to be a back up. QB coach maybe.
Cavanaugh makes me nervous, too. -
TJBfan (twitter @infresco4) says:
Harvils if you promote backups over clemens in his final year with the Jets you lose any leverage of trading him in the offseason.
Perhaps the plan all along has been to keep Clemens on board until we try to get any fodder and continue with the other 2 once he is gone. They come cheap and know the system.
A vet in free agency will be hard to fill this year, and I don’t know of many young QB’s lately that have benefitted from anyone besides Chad.
Warner – Cardinals are thought to be interested in Clemens(nough said)
Collins – Young’s career almost came to an end, def a step back from a decent rookie year
Garcia – Kolb’s chance to emerge was put aside, and question marks still surround him
Favre – Clemens, the heir apparent since chad has now backed up 3 different QBs and Favre joining was perhaps his biggest setback. He should’ve been ready to take over after his departure. -
trevor says:
get rid of kellen clemens, he had his chances to shine and did not
get him out of the picture and let o’connell and ainge a mooment. both were high on the jets draft boards that yr
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Pdubbs says:
I think Sanchez did just fine with a bunch of clowns behind him…. do we really need a Vet back-up ? As if Sanchez’s future depends on if we get guy that isn’t good enough to start to “teach.” I think we should worry more about the team on the field…..
Keep Ainge , trade Clemens…. who cares about the rest. I don’t want to win games with a back-up anyway.
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BKWRXWgn says:
Would have made more sense last year if they acquired a Vet QB to back up Sanchez just in case Sanchez wasn’t starter capable. At times IMO a Vet QB last year would have made a big difference in certain games and I definitely didn’t trust the team with KC before the season started (point proven). Fortunately for us Sanchez made it through his rookie season and has matured that much more. Sadly I never had the opportunity to see Ainge or O’Connell play so I can give much of an opinion on that. I don’t mind if they let go of KC and have BSmith as a 3rd string.
Dave Carr expects to be a starter even when he was backing up Eli.
CP will want to start if he got a gig anywhere, since the guy is going through his second (or 3rd?) shoulder surgery and expects a comeback just says how much he still wants to play.
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ramble914 says:
I couldn’t be hapier with MS as our QB. I expect him to be a perennial probowler and lead us into the playoffs every year.
KC should be let go. KC should be used as a reminder of what happens if you don’t live up to expectations. Ainge and O’Connell should be decent backups.
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Jets-Fan-4-Life says:
Can someone please explain to me the +/- between Ainge and O’Connell?
I truly would like to know who would be better to keep around?
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mike s. says:
Both QBs have good height and size, and given they were drafted by Belichick and Mangini they likely are high-IQ QBs.
But neither has faced an NFL defense during the regular season.
• O’Connell thru 6 passes in 2008 with New England
• Ainge has never thrown a pass in the NFLKevin O’Connell | #7 | QB – Height: 6-5 Weight: 250 Age: 24
Erik Ainge | #10 | QB – Height: 6-5 Weight: 221 Age: 23The major negative on O’Connell is that he was a 3rd round pick (94 overall) and New England waived him!
Any brief view of a player during pre-season games is meaningless when compared to the full body of work demonstrated to the NFL coaching staffs. And the coaching staff won’t show their cards if they are trying to make a deal.
So…the bottom line is that both of these guys are complete unknowns. -
Nafstejyn says:
I’m in concurrence with those who want a veteran backup for insurance purposes. Sanchez is young, and he has coaches to teach him and help improve his game, does he really nead a salty veteran around for that? Besides, thinking about, he’s young and probably a little naturally cocky, how receptive would he be to taking advice and criticism from a veteran that may not even have much playoff experience after he himself just made it to the AFC Championship game?
I’d like to see KC gone, keep the better of Ainge or O’Connell and pick up a capable veteran that knows his place is on the bench unless Sanchez goes down.
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Bent says:
Because of his size (and perhaps due to his bloodlines), Ainge was expected to develop into a first round pick, but it never happened as he was too erratic. He had a promising freshman year, but was terrible as a sophmore (45% completions). His final season was better but still mistake-prone in the clutch or when under pressure. He was not a popular guy in Tennessee and came to the NFL as a raw prospect with substandard footwork, although he has prototypical size and seems to be a smart guy.
O’Connell is a better athlete, but didn’t play in a major conference in college. I would have characterized him as a potential future starter entering the draft rather than a long term project, although he did not fare well in NE. Mind you, Cassel was also terrible until he got to start and then performed well.
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TJBfan,-
The Jets did what you recommended and
used Clemens as our back-up. What did that do for his trade value? It probably went down. Ainge showed potential in pre-season. Clemens showed nothing. Schottenheimer doesn’t have a clue. -
Adding Pennington as a 3rd string QB or an offensive assistant coach makes sense as he is intimately familiar with the NY Jets offense, the AFC East teams, and can provide insights to the defense on Miami’s offense.
But Pennington probably still thinks he can play… so this may never happen. -
Schotty has seen more of these guys than any fan, beat writer, or NFL expert. We have no basis to judge these guys.
College is meaningless.
Pre-season is meaningless.
Neither has any body of work against full-speed, regular season NFL defenses.They may have what it takes. Or they may not.
They are complete unknowns.I agree that bringing in a savy veteran makes sense to help shape the development of Sanchez and whichever young back-up they keep (O’Connell, Ainge, other?).
I suspect Kellen Clemens will get a chance to compete for a starting role somewhere else. And I would not be surprised if he wins a starting job.
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matthewm says:
For what it’s worth—don’t all scream at once—the role Clemens played in this season was important. When he had to start in place of Sanchez, the Jets put in the game plan that became the template for the late season success—meaning all they asked of Clemens was to hand off and throw no picks. Before that, Sanchez was throwing the ball all over the place. Now, did Clemens implement this strategy? Not likely, but he followed the script, the Jets won, Sanchez came back, and channeled his inner Clemens. I would keep him. It often takes fives years for a QB to mature, and he was a second rounder, he’s affordable, he’s no drama. Why start over with a retread backup? Remember when everyone was saying he was as good as Cutler? He might be. I still don’t think eight games or whatever he has played is enough to judge.
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Bent says:
While the idea of Sanchez “channeling his inner Clemens” is a bit frightening, you make a good point, but is this enough for him to remain as the number two?
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jvsvn says:
This idea that we need an older QB to mentor Sanchez is ridiculous. Isn’t that what the QB coach and OC are for? The back-up is supposed to be able to come in an win a few games if the the starter goes down. Period. The reason to have a veteran in that role is because you don’t want to be starting from scratch in what would be an emergency situation. Having someone with some experience is useful in that situation. Now that Sanchez is the undisputed starter, having a Charlie Batch type as a back-up makes the most sense. I don’t know if there is anyone in that mold who is available. Then having a young 3rd stringer to groom is also reasonable. With Sanchez in the fold, having 3 other unproven players on the roster makes no sense at all. From a roster perspective, the Jets should bring in a veteran back-up who can step-in in an emergency, if an appropriate one is available (not a mentor, just a back-up QB) and keep either O’Connell or Ainge (but not both), whichever one they think has the most potential.
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Le' Sean Roberts says:
Ainge ca be something special……too hard to give him up.
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Keeping KC around makes no sense and Sanchez hit his lowest point in the Falcons game right after KC started and looked awful in the Tampa Bay game. KC’s start had 0 impact on Sanchez; IMO, it was losing the Falcons game and then the whole team got a reprieve for the playoffs. I think it was then that the light finally went on for Sanchez and he played great after then.
Moreover, the idea that it takes 5 years for a QB to mature is just wrong. I could go on and on, but it’s the 2nd and 3rd years that show what a QB is made of, not year 5 when his rookie contract is set to expire.
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Harlan Lachman says:
Kewpie to matthewm. Bent, the answer to your question is “yes.” If we had all our picks, if Ainge and O’Connel are garbage, then we could pick a project.
But we don’t have all our picks. We have several holes and our second round pick is almost a third so the likelihood of getting two starters through the draft are not good. Trading is the way to go but it creates a hole for everyone filled.
We don’t need a retread Qb hoping for a chance to prove he deserves a starter’s job. In our situation, unless some idiot wants to trade us a third round pick or better for Kellen, he is worth more to us as a cheap backup.
Because he cost us a second round pick, we likely only have to tender him a little to have leverage with an interested team (if there is such an anomally).
harlan
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I was one of the posters here who wanted to give clemens every chance to prove he could start and play in this league. He’s had his chances and proved that he just can’t cut it. I’ve seen more than enough. If some other team wants to waste time giving him yet another chance to “prove himself” and is willing to give us anything for him, I will celebrate.
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frustratedjetfan says:
Guess I’m in the minority because I’m not for picking up a veteran QB. The optimum time for that was last year (Sanchez’s rookie year). Now, I feel he’s on his way with the coaches bridging the gap with the color scheme. I would not waste limited resources on a vet 40 yr old QB or a journeyman QB unless I had to.
Instead, I’d try to get something / anything for KC and emphasize the development of both Ainge and O’Connell. Try to get both these kids game ready with early reps under as many game simulations as possible while Sanchez is recovering. Throw the book at them (at and after practice) and hopefully ID your number 2 and 3. If we succeed in doing this we’ll not only have ensured a solid QB position for the next decade, but also have tremendous trade bait in upcoming years. Pull this off at the QB position and the Jets would have a trump card to obtain a blockbuster player at any other position on the field.
If the above strategy fails, then we have to bring in a vet as a band-aid and hope for the best. But I wouldn’t make it my first strategy for building a dynasty.
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Eddie DiGio says:
There is a reason NO TEAM in the NFL went after Jeff Garcia, including the Vikings before they got Favre. Garcia is NOT good anymore.
There is no reason to bring in a veteran who has any idea other than to hold a clipboard for Chez.
Finally like Bubby B said, there is no more talk of who should start, who the Jets should bring to be an upgrade or any of this musical QBs nonsense that goes on at TJB.
I would just make sure that whoever is behind Chez, that the Jets are confident they can throw the guy in and he wont lose the game for them if Chez has to miss any extended period of time.
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Tom in Raleigh says:
Bringing in a vet is never a truly bad idea. In the Jets case, probably not to do a whole lot of mentoring.
What we need in a backup is someone who can come in and not lose games for us. If that is KC? Great. Ainge? Fantastic.
first question – who are the UFA veteran QBs? that is important info
KC needs to be cut loose. he has no upside and his roster spot is better used on a veteran who could potentially mentor sanchez, or Ainge / O’Connell
i think it makes sense to add a vet, but whoever is on that list is not going to be a game changer. I would like Pennington in a coaching role if he chose to retire. we can debate the Garcias, Leftwhiches, etc but these guys really dont do much for me.
regardless, the team should go into week 1 with 3 QBs MAX on the 53 man roster. we finally have a franchise QB who is 23 and it makes absolutely no sense to carry 4 QBs. i would give Ainge and OC a ton of reps in preseason games and hopes that one or both catch a little lightening in a bottle so we could get a draft pick for them. and from there go with Sanchez, veteran, and either Ainge or OC