http://www.newyorkjets.com/blog/posts/606-can-ainge-to-wright-tie-it-up-hail-yes 08/04 ? There were quite a few highlights at today's second practice, and the crowd pleaser at the end of the session was the first successful Hail Mary completion of training camp. The twos and threes were running the two-minute drill on the Hofstra turf while the ones had all retreated to the grass, shed their racks and ran for the last 15 minutes in the pleasant Long Island evening. Rookie QB Erik Ainge was down to his last play from the plus-40. Third-year WR Wallace Wright took off, found a spot in the front of the end zone and, surrounded by green shirts, waited. S James Ihedigbo was waiting, too, but when he leaped to try to swat the ball down, he either leaped a split-second too soon or just missed the high-arcing pass. But Wright didn't miss, plucking it out of the air and landing standing up for the "game-tying TD" (Mike Nugent's PAT actually tied it at 20.) Some of the other crowd-pleasers before the late fireworks: ■ Top-pick LB Vernon Gholston had two "sacks" in short order working against the first O-line. ■ TE Chris Baker, who returned to action from the PUP in the morning, caught his first pass of camp in the evening, from Chad Pennington past S Cameron Worrell for 17 yards in 7-on-7s. ■ WR Chansi Stuckey was catching everything in sight, including a 23-yarder in front of Worrell and a beautiful diving two-hand 15-yard grab (on a play on which Pennington probably would've been sacked by LB David Bowens but was not ruled down by the officials). ■ In blitz drills, Kellen Clemens hit Jerricho Cotchery on a 21-yard corner route, then Leon Washington, who made a diving catch, both against CB Drew Coleman. After the Leon snare, Clemens pumped his fist. ■ New RB Rodney Kinlaw was spun down on a one-armed tackle by LB Bryan Thomas. ■ Each of the first two QBs threw a bad ball. For Pennington, it was an outlet pass for RB Musa Smith that LB Cody Spencer stumbled on and could only watch helplessly as a possible touchdown return bounced off his chest incomplete. For Clemens, it was a second-read deep ball for TE Dustin Keller on which Keller leaped too soon, allowing Justin Miller to pick off the overthrow. There was one painful interlude to speak of when backup T Clint Oldenburg injured his leg. He had to be helped off the field without putting pressure on the leg, but didn't leave the field, watching the rest of practice under the trainer's tent wearing an icebag. The team did not comment on the severity of the injury. And there were a few light moments. One came when a female fan unfurled her cardboard banner stating "I Love Mangold" to the cheers of the surrounding bleacherites. Then came the practice-ending field goals toward the Arena League posts at the east end of the Hofstra soccer stadium. The last two kicks, from 43 yards, were not by Nugent but first by Kerry Rhodes and then by Eric Smith. The two safeties did not appear to be candidates to replace Nugent in a pinch, with both tries falling well short of the mark. One practice Tuesday beginning at 1:30 p.m. Then Wednesday is a travel day and Thursday night the Jets get to hit guys wearing different colors than they: the brown, orange and white of the Cleveland Browns.
If our QBs are going to be throwing interceptions, how can anyone possibly argue that Pennington's ones are better than Clemens'? Throwing the ball 40 yards downfield and getting picked off is better than throwing one 6 or 7 yards and being turned into a pick-6.
Sure, INTs are INTs, it is all the same. EXCEPT Clemmens has 8 and CP has 2. So if you do the math....yahda..yahda..yahda.
Yeah, the only problem is during the season I expect Keller to make a better play on Clemens throw............... and I expect a LB to caught a ball that hit's him in the chest too. God Chad is even Dunking playing against third stringers.
