The Jets can finish 4-12 as long as they improve throughout the season and finish strong. The media does not have unrealistic expectations for the Jets but if they play hard the young guys get better as the season goes on the media will give them a positive spin for 2007. Especially if the line plays well and we have a good enought pick to get the best Rb available in next years draft.
Realistically, I see 4-12 with Clemens as a bigger disaster for Clemens than the team overall. If he gets beat up and plays sore, while running for his life and finishing 4-12, he could be damaged physcologically for good. I say, iron out the kinks with CP and Ramsey. Have them go through the growing pains with the O-line this year. Then, next year, with a year on the NFL sidelines under his belt, throw Clemens in there.
I Agree 100%! And when they throw him in there next year make sure he has a running back that was a number one pick behind him.
What would you rather have going into 2007: a) 4-12 with Chad and a posse of other QB's sharing the misery? b) 4-12 with Kellen Clemens getting some real NFL experience? One of those answers likely leads to an improved 2007 and the other one leads to another rebuilding season. I'll let you guess which of them I think is which.
Well...it's almost a guarantee that Clemmons will get some reps under his belt this year. But not on day one. We have to let the O-line get things going and get on the same page which will take a few games. He also needs to see the real tempo of the NFL from the sidelines...particularly game 2 against the Patriots where their front seven is elite. Hopefully he picks it up quickly which we think he will and get in there and end our QB controversy. We're actually in good shape for the near future...just a few upgrades in some positions and we're off to the playoffs.
Both seasons would be horrible. Clemens being younger than Pennington/Ramsey shouldn't make his losing acceptable.
If the team is clearly headed for a 4-12 season with Chad, Ramsey, or Bollinger behind center, there is no doubt in my mind that Mangini would give Clemens playing time with a few games remaining in the season. Clemens doesn't have to start from the beginning of the season in order to get valuable experience by the end of the year.
keep clemens on the bench this year. Let Penny and Ramsey do what they can. Let Clemens learn the play book and put him in next year with a better supporting cast. Sure, give him a second half here or there if the season ends up being a total disaster, but let Penny and Ramsey take the lumps.
Exactly, and as FOURTHANDLONG suggested before, bring Clemens in next yr with a stud 1st rnd HB behind him and the suddenly veteran offensive line, and presto!!! whamo!! we're back baby!!!!
c) Whatever QB that wins the open competition leads us to a SB XLI Championship That is what I'd rather have. If Clemens proves to be the better of the 4, then start him, but if he goes 4-12, truly pathetic.
I respect your opinion, Kurt, but I sure don't understand it. If this IS going to be a transition year as you state with us being "quite far from" competing, why NOT take a real look at future RBs? Under your scenario of the jets struggling in 2006 (which I think is accurate), shouldn't we START 2007 with an idea if Washington or Houston or some combo of them is the answer? Why the heck should we let Martin play most of the time in 2006 and lose when we could just as easily strugle with Houston/Washington and GET AN IDEA if any of the other backs can cut it. You want to acknowledge we'll struggle in 2006 , but then start over in 2007 and THEN look at RB. Or am I wrong and do you think Martin is going to play until his endless contract finally expires after the 2009 season? Good teams move on--Martin and Terrell Davis were the starting RBs in the 98 AFC champ game. The jets still wheel Martin out there, while the Broncs have moved past Davis to Portis and past Portis to Bell. Like I said, good teams put sentiment aside and move on, but apparently not the Geritol jets. Just because Boobway signed Martin and Chrebet into the next century doesn't mean he's right that they'll play forever--look how far Chrebet played after Boobway inked him thru the end of 2008.
While I don't expect a lot from this team, recent history has shown that any team can win any year. Our defense is still good, although Abraham and Law are losses. The offense will be better no matter who plays because the line will improve and the QB and RB play have nowhere to go but up. Pennington and Martin were 2 key components of a team that almost made the AFC Championship game 2 years ago. If they give you the best chance of winning right now, they must start the season. If Clemens is the best QB, he should play. Same goes for Ramsey. Now if the season quickly goes down the toilet, then we can give Clemens a shot, the same way Cleveland did with Charlie Frye. Clemens was a 2nd round pick, so he doesn't have to be the QB of the future if we can tell he isn't panning out.
This is going to be a rebuilding year and the backs behind Curtis Martin have to be looked at as well. This is a year where we evaluate what we have and go into the draft and free agency ready to draft and sign players next year so we can come into the season with the idea of competeing for a playoff spot with a team that actually has a chance to win. I agree Houston and Washington should take some of the load off of Martin but Clemens should sit and watch for at least the first eight games. Why risk him getting hurt in a season where we are not going to win. Im a die hard Jets fan but I have no illusions. This is a rebuilding year and anybody who does not perform should be benched so we can see what other guys do on both sides of the ball. I love Curtis Martin and he is a Hall of Fame player but this year should be his last as a Jet. Period.
Yes...but rookies and inexperienced RB's in the NFL tend to get stripped and fumble alot. Noone is taking this into consideration.
Clemens opening day starter http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9569143 predicts that clemens will be opening day starter
I don't think the question should be about KC starting opening day. I think we need to figure out two other questions before bringing KC into the fold (in my opinion it is better to sit a rookie qb their first year (or at least most of their first year) just so they can figure out how to operate in the pros - on the field, off the field and everything in between especially in NY). The two questions we need answered first are CP's arm and is PR really a dud or a product of previous bad systems/situations. CP we will find out whether he is on the field or off the field which points to the other question regarding PR. Start PR give him a couple of games to find out if he can figure out this system or continue to make mistakes. At this point in his career he should be able to pick up a new offense quicker than a rookie. if he turns out to be a bust for us - cut him at the end of the year - no loss. Next up is Penny, if PR fails by the time Penny is in there should be no reason why he is not up to full strength and not performing therefore no excuses. if he doesn't have it after a couple of weeks he is done (I hate to think this is the case because I love the guy). Then the next step is up in the air, do we bring in Bolly or KC. At this point I think KC should get his shot (we know a little more about Bolly than KC) and finish out the season to find out if this really is an area we will need to address next year (granted we will need to focus not necessarily on his production but his improvement and if we see the potential). Then Bolly could be our #2 next year backing up KC if Bolly is still around. Of course this is the worst case scenario and I really hope it doesn't work out this badly. As far as Martin is concerned we need him around if nothing more to be a mentor to our younger guys. Have Martin start and have a heavy rotation mix to find out which guy or two guys will carry the load next year. Martin is a class act and is underappreciated. Even putting emotions aside he brings a lot to the table as a player, teammate, and professional that anyone on the team could learn from especially our young running backs ? I could also see him as a coach for the Jets in the near future which is another reason to keep him in the fold. This year is a tryout for next year because we are in transition in so many positions. Lets clear up some question marks that can be addressed before the beginning of next year. Veterans produce pack your bags, rookies get a little more leeway. We can't focus on w/l this year we need to focus on viability for next year and who puts the team in the best position for the future.
Martin should start if he's healthy, but the backfield by committee approach would be fine with me. I am very doubtful that Washington and Houston will be bona fide starters in the NFL. They are both fringe players to me. In 2006 the Jets may indeed find out that: A) Martin is done B) Washington is a 3rd down back C) Houston is a career backup Then they can go and draft a RB in the 1st round in 2007 (Peterson, Darby, Irons, Broussard, Bush, and Lynch all possiblities as the landscape looks now). NFL history is littered with RBs who turned in fine rookie seasons. The Jets run game could be dreadful in 2006, but great in 2007.
My thing is this... I dont want C Mart getting ALL the carries. Herm isn't here anymore so I dont think that will be an issue any longer. My logic is simply that at this point the cap hit to release him would be too strong. Yes, he probably should've been released last offseason when we had the opportunity, but at this point it isn't worth it. W/ a new regime there is no use on crying over spilt milk. W/ that said, when you are rebuilding like we are, we might as well take advantage of having a saavy vet like Martin to make the transition less painful. Learning behind Martin while also sharing carries will be very good for Houstin and Washington. That is my point. Give Martin 50% of the carries..and let Houston and Washington each have 25%.
not true my friend. Big Ben of the super bowl steelers has yet to have a losing season, and he has only played for 2 yrs.
