Stitzer's Take: The 2007 Jets QB situation

I know, I know, you have been unable to sleep lately trying to understand the nuances of the Jets quarterback situation. With that in mind, Stitzer has prvided a back in forth with Ray from Connecticut on just what we should expect from his version of Gand Green at the QB position next season....
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TOON2388: good evening Ray, just about dark here at my office in San Marcos (30 miles north of downtown San Diego). In Chad we trusted in 2006. 2007?

R in CT: I think the offense is totally built around Chad at this point, and with Schottenheimer coming back, it seems only natural to at least start the season with Chad in charge.

T: agreed. I understand that Mangini's mantra is "every position is open for competition," but I think the team needs to know Chad is the starter before we get to the first mini-camp

R: I think all the players probably know that, and that Chad probably knows that it's his job to lose right now, as well it should be -- he had a very respectable season: a 64% completion percentage, 17 TDs, over 3,300 yards and an 82.6 passer rating. The only downside was the picks: 16, which is a little high, especially for a guy that has established a career based on short passing and accuracy.

T: the picks are a big concern. Without re-hashing all of them, my memory tells me that most were Chad's fault. I thought he played really well @ NE in the playoff game. Forget about the late pick returned for an int, @ 30-16, game was all but over. The one thing this staff will not do is put us in a 1992 situation when Coslet handed the job to Nagle because he felt "O'Brien could only take team so far." Clemens may be a stud down the road, but he will have to "win" the job, not have it handed to him.

R: I totally agree - this management team wants to (and thinks it can) win now, and will always play the guy that gives them the best chance. Right now, that's Chad, but if Chad falters and they think Clemens is ready, he will definitely get in.

T: I get frustrated when I hear what I call the "Neanderthal" fans say "you cannot with Chad, his arm is too weak." (These are the same folks who boo the QB when the o-line is not blocking anybody). There are limitations to what Chad can do physically - there is no doubt about that - but he is such a smart player, and this coaching staff was GREAT at developing game plans to Chad's and the team's strengths.


R: I really don't want to re-hash Chad's arm stuff -- I think arm strength is overrated. If it was all you needed, the aforementioned Browning Nagle would've been the greatest Jet QB ever! It's definitely part of the equation, but not the key element. Being able to read defenses and accuracy, for example, are just as important, if not more so.What's your take on Clemens?

T: I am hoping that we do not find out much about KC until 2009. If he is called on, I am expecting to see what Glenn Foley brought to the team in 1997. From everything I have read about his career at Oregon he should be able to come in as a leader and take charge of the offense. Your take on KC? Mr. Ramsey?

R: Did you mean 2008? I don't think they'd let a #2 pick sit for three years, although stranger things have happened. I wonder if this year is Chad's last shot as the starter?
As for Clemens, yeah, his NFL body of work has been less-than-impressive so far, but I seem to remember that Chad also struggled mightily his first season. It sounded like the coaching staff really worked out the players it drafted this year, in terms of mental preparation, and I understand that Clemens was a lot like Chad in that he spent many hours studying the playbook and hanging around Hofstra learning. Hopefully, that'll pay off.Ramsey is interesting -- I'm not under the impression he impressed anyone at any point, so the question is do you cut him in hopes of upgrading, or re-sign him to a more friendly deal? I guess ideally you're talking about your #3 -- I can't imagine the team would invest a draft pick for that spot, especially after drafting Clemens and having Brad Smith and Stacy Tutt both hanging around. They'll find an insurance policy, or if desperate, re-sign Ramsey.Well, out of all the free agents, one name that sorta jumps out at me (aside from Jeff Garcia and Matt Schaub, both of who will be looking for -- and probably getting -- starting jobs) is Tim Rattay. He was hurt early in the season and wasn't really ready when Simms went down, but when he finally got in for the final four games, he was 61 of 101 (60.4 completion rate) for 748 yards, 4 TDs, 2 Ints and a respectable 88.2 passer rating. I don't think he'll press either Clemens or Pennington for the starting job, but he would be an upgrade over Ramsey as an insurance policy, I think.

T: I meant 2009 - because if that is the case, it would involve 1 or 2 deep playoff runs in 2007 and/or 2008.

I do not think there is any doubt the Clemens is the #2 - he would have to take a big step backwards to have Ramsey be the #2 guy

Ramsey was a great "value" insurance policy - only cost a 6th rounder.

You male an interesting observation with Rattay. My gut feel is that we will not purse FA QBs or use a draft pick one.

Do you see Brad Smith taking more than 1 snap per game that he seemed to get last year?

R: I thought it was interesting last year in that preseason game that they let Smith run the offense a bit. I didn't think he was terrible, but everyone else (including the Jets apparently) don't think he could be a pro QB. It'd be interesting to see with the Mangini/Tannenbaum "flexibility" mindset how they use him, although I doubt he'll line up for more than emergency action and the occasional gadget-type play.Do you think Clemens will be back? Also, how big an impact do you think another season of having B-Schott coaching QBs will have? He's definitely going to be a head coach somewhere, probably sooner rather than later . . .

T: I was mildly surprised that Miami did not pull the trigger on Schott - look at the success we had by plucking an innovative assistant from a division rival. I just we win the Super Bowl before Schott leaves - have to believe he lands an HC gig within 2 seasons. Schott impressed me just as much as Mangini if not more. For him to build an offense around a guy who he was not sure might even be ready for opening day was quite an accomplishment. I also loved how he pounded the ball at the teams who could not stop the run and junked it almost entirely against teams that cannot stop the pass.

Do you see the offensive scheme, and thus what Chad is asked to do, changing that much?

R:
With the success they had, I cannot see them changing the scheme or the QB for that matter, in the immediate future -- this whole thing is tailored around Chad's strengths -- being able to read defenses, change plays, manage a fast-break offense (does that make Chad a point guard? I don't know much about basketball). And it's most likely that Clemens will have to emulate all Chad's mental abilities if he is to step in and run the team because they won't re-tailor the offense just to fit him. I assume that's why they drafted him, figuring that he had the proper mental make-up and smarts to run what they want to have.

T: Chad reminds my old SJU pal Mark Jackson, not going to blow by you with speed, but finds ways to get ball to his teammates where they have best of chance of succeeding. You have to go back to Al Toon to find as much YAC as the 2006 receivers generated - a lot of that is Chad getting ball to them in the right place at the right time.