Sperm Edwards Posted June 15, 2006 Share Posted June 15, 2006 Jets: QB battle begins in earnest Thursday, June 15, 2006 BY DAVE HUTCHINSON Star-Ledger Staff In this corner, we have Chad Pennington. The one-time golden boy and face of the franchise is coming off his second rotator cuff surgery in as many seasons and his future is in doubt. In the other corner, we have Patrick Ramsey. The former first-round pick was traumatized during a four-year stint with the Washington Redskins in which he took a brutal beating in former coach Steve Spurrier's pass-happy offense and was benched in the season opener last season by coach Joe Gibbs and never given his job back. He was acquired by the Jets in March for a sixth-round pick after nearly a month of negotiations. This heavyweight battle for the Jets' starting quarterback job will finally heat up today when the team begins a three-day veterans' minicamp at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. Up to this point, the competition has been mainly in the classroom and during passing drills. Coach Eric Mangini has declared the job is wide open. "This is the place I wanted to come," Ramsey told The Star-Ledger in a recent interview. "I was driving my agent (Jimmy Sexton) crazy, asking him what was going on (as the trade talks stalled). Fortunately, we were able to get it done. "It's an open competition. I'm going to work as hard as I can to be that guy and Chad is going to work as hard as he can to be that guy. I think whichever one of us is most effective is going to be the starter on opening day." The media will get its first look at Pennington since he began throwing on March 1 following his second surgery in an eight-month span last October. In May, Pennington said that he's "full go" and "throwing every route in the playbook." But he recently toned down his comments -- saying simply that he's making progress -- presumably at the behest of Mangini, who has refused to discuss in detail the quarterback's recovery. Pennington, who turns 30 this month, is the favorite in the early going. The seventh-year pro is smart and mostly mistake-free, which is what Mangini is looking for. The Jets hope he can recapture the magic he had in 2002, when he had 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions and set a club record with a 68.9 completion percentage. Ramsey, 27, is younger and has the stronger arm. But his penchant for throwing interceptions (29 in 34 career games) and making questionable decisions has earned him many critics after a record-setting career at Tulane. "My goal is to prove the talent I have," Ramsey said. "I want to prove to everyone I can do it and I want to enjoy the experience." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIGHT STALKER Posted June 15, 2006 Share Posted June 15, 2006 QB battle? Here's my question. Is it really open competition between the QB's for the top spot or is it between Pennington and Ramsey? Just wondering if Clemens actually has a fair shot in this "open competiton". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sperm Edwards Posted June 15, 2006 Author Share Posted June 15, 2006 QB battle? Here's my question. Is it really open competition between the QB's for the top spot or is it between Pennington and Ramsey? Just wondering if Clemens actually has a fair shot in this "open competiton". You know, my initial impression is absolutely no way. But we don't really know Mangini at all. I would normally think it's a longshot at best, but who really knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugg Posted June 15, 2006 Share Posted June 15, 2006 No matter what, nobody is being handed anything. And that's how it should be. Let's somebody grabs it by the throat rather than by default of being the least stinky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nj meadowlands Posted June 15, 2006 Share Posted June 15, 2006 Note, this is the first time Brooks Bollinger is mentioned in this thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenBeans Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Note, this is the first time Brooks Bollinger is mentioned in this thread Note: And probably the last time as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faba Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Everything Mangini has said is that all jobs are wide open - best player win. The only philosophy to have. With the flexibility that he wants though a lot of guys are going to play depending on circumstances of the game One thing to note though he so far has high praise for Clemens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatsFanTX Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Just wondering if Clemens actually has a fair shot in this "open competiton". The best thing for Clemens is that he stays on the sidelines and holds on to the clipboard this year. Rookie QB's and the NFL don't mix very well. I think the only way you will see Clemens this season is if the Jets start out 0-6, which is a distinct possibilty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BwanaZulia Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 I wish the beat reporters would get it right. It is the second "shoulder" surgery, but NOT the second "rotator cuff" surgery. Check the SNY interview. BZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azjet Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Note: And probably the last time as well. Nope, here's another mention.....I hope Bollinger puts the CS in a real bind by outplaying Ramsey and Clemens in camp and forcing their "competition" quotes. There would be left-over "crow" for all, the rest of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sperm Edwards Posted June 16, 2006 Author Share Posted June 16, 2006 Nope, here's another mention.....I hope Bollinger puts the CS in a real bind by outplaying Ramsey and Clemens in camp and forcing their "competition" quotes. There would be left-over "crow" for all, the rest of the season. The only one who should be immune to making the roster is Clemens. No one cuts a 2nd-round rookie before game one of his rookie season unless he's in jail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenBeans Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Nope, here's another mention.....I hope Bollinger puts the CS in a real bind by outplaying Ramsey and Clemens in camp and forcing their "competition" quotes. There would be left-over "crow" for all, the rest of the season. I like Bollinger but I don't think he has the tools to outplay the other three. If I'm wrong, so be it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LionelRichie Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 i don't think ramsey will be a good nfl QB, but i do like him as a backup. i hope pennington has the arm strength to pull off this comeback. if he can't throw the ball long and zip it into the seam than opposing defenses will load up in the box and the offense will go nowhere. it does not matter how accurate he is on short throws, in the nfl if you can't stretch the field (or at least have the threat to go long) you will not be successful. if pennington can't cut it they may as well give the ball to clemmons. by all accounts he is tought mentally and should be able to shake off the early struggles he will undoubtedly face. this team is probably not going to compete in '06 anyways so they may as well get him some game experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.