Sources: Kellen Clemens could be dealt

[Sperm Edwards]

You really think so?

The difference between Kellen and O'Connell's pay is about $700K. Does that really matter in an uncapped year?

I think the QB position could be set for another overhaul in 2011. Brunell is no lock to last another year. I'm afraid if the Jets call on Brunell's services for any meaningful snaps that he'll be exposed right away. They're trying to talk him up in camp, but is anyone really buying it? And O'Connell sucks. Clemens could very well be the backup that continues to stick. I think they need to take another midround QB in next year's draft, and if Clemens and Brunell both go, they'll need another vet, too.

Saturday's game should be interesting. It'll tell us a little bit more about where these guys stand.

It shouldn't matter, but one never knows what their thought process is. I don't claim to know. But if they trade Clemens for anything, it says to me they were going to cut him anyway. Personally I think it would be foolish to trade him for what might end up being a 6th or 7th round pick in 2012 if there is indeed a lockout in '11. Brunell is awful and O'Connell is showing to be even worse.

Easy to say take a mid-round QB next year, but with a couple of big-name free agents lost, and the dollars it will take to get their other big-name guys signed, they may need all the early and mid-round picks they have. Mid-round picks could be worse than usual crop of players given how many came out in 2010, so we'd probably just end up with another Ainge anyway. Clemens would be a cheap option to keep beyond that, and at least you know what he is, he knows the playbook cold, and doesn't get into any off-field trouble or other such nonsense.

[slats]

Clemens would be a cheap option to keep beyond that, and at least you know what he is, he knows the playbook cold, and doesn't get into any off-field trouble or other such nonsense.

That's my take, too. Unless Clemens really has that itch to go somewhere else and start, being a 7-figure backup is a pretty sweet gig.

[TheSage]

Clemens looked pretty good last week and pretty decent when he had to step in for Sanchez last year. Would rather seee him in there than Brunell

[serphnx]

He's a bit pricey for a third stringer I guess, but the Jets should be able to afford it. It's an uncapped year after all, and Clemens isn't actually pushing for the starting job anyway. It doesn't matter if he's not buddy buddy with Sanchez, if anything that might hurt him, it certainly doesn't hurt Sanchez or the rest of the team though. At this point there is virtually nothing Clemens can teach or help Sanchez with. Sanchez has way more experience than him, and far more ability as well.

Unless the Steelers or Broncos get really desperate and make a good offer, I think Clemens stays here. I certainly don't think any NFL team will want him as a starter. He has a chance with the Broncos only because of how terrible all their QBs are, and a chance with the Steelers because their starting QB is an idiot. But Leftwich and Dixon are both probably better than him. Pretty much every other team has an established QB, or just got a vet that is better than Clemens. Even Oakland has Jason Campbell. Clemen's best shot was to beat out Pennington, but he failed miserably repeatedly for years. The league has since pretty much reloaded in the QB department, everybody is either sitting on top talent or looking for one now. Clemens is pretty much damaged goods. Clemens is just JeMarcus Russel with a better work ethic.

[Smashmouth]

Im trying to figure out how some people on this board are convinced Brunell is so terrible. I feel pretty confident he could run the offense if Sanchez gets hurt. We wont be asking him to play the position beyond his means and in the case he does play he would be running a pretty talented offense. Unlike what he had been running previously.

When you have an offense with this much talent you dont have to force anything, all you have to do is be patient and the plays will come naturally. Jsut look at the Saints offense last year to understand that. Most of what they did last year emerged from, a great running game, play action, and a short passing game that opened up big plays late in games. They also had stable of running backs who could catch the ball out of the backfield to check down too that always seemed to get positive yards. Now we have a few backs who can make plays catching the ball so WE can now check down and feel confident doing so. LT, Woodhead, and McKnight (if he gets his head out of his a$$) can all catch the ball and have good speed

Clemens has shown us nothing since hes been here, although he did play well Monday Night, his problem is his pocket presence not his arm or his overall Ability. Anyone who would put Clemens in to run this team in the event Sanchez gets injured needs to have his head examined.

If this team is on the brink of the playoffs I'll take the Smart veteran over the young failure every single time. If were out of the playoff hunt THEN you play Clemens or Oconnell or Ainge but Im pretty sure that wont be the case.

[Sperm Edwards]

Im trying to figure out how some people on this board are convinced Brunell is so terrible. I feel pretty confident he could run the offense if Sanchez gets hurt. We wont be asking him to play the position beyond his means and in the case he does play he would be running a pretty talented offense. Unlike what he had been running previously.

When you have an offense with this much talent you dont have to force anything, all you have to do is be patient and the plays will come naturally. Jsut look at the Saints offense last year to understand that. Most of what they did last year emerged from, a great running game, play action, and a short passing game that opened up big plays late in games. They also had stable of running backs who could catch the ball out of the backfield to check down too that always seemed to get positive yards. Now we have a few backs who can make plays catching the ball so WE can now check down and feel confident doing so. LT, Woodhead, and McKnight (if he gets his head out of his a$) can all catch the ball and have good speed

Clemens has shown us nothing since hes been here, although he did play well Monday Night, his problem is his pocket presence not his arm or his overall Ability. Anyone who would put Clemens in to run this team in the event Sanchez gets injured needs to have his head examined.

If this team is on the brink of the playoffs I'll take the Smart veteran over the young failure every single time. If were out of the playoff hunt THEN you play Clemens or Oconnell or Ainge but Im pretty sure that wont be the case.

Brunell has no pocket presence anymore either. Saw him last year and this once pro-bowler looked like an inexperienced rookie; one who could barely throw to boot. New Orleans had him for 2 seasons and made the determination that they'd rather take a shot in the dark with Patrick Ramsey instead of keeping Brunell for another year. How in-demand was Ramsey? He was cut from being the Titans #3 QB mid-season last year. No one else signed him until the last week of the season - by Detroit, no less - after Stafford went on IR. All off-season no one went after him until the Saints, who had to wait for no one to want him through mid-July, signed him just to compete for the #2 job. Wouldn't it have made more sense to just keep Brunell, quite familiar with the playbook and the staff and teammates, if he was capable of handling the #2 QB duties? Not if you've had him for the past 2 seasons and know what he is now.

He was a good QB once. Now he's a QB coach/mentor. But he's not a QB anymore, no matter how many 5 yard passes he completes in 7-on-7 drills while hiding behind the safe cloak of a red practice jersey.

Clemens has definitely demonstrated issues with pocket presence. Brunell has shown issues with pocket presence combined with the absence of physical ability that left him years ago. Plus he's a lefty to boot, which could really play havoc with our OL if he's ever needed halfway through a game.

[Smashmouth]

Brunell has no pocket presence anymore either. Saw him last year and this once pro-bowler looked like an inexperienced rookie; one who could barely throw to boot. New Orleans had him for 2 seasons and made the determination that they'd rather take a shot in the dark with Patrick Ramsey instead of keeping Brunell for another year. How in-demand was Ramsey? He was cut from being the Titans #3 QB mid-season last year. No one else signed him until the last week of the season - by Detroit, no less - after Stafford went on IR. All off-season no one went after him until the Saints, who had to wait for no one to want him through mid-July, signed him just to compete for the #2 job. Wouldn't it have made more sense to just keep Brunell, quite familiar with the playbook and the staff and teammates, if he was capable of handling the #2 QB duties? Not if you've had him for the past 2 seasons and know what he is now.

He was a good QB once. Now he's a QB coach/mentor. But he's not a QB anymore, no matter how many 5 yard passes he completes in 7-on-7 drills while hiding behind the safe cloak of a red practice jersey.

Clemens has definitely demonstrated issues with pocket presence. Brunell has shown issues with pocket presence combined with the absence of physical ability that left him years ago. Plus he's a lefty to boot, which could really play havoc with our OL if he's ever needed halfway through a game.

All very good points. Was he more horrible than Clemens when he came in for Sanchez last year ? Who knows, maybe they are both horrible and in that case I think we have to go with the experience.

[Sperm Edwards]

All very good points. Was he more horrible than Clemens when he came in for Sanchez last year ? Who knows, maybe they are both horrible and in that case I think we have to go with the experience.

I'd be more comfortable with that if the superbowl winner, and still strong current contender, fired him and went with a total unknown who absolutely no one else in the NFL wanted. Even 2 years in their system wasn't enough to convince the Saints to keep him for one more year. They went with a guy who got cut from a third-string QB job on a Saturday in early October, with a game the next morning. Practiced with the team all week and they cut this veteran 24 hours before the game starts. And this is who the Saints chose over this experienced vet - among which experience is experience on their own friggin' team for the past 2 years and who was their kick holder to boot.

[slats]

I'd be more comfortable with that if the superbowl winner, and still strong current contender, fired him and went with a total unknown who absolutely no one else in the NFL wanted. Even 2 years in their system wasn't enough to convince the Saints to keep him for one more year. They went with a guy who got cut from a third-string QB job on a Saturday in early October, with a game the next morning. Practiced with the team all week and they cut this veteran 24 hours before the game starts. And this is who the Saints chose over this experienced vet - among which experience is experience on their own friggin' team for the past 2 years and who was their kick holder to boot.

The flipside of this argument is that the Jets have had Clemens for four years all under the same offensive staff, and each time Clemens was offered a chance to start he either lost out to Pennington, or the team made a major move (Favre, Sanchez) rather than give him a fair shot. His one start last year they opted to completely handcuff him. They obviously didn't need much from the QB that day, but maybe they could've unleashed him a bit just for their own confidence in him - which it seems they clearly do not have.

I have no confidence in either one. I was really hoping Ainge or O'Connell would really step it up this year - but so much for that.

Sanchez will probably only play a quarter tonight. Good night to see what these backups can do.

[Sperm Edwards]

The flipside of this argument is that the Jets have had Clemens for four years all under the same offensive staff, and each time Clemens was offered a chance to start he either lost out to Pennington, or the team made a major move (Favre, Sanchez) rather than give him a fair shot. His one start last year they opted to completely handcuff him. They obviously didn't need much from the QB that day, but maybe they could've unleashed him a bit just for their own confidence in him - which it seems they clearly do not have.

I have no confidence in either one. I was really hoping Ainge or O'Connell would really step it up this year - but so much for that.

Sanchez will probably only play a quarter tonight. Good night to see what these backups can do.

You think Brunell, with his skills as they are right now, would have beaten any of those QB's out? I don't. If they had 40 year-old Brunell, they still would have started Pennington; they still would have gotten Favre if he was gettable, and they still would have drafted Sanchez. Just because the franchise doesn't see Clemens as a long-term solution as starter doesn't mean he's ill-fit to be the backup. Experiments with trying to start QB's like David Carr, Joey Harrington, Seneca Wallace, etc are over, but they're still adequate as backups.

If I'm wrong then I'm wrong, but I don't think Brunell is good for anything except as a second sideline QB coach.

[slats]

You think Brunell, with his skills as they are right now, would have beaten any of those QB's out? I don't. If they had 40 year-old Brunell, they still would have started Pennington; they still would have gotten Favre if he was gettable, and they still would have drafted Sanchez. Just because the franchise doesn't see Clemens as a long-term solution as starter doesn't mean he's ill-fit to be the backup. Experiments with trying to start QB's like David Carr, Joey Harrington, Seneca Wallace, etc are over, but they're still adequate as backups.

If I'm wrong then I'm wrong, but I don't think Brunell is good for anything except as a second sideline QB coach.

Hey man -like I said- I'm not thrilled with either one. The Jets know Clemens better than we do, and he's gone from actually competing for the starting job, to symbolically competing for the starting job, to fighting for a roster spot, in four years in the league. The Jets bringing in Brunell and anointing him the #2 man tells us much more about how they feel about Clemens than Old Mark, if you were to ask me.

Tonight's game should solidify the QB pecking order. Be interesting to see who comes out when, and who they get to play with (Clemens throwing to Holmes was huge!). I hope they're assessing them honestly. Then I hope I never have to see either of them take a meaningful snap for the Jets.

The Jets like to tinker with the bottom of their roster once all the cuts come in. Backup QB of the future should be an option when we get to that point.

Is O'Connell practice squad eligible?

[Integrity28]

All I can say is this:

We'd better not keep 4 QBs again this year.

I'd rather see us carry 4 FBs to be honest... and that is an absurd notion.

We need dept as so many other positions... a 4th QB is just stupid, especially with Brad Smith on the roster.

[slats]

All I can say is this:

We'd better not keep 4 QBs again this year.

I'd rather see us carry 4 FBs to be honest... and that is an absurd notion.

We need dept as so many other positions... a 4th QB is just stupid, especially with Brad Smith on the roster.

Rex has told the QB's that he doesn't plan to carry four again, that's why I asked if O'Connell was practice squad eligible. I think the Jets could safely cut him and stash him this year if they still see something in him that no one else does.

[Integrity28]

Rex has told the QB's that he doesn't plan to carry four again, that's why I asked if O'Connell was practice squad eligible. I think the Jets could safely cut him and stash him this year if they still see something in him that no one else does.

That would be the best case scenario, imo.

[Larz]

after watching HK, the jets must keep brunell around, and if they do anything this year, and sanchez matures, he will deserve the a lot of the credit.

after carrying 4 QB's because tanny said they are valuable assets, it would be a shame not to get any trade value from any of them

sanchez and brunell are givens to make the roster

ainge has no value

O'Connel has no value

so if they can get a case of M&M's and a CB for clemens, so be it

[Jetsfan80]

Mark Brunell won a Super Bowl last year, and can help Sanchez cope with some of his gay urges. For those reasons alone, he stays.

[Sperm Edwards]

I have no issue with them keeping Brunell around. My issue is with supplying him with a helmet and shoulder pads.

[Maxman]

With how O'Connell looked and with Ainge in rehab getting rid of Clemens makes no sense to me. These salary dumps (Faneca, Clemens)could come back to bite them...

[Apache 51]

With how O'Connell looked and with Ainge in rehab getting rid of Clemens makes no sense to me. These salary dumps (Faneca, Clemens)could come back to bite them...

Better to bite the bullet now, if necessary, than in year 4,5.

[visajets]

With how O'Connell looked and with Ainge in rehab getting rid of Clemens makes no sense to me. These salary dumps (Faneca, Clemens)could come back to bite them...

I agree problem is I think the JETS feel they can get some worth out of him and save some money in the process. With Brunell on the roster I dont see KC being a JET on opening day. My prediction Sanchez,Brunell and O'Connell. Ainge on the IR because of his off field issues. Dont forget Brad Smith can also fill in if needed.

[#27TheDominator]

O'Connel has no value

I think O'Connnell has some value. It may be small, but I think it exists. The Pats waived him, probably hoping to stash him on the practice squad. The Lions were the first team eligible to take him and they snapped him right up despite already having Stafford, Culpepper and Stanton. That probably means they figured somebody would give something up for him. The Jets traded a 7th for him. A 7th isn't much, but it's something. There is a better than even chance somebody will take him if he's waived.

[Larz]

I think O'Connnell has some value. It may be small, but I think it exists. The Pats waived him, probably hoping to stash him on the practice squad. The Lions were the first team eligible to take him and they snapped him right up despite already having Stafford, Culpepper and Stanton. That probably means they figured somebody would give something up for him. The Jets traded a 7th for him. A 7th isn't much, but it's something. There is a better than even chance somebody will take him if he's waived.

his latest effort had to hurt, and there is a brand new crop of young QB's on the bubble out there, I really don't see it

it's a shame, I was really hoping he'd push for the #2 job this year

oh well

[Montreal Jet]

I have no issue with them keeping Brunell around. My issue is with supplying him with a helmet and shoulder pads.

Seriously. why don't the Jets just hire Brunell as part of the coaching staff. Because he blows as a QB at this point of his career and is a complete waste of a roster spot.

[Bruce Banner]

O'Connell needs to be converted to WR like what happened with Drew Bennet.

Brunell is useless. When he was at Green Bay Favre put a voodoo curse on him making all his old age go over to Brunell instead.

If this team trades Clemens it would be a classic SOJ move.

[jussssstme]

If they're hell-bent on keeping O'Connell over him, then it's the right thing to do. Even a 7th rounder is better than nothing. Plus it's kind of dick to tag the guy with a 2nd round pick, guaranteeing no one else even thinks about signing him away, and then cut him right before the season starts when all the #2 QB slots are filled. He doesn't seem like a bad guy. Just a bad QB.

Any pick we would get would be good. but I do agree that he would be the best back up option. the lesser of 3 evils so to say.