Ainge on IR

Rookie quarterback Erik Ainge has been placed on injured reserve.

Erik Ainge’s rookie season is over. The fifth-round draft pick, who hadn’t appeared in a game since the preseason finale against Philadelphia on Aug. 28, was placed on injured reserve by the Jets on Tuesday with a right foot injury.

I am hardly an Oliver Stone conspiracy theorist, but color me skeptical. Ainge was the fourth quarterback on the roster, unlikely to see the field under any circumstances. The Jets clearly like his potential, but this move allows the Jets to keep him on the roster while clearing up a spot for someone more useful in 2008. The vagary of the injury description is kind of a giveaway.