NY Jets QB’s: To Draft or Not To Draft…That Is the Question

In an interesting article in this Sunday’s Daily News, Rich Cimini makes some great points about how little over-all success the Jets have had selecting quarterbacks in the NFL draft. According to Rich, only 1 of the 15 QB’s selected by the Jets since the Joe Namath era have mustered a winning record as a full time starter for the Jets.

And who is that one? Chad Pennington. Yeah, that’s right, the guy we all couldn’t wait to put on the first available ‘Loser train’ out of the city. Ol’ Mr. Limp Wrist himself.

So this leaves the Jets in a well publicized hole at the quarterback position, with Kellen Clemens leading the way in what the Jets would have you believe is a “legitimate” QB competition for the top spot. I’m here to tell you that no matter how much or how loudly the organization tells you things are hunky dory with the current QB’s on the roster, they simply just aren’t. Any fool with eyes and a brain can see this.

While it is a very telling stat, having unsuccessfully pulled the trigger on 15 draft picks at the position does not & should not excuse the team from making a move in this coming draft. The hard truth facing the Jets is the cold, hard, fact that Clemens couldn’t beat out the guy we ran out of town, so why exactly is he now a ‘smart’ choice for the team? The latest buzz out of Rex Ryan’s first voluntary mini-camps this weekend, have Kellen running well ahead of both Brett Ratliff and Eric Ainge, but from where I sit this is a little like me bragging about out running a legless man. Kellen Clemens has had more time in the offense & has been the official starter…any one surprised to hear he is knocking the pants off of a practice squad guy and a dude whose only real claim to fame is his uncle who once won an NBA championship, has no earthly clue what a ‘real’ QB competition is all about.

The Jets need to run to the first team willing to let them trade up for a shot at grabbing the likes of a Mark Sanchez or a Josh Freeman, if Sanchez is no longer available. While many will argue we already have plenty of untested QB’s on the roster, and I don’t necessarily disagree with that sentiment, but without bringing in a legit contender for the position, to say Clemens has ‘won’ the position in a QB battle is little more than crowning him King of the Losers….he might be king but he’s still just a loser.

I say let Clemens really prove his worth. We already knew that Kellen was better than the wanna-be’s behind him, that’s why he was the back up in the first place. What we, the organization and fans alike, need to know and see is if he has what it takes to beat out someone with star potential written all over them, like a Stafford, Sanchez or Freeman. The Jets bring in a young gun like that into this ‘competition’ and I will gladly follow Clemens to the bloody end, but first he has to earn it and more importantly, prove it.