Tag: Kellen Clemens (Page 2 of 2)

Sanchez struggles in second preseason game

Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was just 3-of-8 for 43 yards, one touchdown and one interception (which was returned for a TD by defensive tackle Haloti Ngata) in the Jets’ 24-23 loss to the Ravens on Monday night. Kellen Clemens, Sanchez’s main competition for NY’s starting quarterback job, didn’t fair much better, completing just 5-of-10 passes for 60 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Sanchez almost threw a second pick in the game, but Ray Lewis showed off his stone hands on the play and dropped it. The rookie QB did bounce back after his poor start, hooking up with Leon Washington on a 19-yard touchdown pass before exciting the game after being hit in the head.

Even with this bad outing, chances are that the Jets will still name Sanchez their starter because Clemens hasn’t done anything to prove he deserves the job more. Sanchez has reportedly showed a stronger arm and more accuracy all summer and thus, will probably win the gig at some point.

This is just speculation, but if Sanchez starts and plays well Saturday night against the Giants, Rex Ryan will name him the starter shortly thereafter.

Daily Six-Pack: NFL Preseason Friday

NFL preseason action continues tonight with four games on the schedule. Below are six quick-hit thoughts and things to watch for during tonight’s slate of games.

1. Are the reports true about Palmer?
All indications from Bengals camp is that Carson Palmer is in the best shape of his career after missing virtually the entire 2008 season with a right elbow injury. Palmer is expected to get 12-15 snaps tonight when the Bengals travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints. Just as the Patriots were hoping for a strong showing from Tom Brady last night (he threw for 100 yards and 2 TDs, by the way), Cincinnati is hoping that Palmer flashes the arm strength that once made him the top overall pick. Another thing to keep an eye on is how the young Cincinnati offensive line looks in protecting Palmer. The Bengals have a physical unit in Andrew Whitworth, Anthony Collins, Kyle Cook, Nate Livings and Bobbie Williams, but they’re an inexperienced unit on a whole and Cincy would love to see some cohesion from the group tonight.

2. The starting quarterback battle for the Vikings begins tonight.
Head coach Brad Childress reported that Sage Rosenfels will get the start Friday night against the Colts, which isn’t a huge surprise considering Tarvaris Jackson missed some time in camp with a sprained knee. Still, Rosenfels getting the starting nod tonight may be an indication that he’s pulled ahead in the race for the Vikes’ starting quarterback job. Rosenfels doesn’t have a high ceiling in terms of potential, but he’s steady and could be a good game manager for a Minnesota team that is expected to keep the ball on the ground a lot with Adrian Peterson. While Jackson will certainly get his opportunity to start in preseason, a strong first impression tonight would go a long way for Rosenfels.

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Favre could return next season with the Vikings

NFL sources are telling New York Daily News football columnist Gary Myers that Brett Favre cannot peacefully retire until he gains his revenge on the Green Bay Packers. He wants back into the NFC North Division in order to play the Packers twice next season. Favre wants to play well and show them that it was mistake in trading him away last season.

Myers is connecting the dots and seeing where this may lead:

• Favre retired in February, but the New York Jets refused his request to release him, wanting to keep his rights in the event he changed his mind and wanted to play again – he is prone to flip-flop, of course – and Kellen Clemens and Brett Ratliff stunk up their new $75 million practice facility in the offseason.
• The Jets traded up to get Mark Sanchez in the draft last weekend and the text-messaging between GM Mike Tannenbaum and Favre intensified. Favre still wanted to completely cut his contractual ties with the Jets. Three days later, the Jets released him. Sources say Favre, who will be 40 in October, wants to keep his options open. Favre released a statement saying, “At this time, I am retired and have no intention of returning to football.”
The three key words: “At this time.”
• The Minnesota Vikings are a quarterback short of being a Super Bowl contender, and they need to sell tickets and have been trying for years to get a new stadium.

Favre’s bitterness is creating this scenario, and he has authorized his agent to indirectly contact the Vikings about playing for them next season. Media reports from Minnesota have reported that the Vikings have had internal discussions about adding Favre to the roster. And many in the NFL believe that we haven’t seen the last of him on a football field. As long as a team is willing to give him a roster spot, Favre will play.

Jets hope Brett makes up his mind in next 10 days

The Jets hope to hear Brett Favre’s decision on whether or not he’s returning to the team next year by the NFL scouting combine.

Brett FavreThe Jets are in the same position the Packers were in the last several years and it’s not comfortable. They are waiting for Favre to tell them what he’s doing.

When the Jets made the trade in August, they got the entire Favre package: The leadership, the excitement, the improvisation and the interceptions. But they also acquired the aggravation of their life being put on hold as Favre takes his time deciding whether he’s going to play in 2009. The Jets need to be pro-active rather than playing nice and feeding into Favre’s diva act.

But the Jets need an answer. Freeing up Favre’s $13 million cap number would give them free-agent flexibility. Even if he plays, they still have some room to maneuver. The greater issue would be who plays quarterback? If Favre is done, the Jets can’t go into camp with Kellen Clemens and Brett Ratliff and pray one of them turns into Matt Cassel.

At least when Favre was doing this to the Packers the last few years they knew Aaron Rodgers was next in line. The Jets don’t have quality options. That’s why the Jets are being patient. They might feel they need him more than he needs them.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but you can’t help but get the feeling that the Jets made the wrong decision to acquire Favre last year. He made them competitive, but they still missed the playoffs and now they’re at the mercy of his pending decision. Worse yet, if he doesn’t return, they either have to hope Clemens or Ratliff emerges next year or take a shot at selecting a quarterback in a week draft class.

Maybe it would have been better if the Jets allowed Clemens to get another year under his belt instead of taking a shot on Favre.

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