Nosebleed Diaries: Making The Case For Kellen Clemens

Groundbreaking news in the world of New York Jets football came this week, with Brett Favre's announcement that he is retiring from football—seriously! Or so he claims.

Whatever the case, it is clear that he will not be sporting a Jets jersey next season, leaving a gaping hole on the Jets depth chart, at their most important position.

If the Jets are to look inward, they have three potential candidates: Kellen Clemens, Brett Ratliff, and Eric Ainge. Those names aren't too pretty for a town like New York, who prefers super-stardom over subtlety.

Of the three, Clemens is the most likely to start, as he has experience and possesses a strong arm and a composure in the pocket, something that suits a run-heavy offense, which the Jets will undoubtedly have next season.

Brett Ratliff has become somewhat of a fan-favorite for Jets fans, though I have no idea why. He has not played in a regular season once in his career and is the third string quarterback. Funny how things work in a town like New York.

With that said, he was pretty dominant in the preseason, with four touchdowns, just one interception, 499 yards, and a quarterback rating of 122.6 over the course of four games. Of course, the woeful Detroit Lions went undefeated in the preseason, so that is a pretty inconsistent tool to measure talent.

In my mind, there is no way that you hand Eric Ainge the job. He tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and he has tons of question marks as far as his tools, not to mention his spotty attitude.

So, where should the Jets go?

In my mind, they have got to give the job to Kellen Clemens, at least for the time being. He has already stated in interviews that he has a starting quarterback mentality, and he will have one going into training camp.

He has the experience and is well respected around the locker room. He's someone the fellow players can relate to—unlike, say, a certain 39-year-old with a scruffy salt and pepper beard and a southern twang.

While Clemens was average-at-best over his eight games started in the 2007 season, you have to remember that the Jets had an abysmal offensive line that year. If you look at Chad Pennington, who played poorly that year, he went to the Miami Dolphins for the '08 campaign, and he played extremely well, in large part due to the Dolphins well put- together offensive line.

Therefore, you would have to think that with a new and improved offensive line, Clemens would improve. Another thing that would help is a dominant wide receiver, someone with true speed. David Clowney, the young wideout, was said to contain that speed, but you have to wonder if he has the experience to be a go-to guy. I say he doesn't.

The Jets are on the clock as far as that goes.

Until then, Head Coach Rex Ryan and the rest of his coaching staff should be racking their brains, trying to find a way to get Kellen Clemens to manage this Jets team to a playoff appearance.

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