Coming off of a 10-6 season in 2006, hopes were high for Eric Mangini's Jets. The general consensus had been that he took a team without a lot of talent to the playoffs with a weak schedule, and then in 2007, the team would face a reality check.
That proved to be exactly the case, as new acquisition Thomas Jones could not make up for the regression that the offensive line, as a whole, underwent. The only new offensive lineman was Adrien Clarke, a journeyman who was replacing the outspoken Pete Kendall. Clarke was as effective as a turnstile, but the rest of the offensive line seemed to regress as well.
This led to quarterback Chad Pennington, who had been a winner for much of his career with the Jets, getting benched after a 1-7 start. He ended the season with a respectable rating of 86.1, but anyone who watched the games could easily see his flaws and his role in the team not winning.
Kellen Clemens came off the bench, and while he led the team to three wins, he was by many measures the worst quarterback in the NFL last year. By the time he was playing consistently, the team was basically running open tryouts along the offensive line and in the receiving corps. The Jets were an offensive wreck.
Enter the offseason.
While their jobs may not have been on the line just yet, GM Mike Tannenbaum and coach Mangini were looking to make a big splash, and they did just that, signing Calvin Pace, trading for Kris Jenkins, and drafting Vernon Gholston. On the offensive side, they gave Alan Faneca the biggest contract ever for an offensive guard, and Damien Woody received a sizable contract to play right tackle. They also drafted Dustin Keller, 6'2" 245 lb. tight end with enough speed to provide big mismatches.
On paper, it's a completely different team, as the offensive line and defense both look much improved. The improvements of the line also should allow Jones, and receivers Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery, to revert back to their normal forms.
All of these moves indicate that the Jets want to win now, but there's one major problem with that. The most important position on the football field is a major question mark, and it's one that even the Jets' coaching staff and front office probably can't answer.
The Case for Chad Pennington
Those who write off Pennington after his 2007 season are sorely mistaken. He never got a chance to succeed, getting hurt in the first game, and then having absolutely no help on the offensive end the rest of the season. Despite that, he put up better numbers and threw for twice as many touchdowns in just 10 more attempts. He took the team to the playoffs in 2006, despite rehabbing most of the offseason, and he also played quite well in 2002 and 2004, with a decent 2003 season in which he got hurt in between.
He'll be 32-years old at the start of the season, and he certainly has experience taking the team to the playoffs. He did that in 2006, and the team is even better around him now. The team is built to win now, and Pennington is the better quarterback today, with experience and statistics both clearly on his side.
The case for Kellen Clemens:
With all the attention that was paid to Vince Young, Matt Leinart, and Jay Cutler, the Jets snatched the Oregon quarterback 49th overall after maneuvering up and down in the second round to secure him. Clemens flew up the draft board in the weeks preceding the draft, as people examined and began to like his mobility, arm strength, productivity, and leadership abilities more and more. He only threw two passes his rookie season, but he got his chance Week Two against Baltimore after Pennington suffered a high-ankle sprain in the opening game.
Clemens struggled for three quarters before coming alive in the fourth, where he was two Justin McCareins drops away from tying the game against the mighty Ravens defense. A healthy Pennington regained his job, but Clemens took over late in Week Eight against Buffalo, and kept the job for the rest of the season.
His first win was against Pittsburgh, where he went 14-31 for 162 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also led victories against Miami and Kansas City
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