Tagged: Brett Ratliff

QB or not QB? That’s the Jets’ question

clemens_250.jpgNow that Brett Favre has decided to retire, the Jets can make a decision on who will compete to be their starting quarterback for the upcoming season.  Rex Ryan knew that he did not walk into a rebuilding situation. This is clearly a win-now team, and Jets fans will not have the patience for them to develop a new quarterback, so it will be interesting to see what they do in the coming weeks to address the position.  

There are three ways in which they can address the situation.

? Stick with what they have —  The Jets may think that either Kellen Clemens or Brett Ratliff could indeed be the answer.  They seem to be very high on Ratliff; he showed some good things during the preseason, but really, how much can we tell about someone in games against backups and third stringers?  At only 24, he is considered to be a bright young quarterback, and if successful, he could be the starter for years to come.  He is, however, a free agent, but I don’t think it will take a lot of money to retain him, so he should be one of the quarterbacks that they bring to camp this summer. 

Clemens, on the other hand, had a chance to show what he had two years ago, and I think that if the Jet’s were satisfied with his performance, they would not have traded for Favre in the first place. So, my feeling is that if they were to stick with both of their current quarterbacks, Ratliff would be the favorite to start.

? Draft a young quarterback — I don’t know how happy Jets fans would be with this move, but keep in mind where Rex Ryan came from, and look at the success that the Ravens had this past season with Joe Flacco. 

Matt Stafford and Mark Sanchez are considered the two top quarterbacks this year, and if the Jets want either of them, it will probably require a trade in the draft.  This would also be a surprise move to me considering that the Jets have so much invested in the next couple of years, and we can’t expect all first round quarterbacks to have the success that Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco had last season.

? Bring in a veteran — If the Jets think that they do indeed have a championship-caliber team, they may bring in a veteran that could bring them instant satisfaction like Favre did last season.  Kurt Warner and Kerry Collins are two guys who had great seasons this past year, and if they are not retained by their current teams, they could be considered.  Warner showed that he can still lead a team to the playoffs but it has to be the right situation, and Collins had great success with the Giants and proved that he could throw in the windy Meadowlands.  Some other names to keep in mind are Byron Leftwich and Jeff Garcia, and don’t forget Kyle Boller, who Ryan knows very well from his days in Baltimore. 

My opinion is that Jets should go after either Marc Bulger or Derek Anderson, neither of which are free agents but are very attainable.  Anderson showed that he could start in this league, and I saw him light up the Giants last year in the Monday night game. He has also been a victim of many dropped passes and is now the backup behind Brady Quinn.  The Browns do not want to pay two quarterbacks starter money, so I think that they would want to move him. The only problem here is that Eric Mangini is now the coach of the Browns and would not be too eager to do business with the Jets.  Bulger, on the other hand, may be released by the Rams and wouldn’t require any compensation.  He has proved that he could start in the league and is still young enough to build around.

As free agency begins at the end of the month, it will be interesting to see which way the Jets will go with their thought process.

The Brett Favre situation

favre_250_021009.jpgIt is now the middle of February and the Jets have not played football in almost six weeks. Rex Ryan was hired three weeks ago and with him comes a new vision and a new attitude that the Jets will have this upcoming season. So while the focus with the team is clearly on the future rather than the past, there appears to be one big obstacle in the way of their plans.

“Brett the Jet” (everyone remember that headline at the end of last summer) or is it “Brett Maybe the Jet,” which is better term to describe the relationship with him and the team right now. I’m not even a Jets fan and I’m so fed up with Brett Favre and the whole situation he has put the Jets in this offseason.

My feeling all along is that Favre has been purposely dragging his feet so the Jets have no choice but to cut him so they can move ahead. He didn’t want to come here last season and since he’s seen the two faces of the New York fans and media, he wants no part of playing under the microscope at this point in his career. Last year he wanted to go to Minnesota, but because they are divisional rivals of the Packers, that could not have happened. The Jets can’t trade him there because there is a clause in the agreement which states that New York would have to give up a first round draft pick. But if they cut him, he is free to go wherever he wants. Why the Vikings would want Favre is beyond me, but I guess that even at his age he is an upgrade over Tavaris Jackson. The bottom line is that I am neither a Favre fan nor hater. I just think that he owes it to the Jets to make a decision so they can move on and focus on the upcoming season.
 
Look I know Favre is a former MVP, Super Bowl champion and all-around great player, but notice how I said former. This is not the same player who led the Packers to all of those playoff appearances and while doing so became one of the most well-liked players to ever wear a uniform. This is a man who is a very average quarterback right now and for him to think that he is so above the game these past two seasons is an absolute joke.

I place no blame on the Packers for what happened during last offseason; they waited patiently while he took his time (really took his time) and made up his mind to retire. The first few weeks of an offseason is a very crucial time for an organization to know what they need to do to address the upcoming campaign and replacing the starting quarterback position is the most important decision for any team. It involves so much off the field preparation that the quarterbacks themselves are relieved when it is over and they can begin throwing in minicamp.

I have no problem with someone deciding to retire and than changing their mind like Michael Jordan. (Really folks, did any of us think he was not coming back?) My problem is that Favre thought that just because he was ready to come back, the Packers would welcome him as their starting quarterback with open arms. Favre has been around the game long enough to know that training camp is not the start of the season. There are offseason conditioning programs, minicamps and film sessions, especially with the quarterback position. It was also a tough public relations situation for the Packers because of his legendary status there, so I really respect the way that they handled it.

I hoped that Favre would have been more considerate to his new team, knowing that he played so poorly down the stretch and there is a new coach in place with new ideas and plans for the team. Ryan is in a tough spot right now because in these upcoming weeks before free agency and the combines, a head coach needs to know about his options at the quarterback position, and there is no Aaron Rodgers waiting in the wings to become the new starter. Ryan said at his press conference that he would like to have Favre back, and right now I don’t think the Jets believe that Kellen Clemens or Brett Ratliff are the answers. But unfortunately at this point they really can’t make any kind of a move in free agency for a starting quarterback until they know Favre’s status.