Clemens ahead of Sanchez?

[mrblitz]

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Mark Sanchez zipped passes all over the field with precision Saturday, looking very much like the franchise quarterback the New York Jets expect him to be.

That doesn't necessarily mean the starting job is Sanchez's to lose -- yet.

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Jets coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer have praised Sanchez's work ethic and poise during rookie minicamp. But they also have been quick to point out that holdover Kellen Clemens has performed well in offseason workouts, too.

"He has the head start, and he is clearly ahead in terms of the system," Schottenheimer said of Clemens. "Not that Mark is doing badly at all -- he is doing well. But things that come natural to Kellen, Sanchez has to think about."

Clemens, who's entering his fourth NFL season, will compete with Sanchez for the starting job and appears to have his work cut out for him. The Jets traded up for the fifth overall draft pick last weekend and took Sanchez, whom they targeted early in the scouting process.

"I'm looking forward to watching these guys compete," Schottenheimer said.

Sanchez has been solid in all four rookie camp practices, particularly in Saturday afternoon's session, when he completed his first six throws in 7-on-7 drills.

"Going through the cadence everyday and saying the calls over and over again helps," Sanchez said. "It's going to be that repetition that really makes me feel comfortable."

After calling an impromptu meeting of the offensive rookies Thursday night, Sanchez met with the offensive line Friday night.



"We had extra time, and the bus wasn't leaving yet," Sanchez said, "so we just all got together instead of sitting around staring at each other and watched a little film."

Sanchez has impressed Ryan with that kind of leadership, as well as his ability to retain increased amounts of the playbook.

"I think so far, so good," Ryan said. "Once we put in two straight weeks of it, day in, day out, we'll see if it's overwhelming to him, but right now, clearly it's not."

Schottenheimer has liked Sanchez's accuracy but also is surprised by the quarterback's feet.

"He has very, very good footwork," Schottenheimer said. "He has quick feet. ... He's ahead of the game with most college quarterbacks that I have been around in terms of footwork. That clearly gives him an advantage in terms of accuracy."

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

[portisfan24]

Not all that surprising. It will take a little more than a week for Sanchez to learn the offense.

[mattb47]

Yea...I doubt it takes long though for the talent difference to become VERY evident.

[aaawall91]

I hope they sit him for awhile, he is what the Jets need.

I think Clemens may surprise this year if he gets the starting job at the start. I like him, I'm not exactly sure what that mess was with him last year in pre-season where he went from Starter (before Brett) to almost like 6th or 5th on the depth chart before Penny was traded (or whatever).

That being said, Sanchez is clearly the Jets future.

[Dawinner127]

Give Sanchez a few weeks/months to get everything down pat and it will be a pretty obvious choice to who the starting QB for the Jets is going to be in '09. It's only been a week and he is understanding most of it.

[flotsamnjetsam]

Not all that surprising. It will take a little more than a week for Sanchez to learn the offense.

My thoughts exactly. This is Clemens' 4th year in the system. It's only the 1st week for Sanchez. We'll see who's starting in September.

[Metroid]

blitz you need to provide a link when posting articles from other sites and make sure you don't quote and post the entire article.

[spodog]

The Jets will continue to talk up Clemens for a lot of reasons all summer long. Come Sept 13, it will be Sanchez under center.

[stomperrob]

blitz you need to provide a link when posting articles from other sites and make sure you don't quote and post the entire article.

...and put it in a white quote box so it's easy to see it's from another source.

[biju]

I really think the Jets are making a big mistake if they rush Sanchez onto the field. People look at recent successes and think a rookie QB is going to turn the team around, yet forget about Joey Harrington who was clearly rushed into a situation. Yes, the Jets aren't nearly as bad as that Lions team but it still makes sense to let him get some time in before throwing him into the fire.