Clemens is answer to Jets' QB question
Updated: February 11, 2009, 5:20 PM ET
By
Bill Barnwell | Football Outsiders
In August, Brett Favre arrived in the Meadowlands with the promise of a new day on his shoulders. Gone were the noodle arm of Chad Pennington and the befuddled inexperience of Kellen Clemens. The Jets had the quarterback and veteran leadership they needed to propel themselves into the playoffs.
And then the last five weeks of the 2008 season happened. While Pennington was leading a patchwork Dolphins offense to the playoffs, a possibly injured Favre wasn't able to do the same with the Jets. The result was a season in which he threw as many touchdowns (22) as interceptions, his sack rate (5.4 percent) was his worst since 2000 and his DVOA fell from fourth with the Packers in 2007 to 27th in the league a year later. (Football Outsiders' 2009 projections for Favre are depressingly similar: 18 TDs, 17 INTs, a 61.5 completion percentage and 37 sacks.)
So now what? Are the Jets back at square one with regard to the quarterback position? Is former Utah quarterback Brett Ratliff ready to take over? Should the Jets turn to free agency or attempt to trade for a starter?
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Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) is a staff writer for Grantland.
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Less than a year after retiring from the Green Bay Packers, Brett Favre stepped away from the NFL again Wednesday, telling the New York Jets that he will not return as their QB in 2009. Story | AFC East blog | NFC North blog
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