QB Battle Brewing

The Jets find themselves in the middle of the age-old debate; do you start your new rookie-stud right away or do you put the mediocre veteran under center?

For every Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco there is a Matt Leinart, Ryan Leaf and David Carr. There is no set answer as to how to prepare a QB for the rigors of the NFL. Ryan came in as a rookie and turned around an entire franchise, erasing the memory of the infamous Michael Vick. Carson Palmer sat for a year and came in for his second season and lite it up. David Carr played right away and flopped. You just never know.

For the Jets they have their 50 million dollar arm in Mark Sanchez and their crafty experienced QB in Kellen Clemens. They have to decide which route they are going to take. Sanchez is the kind of QB that can win games and make spectacular plays with his arm. Clemens does not have that type of talent. On his good days he is a game manager.

There is a risk of running Sanchez out there too early. If he gets pummeled and the Jets continue to lose the pressure of New York and the speed of the league can get into his head. He can basically play himself out of the league right away. However, If you sit him you might be sacrificing a special talent at a premium position.

The Jets, however, are a run first team. They do not need a QB to come in and sling it around the field; they do not need Peyton Manning back there but rather Ben Roethlisberger. They need a guy who can hand it off to Thomas Jones and make enough quality throws to keep the defense honest. So why risk your future franchise QB by placing him under center too early. He is still learning the offense and adjusting. There is no reason to take a chance with his health/head by slapping him in there early. Clemens has a strong enough arm that a defense has to respect his ability but for the most part he should be handing the ball off.

Sure a rookie QB can come in and thrive in a situation like that but there is no risk of keeping him on the bench for some time. Whether it be 6 games or 16 games give him time to learn and get comfortable before throwing him into the fire. The Jets are not going to be winning any Super Bowls this year (although in the NFL you never know) but they have a chance to do it down the road if Sanchez pans out as everyone is hoping. Why risk the future for maybe a few wins now?