Will changes fuel Jets success? Not while Kellen, Chad are left hangin'

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- With all the changes the New York Jets made in the offseason, the presumption is they will be deeper, stronger and more competitive. OK, that's terrific, but here's something I still don't know: Who quarterbacks them?

Will Eric Mangini call on Chad Pennington or Kellen Clemens to start? (Getty Images)

When you have an answer, do me a favor: Dial Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens because they don't have a clue. Neither does their head coach, Eric Mangini, and I'm not sure that's a good sign.

You see, Clemens was supposed to be the starter by now. Mangini made him a second-round draft pick in 2006, wheeled him out for eight starts a year ago and all but designated him the team's "quarterback of the future."

Only the future is now, and now, in his third pro season, Clemens is in a dead heat with Pennington for the job.

The prevailing opinion outside the organization is that the coaching staff would like Clemens to succeed basically because he, not Pennington, was its draft choice and because he is younger, has a stronger arm and has more of a future than his predecessor.

But that's not what you get when you listen to Mangini, and, pardon me, isn't that a little ... um ... unusual?

It should be for Clemens because someone should have a conviction about him by now, and someone apparently does not. It should be for Pennington, too, because all the guy's done for the Jets is lead them to three playoffs, gain a reputation for accuracy and win a slew of games.

Poll Who should the Jets staring QB be?   33%  Kellen Clemens     40%  Chad Pennington     27%  Erik Ainge will be there at the end     Total Votes: 10853

But neither has the edge, and if you don't believe me, stop by one of the team's OTAs. Pennington and Clemens split everything down the middle, with Mangini going so far as to have them flip a coin to determine who took snaps with the first team at its opening practice.

Pennington won.

"It will come down to the same sort of evaluation," Mangini said. "Who manages the game the best and who gives us the best choice to win."

Normally, you'd think that would be Pennington. He was the quarterback who in 2006 returned from two shoulder surgeries to lead the Jets to an unexpected playoff berth in Mangini's first season. But the success was short-lived, with Pennington 1-7 last season before he was benched.

Now let's stop here for one second: Does anyone really believe Pennington was the problem in 2007? The offensive line stunk, the Jets couldn't run the ball and Pennington and, later, Clemens were overwhelmed and overrun by opposing defenses.

Or as Clemens so carefully put it, "I think when you go 4-12, there are a lot of positions open for competition."