Ram Bytes: Where does Clemens rate?

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Bernie Miklasz
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_24b01f5b-bff9-5223-a159-a7a846894b85.html

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Good morning...

I don't know if this qualifies as an admission, an acknowledgement, or nothing at all ... but Rams No. 2 quarterback Kellen Clemens has played better than I expected after taking over for the injured Sam Bradford.

As I wrote a while back, Clemens has some admirable qualities. He's a crazed competitor, prepares very well, is mobile, and seems to be appreciated by his teammates. But Clemens has had terrible accuracy issues during his NFL career. And after he played rather poorly in his first start against Seattle, I suggested the Rams would be better off taking a look at the young QB Austin Davis to see if he's worthy of being cultivated for the future.

In retrospect _ and I never hesitate to admit when I'm wrong _ the opinion was hasty and not entirely fair to Clemens.

As backup-QB standards go, he's been fine.

After an abysmal performance in a loss to Seattle _ the Rams should have won the game _ Clemens was solid enough vs. Tennessee, with an 84.2 passer rating _ but Clemens' lost fumble late in the game set up the winning TD for the Titans. The following week Clemens performed brilliantly in the victory at Indianapolis, making the most of his passing opportunities, hitting Tavon Austin for two TD passes, and finishing with a passer rating of 140.6.

But here's the question: what should we expect from No. 2 quarterbacks?

I ask that for a couple of reasons.

First, I've seen some media observers go a little bananas in praising Clemens in an overreaction to his killer game against the Colts. (Just as I overreacted, the opposite way, when Clemens couldn't get the job done against Seattle.)

Second, it seems to me that backup-QB standards around the NFL are all over the map. It's difficult to understand what's acceptable or worthy of praise. Not only that, a backup QB is going to be greatly influenced by the talent and the coaching around him.


Not only that, a backup QB is going to be greatly influenced by the talent and the coaching around him. Take Case Keenum, for example. Houston's young quarterback is 0-4 as a starter after taking over for mopey Matt Schaub. But that record is hardly a reflection of Keenum's individual play. He's been terrific. Josh McCown has looked very good in his first two starts for Chicago, and the Bears won both games. (They'll try to make it three in a row Sunday in St. Louis.) But without taking anything away from McCown, he's running a pretty good offense that enhances his chances for success.

Evaluating backups can be difficult for another reason; much depends on the guy they're being asked to replace. When Chad Henne takes over for the injured Blaine Gabbert in Jacksonville, it doesn't matter. The team is hideous, and neither QB can elevate the Jaguars. And in Green Bay, it's nuts to expect a backup quarterback to come close to approximating the performance of injured starter Aaron Rodgers, and the scrubs should be evaluated accordingly.

Moreover, what kind of offense is the backup being asked to run? Is it a team like the Rams, that likes to pound the ball on the ground ... or a more sophisticated offense like Green Bay or Philadelphia's, which demands a lot from the quarterback?

There's been considerable QB strife in the NFL this season.

Five teams have started three different quarterbacks this season _ Buffalo, Cleveland, Green Bay, Minnesota and Oakland.

Another five teams (including the Rams) have started two quarterbacks.

By my count, 16 backups have started a total of 47 games.

Their combined record as the starter is 17 and 30.

(How do I determine if a QB is a backup? It's based on the NFL depth charts coming into the season. Anyone who wasn't listed as the No. 1 quarterback at the beginning of the season is categorized as a backup. But there have been some status changes, obviously.)

The best of the lot is Philadelphia's Nick Foles. He's 4-1 and has a passer rating of 128. He's been significantly better than the Eagles' initial starter, Michael Vick.

Other No. 2 standouts include McCown (100 rating) and Keenum (99 rating). Mike Glennon has played well (87.7 passer rating) as the replacement for the deposed Josh Freeman in Tampa Bay.

Five NFL backups have made only one start, so there isn't much to go on there. Because of that, there's no meaningful way to truly analyze this group. But for whatever it's worth, here's a list of he backups that have started. I list them in order of passer rating, and I've included their team's won-loss record with them as a starter.

Nick Foles, Eagles: 4-1 record, 128 rating.

Josh McCown, Bears: 2-0 record, 100 rating.

Case Keenum, Texans: 0-4 record, 99 rating.

Matt McGloin, Raiders: 1-0 record, 92.9 rating.

Mike Glennon, Bucs: 2-5 record, 87.7 rating.

Matt Casell, Vikings: 1-1 record, 86.1 rating.

* Matt Flynn, Raiders: 0-1 record, 83.7 rating.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Titans: 0-3 record, 83.5 rating.

Brian Hoyer, Browns: 3-0 record, 82.6 rating.

Thad Lewis, Bills: 1-2 record, 80.2 rating.

Jason Campbell, Browns: 1-2 record, 80 rating.

Kellen Clemens, Rams: 1-2 record, 79.3 rating.

Chad Henne, Jaguars: 1-6 record, 72.2 rating.

Scott Tolzien, Packers: 0-1 record, 68.1 rating.

Seneca Wallace, Packers: 0-1 record, 64.4 rating.

Jeff Tuel, Bills: 0-1 record, 45.1 rating.

* (Flynn is now with the Packers.)

I suppose it's fair to say that Clemens has been about average among backups. Obviously, there are several talented backup quarterbacks who have considerably more upside than Clemens. But he's not the worst on this list ... not even close.

Should the Rams keep Clemens around as their No. 2 starter in 2014? It's too soon to make that call, but offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is a huge Clemens fan.

Clemens will face some tough defenses over the final six games. The Rams' three road games will be against defenses that currently are ranked in the top eight in The League in fewest points allowed: Seattle (No. 2), San Francisco (4th) and Arizona (8th.) Another opponent, New Orleans, is 5th in fewest points allowed. Tampa Bay (16th) and Chicago (26th) are the other two on the schedule.

Thanks for reading …

-Bernie
 

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Medium-sized Lebowski
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The Dude
In retrospect _ and I never hesitate to admit when I'm wrong _ the opinion was hasty and not entirely fair to Clemens.
Yeah, no shit. But you weren't the only one who jumped off the cliff when Bradford went down.
Shoulda listened to me before you got all crazy-eyed about Clemens in the first place though.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYATCH.