00:06five completions, 56 passing yards, no touchdowns. If you only looked at K Clubnick's box score
00:12from his first NFL preseason game, there really isn't much that jumps off the page. But after
00:18further review, the numbers may have been the least interesting part of Clubnick's Jets debut
00:23because Friday night showed us how the rookie responds when things don't go according to plan.
00:30Clubnick wasn't expected to start against Tampa Bay, but with Geno Smith held out because of a
00:35sore ankle, Clubnick got the call despite limited first team reps in practice. And then he operated
00:40like he had been expecting it all along. Clubnick led the Jets 65 yards on 12 plays on their opening
00:46drive, completing passes to Mason Taylor and Garrett Wilson before the offense stalled inside Tampa Bay's
00:5210. The Jets settled for three. Next possession, four plays, Braylon Allen touchdown, two possessions,
00:58two scores. Now let's keep this in perspective. Tampa Bay, they rested his starters. Clubnick didn't
01:05throw a touchdown. There was a botched handoff. He missed Garrett Wilson on a chance for six in the
01:09end zone. So seven preseason passes do not tell us that K Clubnick is ready to become an NFL starting
01:15quarterback. But that's not what I was watching. First thing I was watching with K was did the game
01:22look too fast for him? Well, it didn't as he looked pretty comfortable under center. Secondly,
01:27did the unexpected start change his demeanor? Nope. He was cool, calm, and collected. And then
01:34with the confidence we've heard about throughout camp still be there on game night. Well, he sure
01:39didn't look shook at MetLife Stadium. And I went right to Cade and told him he would be the starter,
01:44which he was chomping at the bit to be able to do, uh, getting a chance to go with the
01:47ones. So
01:48I thought he did a hell of a job not getting a lot of rep with the ones. Um, so
01:53I give him a lot of,
01:54uh, credit for going out there and operating the way that he did. Aaron Glenn praised K Clubnick
01:58afterward for how he operated despite not getting many reps with the starters. And that matters
02:04because the Jets, they still have a backup quarterback competition. Bailey Zappi followed
02:09K Clubnick in Gangrene's first preseason game, and he threw two interceptions, including a pick six.
02:14Did K Clubnick win the QB2 job on Friday? Nah, I won't go that far as it's just one game,
02:20but he may have changed the conversation because now Zappi isn't just competing against the potential
02:27of a fourth round rookie. He's competing against a rookie who's already shown that when the Jets
02:32unexpectedly put the offense in his hands, he could handle the moment. Look, five completions in August
02:39isn't going to tell us whether K Clubnick can eventually become an NFL starting quarterback.
02:44But after further review, Friday night did tell us this. When the Jets handed Clubnick their offense,
02:50he didn't look like a rookie hoping he belonged. He looked like a quarterback who believed that he did.
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