For Kellen Clemens, it’s certainly been baptism by fire. His first career start came against the Ravens in Week 2, and he’ll make his third start this weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“As far as bringing pressure, there are a lot of similarities,” the second-year passer said at his news conference today of the AFC North rivals. The Steelers, he said, "are a very aggressive defense. Pittsburgh is ranked even higher than Baltimore right now. They are ranked No. 1 against the run, No. 1 against the pass and No. 1 in points allowed. They are a very talented group in a lot of different phases.”
Week 11: Jets–Steelers Game Release
The Steelers are notorious for applying the heat and Sunday promises to be no different. Clemens, along with the offensive coaches and Chad Pennington, continues to study Dick LeBeau’s unit on video. LeBeau is the father of the zone blitz, a mastermind who brings multiple defenders from various angles toward the quarterback.
“As you watch more and more tape over the course of the week, you pick up on little tips here and there that kind of give it away a little bit,” Clemens said of the Steelers. “You try to study as much tape as you can to see maybe some of their tendencies or some of the ways where they may tip their hand to show you that it’s coming.”
Prior to the bye, Clemens started against the Washington Redskins, throwing for 226 yards and adding 48 yards on the ground in the Green & White’s overtime loss. After three practice days last week, he flew home to Oregon with his wife, Nicole.
“Getting the chance to have some extra reps over the course of the bye week was good, and also having the chance to take a few days off and recharge the battery was good,” he said. “Whether you’re a starter or not, you’re still pretty tired by the time Week 10 rolls around, so it was good to have a few days to regroup.”
Clemens was forced to regroup a couple of times in his last outing. The Redskins sacked him three times and he absorbed a late blow from LB London Fletcher following a nifty scramble. Rookie S LaRon Landry was also hit with a fine from the league on top of a roughing-the-passer penalty for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Clemens.
“You can tell they’re coming,” Clemens said. “You kind of have your own time clock in your head — it’s more of an alarm clock — where you know, ‘Hey, time’s getting closer, have to get rid of this ball.’ Sometimes you wait until the last second and sometimes you don’t have to.”
For instance, he waited patiently on third-and-9 for his receivers, knowing Landry was near.
“It’s a choice you make. You could have thrown it away earlier and ducked and not taken the hit," he said, "but I guess that’s not really how I play this game."
In his two starts, Clemens has been sacked seven times. The 6’2”, 223-pounder was sacked four times in Baltimore and knocked down on a number of other occasions. But he’s displayed courage in the pocket and also mobility when the play breaks down.
In a span of five days, Clemens will play two of the league’s top teams in Pittsburgh and Dallas. But he’s not thinking ahead to the Cowboys, with the Steelers' ability to provide the stuffing.
“We’ll focus on Pittsburgh, and then we’ll do the best job we can to turn it around and get as much preparation for Dallas as possible,” he said. “But right now you have to take it one game at a time and try to beat the Steelers before you think about playing the Cowboys."
