Joe McKnight is really starting to piss me off. I mean, it’s not anything personal, at least it’s not related to his personality. But I can’t help but think his inability to get in football shape relates to some innate flaw in his work ethic. I was willing to write it off when the kid ralphed all over the grass at minicamp, but the latest news that he has been added to the non-football injury list and will miss the start of camp due to his failing the (very basic) conditioning test really sets me off. I’m sure those tests are no easy going for mortal men such as you and I, but a fourth round draft pick ought not to have any trouble running “a 300 yard shuttle from the goal line to the 25 yard line and back” as Jeff Fisher explained part of the process. I used to have to run suicides up and down a steep hill for cross country track. If I, in my infinite pudginess, can do that, you can handle a few weights and a time trial, Joe. Earlier today Braylon tweeted his displeasure that the results of these conditioning tests are seen increasingly to be newsworthy, but, hey, when a player misses time because he couldn’t hack it, that ought to make the cut above the fold. This is just like those physicals they run after trades; they’re total formalities until someone screws up. So far, and I might be being reactionary here, Joe McKnight has all the trappings of a complete bust, and that means bad news for Shonn Greene, upon whom I believe we have placed far too much pressure. The future of the Ground and Pound strategy seems more and more in doubt as the season approaches.

Now that the Jets have assembled a team of Marks to compete with Miami’s all-Chad duo (Brunell was clearly preferable over Marc Bulger for spelling purposes), most of us have wondered, if only for a minute or two while in the shower, what Kellen Clemens’ future in the NFL looks like. From what I am reading, a lot of you would like to see the former Oregon Duck remain in New York, due to his knowledge of the playbook, popularity in the clubhouse and serious concerns regarding Brunell’s playing ability. Of course, with five QBs now on the roster, the retention of Clemens, Ainge and O’Connell has become untenable; it is a sure bet that at least one, and likely two of those three will be scrapped. Remarkably, of the trio, it is Clemens who is most likely to be released, even ahead of O’Connell, whose presence on this team has long mystified me. The reason being is of course that it is more economical to carry a scrub like O’Connell in the three or four spot than to plug a backup of fair-to-good quality like Clemens at third string. It is also a sign of respect to Kellen, whom we (the team, anyway…like a lot of fans, I was never sold on him) once considered to be the post-Pennington future, that we allow him to pursue his goal of earning a starting job elsewhere in the league. I may be jumping the gun, but it has been apparent to me for months now that this relationship will end, and end soon. All the better then that Clemens and the Jets part on mutually friendly terms, and that No.11 be granted his right to seek a better life outside the Big Apple.

But if Clemens is a goner, on whose shores can we expect him to wash up? It’s not an easy question to answer, although a general dearth of respectable depth at his position across the league assures us that he will be no more than a single injury away from meaningful time on the field. As for getting a whack or two at the day one starting job, well, the prospects are far thinner, and Clemens doesn’t exactly have a mind-blowing track record when it comes to training camp competitions, having lost three in a row now. He lacks the speed and instinct to play serious pro football – more Byron Leftwich than Kevin Kolb – and there was a time when most Jets fans were legitimately more enthusiastic about Brett Ratliff than this kid. That’s not a good sign. Moreover, if the jury was out on his initial starting effort in 2007, playing behind one of the NFL’s shakiest O-lines, then Clemens erased most doubts of his suckatude against the Buccaneers last December. Despite a massively dominate effort by much of the team, Clemens barely outplayed rookie Josh Freeman, and at times seemed almost completely lost.

But he’s got to get signed somewhere. So which five teams offer the cattle rancher from Burns, Ore. his best chance at redemption? Let’s have a look under the hood.

Pats or Fins? Pats or Fins? Who do we hate more? I put that question to our reader base in the Jets Kvetch 2010 Fan Census, and the overwhelming response was that it is New England whom we despise the most. I can understand that, but let’s be clear: Miami is our historical nemesis. We’ve met every year since the Fins were founded in 1966, and unlike our meetings with the Patriots, these games were regularly competitive from the start. After all, at the time the Jets were en route to a Super Bowl, and the Dolphins would prove to be hot out of the gate, going from AFL expansion team to undefeated NFL champions in just six years. While the Jets may have won the first eight meetings, Miami positively dominated New York in the 1970s, taking all but two contests between 1970 and 1977.

Now that Sanchez has been with this team for a year, let’s take a moment to zoom in on the quarterback depth chart and see what further changes can be made to beef ourselves up at the game’s most important position. Do not take for granted that the identity of our starter is obvious; this is the first year since 2007 that this has been so, and that was the year Clemens got the majority of his career starts once action got underway, so it’s actually a departure from our previously sad norm. Sanchez is, of course, still healing up after a surgical procedure to repair a ligament in his left knee which stemmed from an injury suffered before the start of his junior year at USC (I remember hearing about this on the radio in the Bronx on the way to Yankee Stadium and saying, “Good, screw that guy.” Ha.). Trainers say he’ll miss all of the pre-training camp workouts as a result. That’s a steep price, but none is too hefty to outweigh the benefits of mobility and good health. My expectation is that Mark is in for a very productive season, and his new “Christmas presents” can only help him out.

Just a couple of days ago, Dolfans were beside themselves. With the notable exception of newly signed linebacker Karlos Dansby, Miami, much like the Pats and Bills, had been a bit on the quiet side of things this offseason. Given their need for an “alpha receiver,” as they have termed it, and a fair amount of defense help, Jeff Ireland and Bill Parcells had done little to bolster their roster. The dirt-cheap acquisition of Santonio Holmes only exacerbated this concern. Why were the Jets being so aggressive and the Dolphins simply sitting on their hands?

No one is talking this way anymore. This morning, after years of intense speculation, Denver’s elite receiver Brandon Marshall finally found a new home, and, moreover, a four-year, $47.5 million extension in South Florida. The Dolphins have seen our dope-fiend and have raised us an egomaniac. Fair enough! Let the AFC East Arms Race commence!