NFL | Jets quarterbacks gear up for battle

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — The New York Jets' quarterback competition officially started with a coin toss.

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer flipped a coin Monday and asked Chad Pennington to call it in the air. The winner would earn the right to work with the first-team offense on the opening day of organized team activities.

"Chad called heads, and I thought I had a good chance because I'm a guy that generally calls tails," Kellen Clemens said Thursday after the Jets' third OTA session, but first open to the media. "It was heads all the way."

Score one for Pennington, who spent the offseason hearing trade rumors and wondering what his role would be if he remained with New York. Well, he's still with the Jets — a surprise to some — and hasn't considered whether he'd accept being a backup this year.

"That's just not in my thought process," said Pennington, entering his ninth season. "I think anytime you think about that, you're already there."

So begins what's expected to be a summer-long competition between Pennington and Clemens for the starting job.

"It's been clearly communicated there's a quarterback controversy right now, an awesome competition," Clemens said.

Neither quarterback had numbers to be excited about last season. Pennington threw for 1,765 yards, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while Clemens had 1,529 yards passing with five TDs and 10 INTs in his second NFL season. The Jets improved their offensive line this offseason, signing left guard Alan Faneca and right tackle Damien Woody, which could open the running game more — and, in turn, help the passing game.

Notes

• Former New England assistant coach Brian Daboll told the NFL he doesn't remember speaking with Matt Walsh about St. Louis' walk-through Walsh attended the day before the 2002 Super Bowl. Even if Daboll and New England's former video assistant did speak about it, "it would not be a violation of NFL rules," the league said Thursday.

Walsh met with commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday about videotaping procedures used by the Patriots. Walsh said during the meeting that he had no knowledge of that walk-through being videotaped, Goodell said.

Former Rams coach Mike Martz said he spoke with Goodell on Wednesday and "was very satisfied" with the league's efforts to investigate the situation as it related to the 2002 Super Bowl.

"I'm very confident that there was no impropriety," Martz said. "I believed [Patriots coach] Bill Belichick when he said there wasn't, and I took that at face value."

• Jacksonville DT Rob Meier signed a four-year contract extension.

• Washington released former Pro Bowl KR Jerome Mathis and signed undrafted rookie DE J.T. Mapu.