Erik Ainge’s best moments for the New York Jets in 2009 had nothing to do with the passes he threw. That’s life as a third-string quarterback — especially then, on a Jets team that often carried four players at the position.
During the 2009 season, Ainge would spend most of his days studying film, taking notes, working with the scout team. One of his most important jobs was to help starting tight end Dustin Keller with his routes, and to study opposing defenses. He was competing to be the third stringer — but really, he was just competing for fist bumps. That was currency.
Ahead of a Patriots game that season, Ainge noticed something on film about New England’s secondary and how they’d adjust their safeties based on a certain look the offense was showing. Ainge suggested getting to play-action when the Patriots showed that look. The Jets used it in the game, and it worked: Mark Sanchez completed a long pass down the field. Ainge got his fist bump.
That was the closest Ainge could get to throwing a touchdown pass in a meaningful game, with Sanchez locked in as the starter and Kellen Clemens second on the depth chart. Those moments popped up every once in a while for Ainge. They happened much more frequently for the other quarterback joining him at the bottom of the depth chart: Kevin O’Connell.
“I took pride in it,” Ainge said. “Kevin took so much pride in that.”
When O’Connell was a Jets quarterback — during the 2009 and ‘10 seasons, and then again in 2011 — his teammates and coaches often referred to him as “Coach O’Connell,” though back then he didn’t love the nickname. His playing career wasn’t over yet, after all, and he wanted to be taken seriously as a player. He was laser-focused on doing his job to the best of his ability, namely running the scout team and working in service to others, namely Sanchez.
“Having to start out with that of, ‘If you guys have any questions, I’m here because I think Mark’s doing O.K. at the quarterback position. I don’t think they’re going to be calling my number any time soon, so I want to try to help the team win,’” O’Connell said this week. “It kinda morphed and grew from there to more than just about that one particular opponent. I just started to see, Hey, you turn on some tape, pair that with the information you know already, and maybe you can help one play. Maybe you can help one player on that one play have success. And maybe that led into falling in love with that aspect of it. Now, it’s just on a little bit bigger scale.”
Read more here.
GO FURTHER
Before Kevin O’Connell was a Coach of the Year candidate, he was the Jets’ ‘Coach O’Connell’
