Kellen Clemens understands the life of a backup. He knows what it is like to have his name called in a time of desperation. He has played this game before and will once again be forced to step up. Clemens has stepped in for Sam Bradford in the past when the St. Louis Rams quarterback sprained his ankle back in 2011. Now, it is Clemens time once again as the starter is out for the season with a torn ACL.
Clemens was the only other quarterback on the Rams roster when Bradford went down. He has been with the team for years now and backup quarterback for longer. At 30-years-old, he has the respect of the locker room. His experience in the NFL as both a starter and a backup make him prepared to step up when needed and St. Louis needs him.
"That's your role as the backup," Clemens said, via STLToday.com. "You're the emergency plan that nobody really hopes gets used. But that's the situation that we're in. I've been in this offense for quite a while. I know the ins and outs. I think I have a pretty good rapport with most of my teammates. You'd have to confirm that with them. But I'm ready to play."
Clemens spent his first five seasons with the New York Jets after being drafted in 2006. He saw time as a starter in 2007, throwing for 1,529 yards in 10 games. He has a 51.9 career completion percentage. It is not great, but it will have to do. Head coach Jeff Fisher is confident that Clemens has the experience and knowledge to be a quality fill-in for the remainder of the season.
"Well, the fort's gonna have to be held for quite a while," Clemens said. "I have a lot of faith in my own abilities to play the position. I've worked really hard for the last several years. And I've got some experience. This won't be my first game. So I'm excited for the opportunity and excited first and foremost by the way my teammates have responded the last (couple of days)."
As depth is suddenly a big issue for the Rams, the team signed both Brady Quinn and Austin Davis to the roster in the situation something were happen to Clemens. It was reported that both Tim Tebow and Vince Young were in the mix to sign with the Rams, something the team denied.
Fisher announced his desire to sign multiple quarterbacks in place of Bradford. Davis was on the roster all of 2012, but was cut in favor of Clemens. His experience with the offense and playbook helped get him re-signed in wake of the injury. Quinn was cut by the Jets on Monday in favor of David Garrard, only to get signed by the Rams on Wednesday.
Clemens has not started a game since 2011, but that does not matter now. He is the go-to guy for the remainder of the season as fans hope the rust will not show.