NFL

KELLEN’S READY IF CALLED

FOR the Jets’ quarter back of the future, the future is now.

“Whether I’m playing in the National Football League, in college, or at the Turkey Bowl back home with my friends – I love playing the game,” Kellen Clemens said. “So there’s an element of passion and enthusiasm that I think I try to approach each game with, and hopefully it’s infectious, because I play a position that requires leadership and requires that passion. When I get my opportunity to play – whenever that is – I’m gonna be full of enthusiasm and excitement. It’s gonna be something entirely new for me and for the guys in the huddle. So I’ll be very excited for the opportunity.”

Because Chad Pennington (injured ankle) is a one-legged quarterback these days, Kid Kellen, who grew up feeding cows, baling hay and riding horses on a 3,500-acre farm in the cowboy town of Burns, Ore., will more than likely be thrown to the battered-but-angry wolves Sunday in Baltimore. Ravens nose tackle Haloti Ngata, his teammate at Oregon, will be looking for him. Not exactly the Turkey Bowl.

“It’s an annual thing back home – all the has-beens get together Thanksgiving morning – and we play football,” he said. “Sometimes it’s two-hand touch, and sometimes it’s tackle, and sometimes it’s more ‘American Gladiators’ than it is football. Sometimes it’s three-on-three, sometimes it’s 20-on-20, depending on how many guys show up. But it’s just a great time to go out, play some ball, and then shower up and go back and eat turkey and watch the real football.”

Has-beens?

“Any of the guys that played at any time, guys that played a couple of years ago in high school, 10 years ago, 20 years ago,” Clemens said.

Clemens is bright – he scored 35 on the Wonderlic test – and mature beyond his years, married and engaging. Ron Jaworski rated him his favorite quarterback from the much-ballyhooed Class of 2006 – over Vince Young, Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler.

“Kellen had all the throws to be successful in the NFL,” Jaworski said yesterday. “What I really liked was the anticipation. The really good ones throw the ball before the receiver gets open. I thought he was a really good athlete, too.”

Of Young, Leinart and Cutler, Clemens said, “I can’t compare myself to those guys; they’re on their teams, I’m on this one. It’s my job to be ready to play when my number’s called like their number was called.”

But 10 years from now you’d like to say, yeah, the Jets made the right pick.

“Absolutely I’d like to say that,” Clemens said. “And it’s one of those things that you probably can’t really say for sure until years down the road but . . . absolutely, years down the road I want the Jets to be proud of the quarterback that they took.”

He might have been drafted earlier than the second round in 2006 if he hadn’t broken his left fibula two Octobers ago, or if he were taller than 6-15/8. But he throws a tight spiral and has the right makeup. Asked if he gets angry in the huddle, he said, “I do at times; yeah, I’m an emotional player on the field.”

Asked, what makes you think, if you have to play Sunday, that you’re ready?

“That was good; that was very good,” Clemens said, and smiled.

And paused for a while. “I’m just trying to think of a way to answer that, so I can still come out smellin’ . . . decent,” he said.

Just be honest, let it all out.

“That doesn’t always work,” Clemens said, and smiled.

It works for me.

“I know,” Clemens said. “I would love to help you out, I really would . . .” Finally . . .

“With each rep that I get in practice – they’re a little more limited now than they were in training camp – I try to approach it as just one more opportunity to improve,” Clemens said. “And I’ve been able to do that. I still have a long way to go. We’ll see how much I’ve improved when the opportunity presents itself.”

Then, politely: “Sorry. Best I could do.”

He has been just as fortunate learning about being a professional from Pennington as Pennington was learning from Vinny Testaverde.

“The hard work and preparation that it takes to be successful at this level,” Clemens said. “And I learned a new lesson on Sunday about toughness; that was as impressive a thing as I’ve seen.”

Kid Kellen’s turn.

steve.serby@nypost.com