NFL

CLEMENS TURNING HEADS AT JETS MINICAMP

The Jets quarterback competition is in its infant stages, but Kellen Clemens already is emerging as the extremely early leader.

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There’s a long way to go before the Sept. 13 opener in Houston, but Clemens has turned heads, including the head coach’s, during the first two days of the team’s minicamp.

“I thought [Clemens] looked outstanding today,” Rex Ryan said. “I really liked how he took charge of that offense today and really brought that unit out. He made some good decisions. He showed poise.”

Clemens and Brett Ratliff are fighting it out to replace Brett Favre as Gang Green’s signal-caller. During the two days of minicamp, Clemens has looked comfortable and confident, and Ratliff has looked tight and timid.

Ryan was not pronouncing anyone the front-runner with his comments yesterday, but Clemens clearly has impressed the new coach.

As for Ratliff?

“Ratty made some great throws,” Ryan said. “He has a talented arm. He still made a couple of mistakes in there.”

Ratliff threw several interceptions in the first few practices. The situations are controlled with defenders unable to hit the offensive players and everyone is in helmets but no pads. Still, Ratliff looked like he was locking in on receivers and seemed unsure of himself.

For Ratliff this is a new experience. He has never been up for the starting quarterback job in the NFL before. Clemens competed with Chad Pennington before Favre’s arrival in 2008. He appears to be more at ease with the pressure that comes with the fight for the job.

“If you’re in a competition like this,” Clemens said, “really every snap you’re just trying to show whoever it is that’s evaluating you from your teammates all the way up to the GM that you’ve worked hard and you deserve an opportunity to go out and play on Sunday.”

Also looming over the quarterbacks’ heads is next week’s NFL Draft. It is possible the Jets will draft a quarterback in the first round if one of the elite prospects slips to them at No. 17.

Earlier this month, the duo had to deal with speculation the team would trade for Denver’s Jay Cutler. When Cutler went to the Bears instead, Clemens said he knew the draft rumors would follow.

“There’s always going to be speculation,” Clemens said. “I understand that. It comes with the position. It comes with playing in this market sometimes. It is what it is. I try to just let all the speculation and rumors play themselves out. I’ll worry about them if they become reality.”

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RB Thomas Jones has skipped the voluntary workouts and this week’s minicamp. GM Mike Tannenbaum refused to say whether he has talked with Jones about his absence and whether the team is concerned. . . . There was a scary collision in the morning practice between WR Wallace Wright and LB Kenwin Cummings, but Ryan said he believed both players would be fine. . . . Ryan drew some laughs running down the field as part of the team’s scout kickoff team.

brian.costello@nypost.com