Brett Ratliff says he and Kellen Clemens are friends, and he’s hopeful it stays that way.
But that could change if the two enter Jets training camp in competition for the starting quarterback job.
“Up to this point, (our) relationship has been great,” Ratliff said today, according to the Jets. “We have done stuff outside of football. Our wives hang out. We have (eaten) dinners as a family – my wife, my daughter, his wife, his daughter.
“In my opinion, we are good friends and I hope that doesn’t change. I don’t think it will. We both have been playing football a long time. Kellen likes competition just as much as I do. I think that we will both embrace it and I think whatever happens, it will be great.”
With Brett Favre announcing his retirement Wednesday, Ratliff, Clemens and Erik Ainge are the quarterbacks remaining on the Jets roster, and barring a trade or free-agent signing, their quarterbacks for the 2009 season.
“The way I prepare is I am going to be the starter no matter what, even if Brett (Favre) was going to come back,” Ratliff said. “I would try to prepare myself as I was going to be the starter. I tried not to worry about what Brett was going to do.”
Ratliff starred this past preseason, going 27-for-39 for 400 yards in the first two games, before Favre made his debut. He went 5-for-8 for 99 yards over the last two, and did not take a regular-season snap.
“The way I look at it is as a stepping stone. It’s nowhere near a regular-season game, but it’s one step closer to getting to that point,” Ratliff said. “I am going to keep working as hard as I can to get to the next level and that is playing in a regular-season game. I did show a little bit of what I can do.”
He was praised during training camp practices after spending 2007 on the practice squad undrafted out of Utah, sometimes as a scout-team receiver.
“That first year was a little rough,” Ratliff said. “It’s a very big offense. There is a lot of information. Being able to come into my third year, it is a great opportunity, having (offensive coordinator Brian) Schottenheimer back.
“I am very excited just to get back into the mix of things. I am very confident.”