"This is the best feeling that I have had personally since I've been here," said Clemens, who completed nine straight passes during one stretch.

While Pennington didn't attempt a pass in his two series as the Jets worked on their running game, coach Eric Mangini let Clemens throw often after he took over the offense late in the opening quarter.

"We wanted to get him a significant amount of work, in terms of reps and with combinations of people," Mangini said. "With the situation of the game, it was something I wanted to continue with a little bit later into the game."

While most of his work was against the Falcons' second- and third-team defenses, Clemens was still impressive. He joined Rick Mirer (1999) and Ray Lucas (2000) as the only Jets players to throw for three touchdowns in a preseason game since 1992.

"The more reps I get, the more I progress," he said. "It's the same for any young quarterback. I'm getting a lot of reps now in practice, and hopefully making the most out of them."

As a rookie last year, Clemens got into just two games for the Jets and threw an incomplete pass, rushed twice for 10 yards and was sacked four times. For a second-round pick, it was hardly a sparkling NFL debut.

There was also growing sentiment that Clemens was struggling to pick up the system and wasn't developing the way the Jets had hoped. Not so, said Mangini.

"Kellen did some good things for us last year," the coach said. "It just wasn't apparent because he wasn't getting into games, but he has been consistently working at this. We have a long way to go here in preseason, so he will get more opportunities to be in game situations and we hope he can continue to grow."

When the Jets drafted Clemens out of Oregon last year with the 49th pick, they didn't know if Pennington would be the same following two rotator cuff operations. So, the team signed veteran Patrick Ramsey, kept holdover Brooks Bollinger and selected Clemens, with the idea he could be the quarterback of the near future.

Instead, Pennington bounced back with a terrific season and Clemens spent most of the year on the sideline with a clipboard in his hands, charting plays and soaking in the system. Pennington was in a similar situation during his first two NFL seasons, learning under Vinny Testaverde.

"I think he understands what it's going to take to be a good quarterback in this league," Pennington said. "I know how he feels right now. It's a tough job being a backup quarterback because you never know when your opportunity is going to present itself. But when the opportunity does, you have to be ready. So it's a tough situation to be in, but he's handling it really well."

While Smith remains a work-in-progress, Clemens and Marques Tuiasosopo appear to be the front-runners for the backup spot. Both played well in the team's intrasquad scrimmage at Fordham last Sunday, but Clemens' extended time Friday night sent a clear message as to who's ahead on the depth chart.