Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has never worked with Patrick Ramsey, the quarterback the team acquired Friday from the Washington Redskins in exchange for a sixth-round pick in next month’s draft. But the two have shared one common experience that could allow them to perform well together: playing quarterback for legendary college coach Steve Spurrier.

Neither enjoyed much success on the field under Spurrier (Schottenheimer played only sparingly as a walk-on at Florida and Ramsey had two so-so years for Spurrier as a Redskin), but they did experience a unique approach to the position that could shape Ramsey’s role in Schottenheimer’s offense.

Spurrier (now the head coach at South Carolina) has always taught his quarterbacks that an ability to scan the field and read defenses in the few seconds between breaking the huddle and starting the play is more important than spending long hours in the film room. Although Spurrier’s approach worked much better at Florida (where he compiled a record of 122-27-1 in 12 years) than it did in Washington (where he resigned after two seasons and a 12-20 record), Ramsey displayed the improvisational ability that Spurrier treasures in their brief time together.

That ability is a major reason why Ramsey didn’t fit with Joe Gibbs, Spurrier’s successor in Washington, who prefers less spontaneity and more restraint from his quarterbacks. Schottenheimer will incorporate many of the schemes he learned from Spurrier in Florida, so Ramsey should feel right at home. He’ll also enjoy being reunited with his favorite receiver from 2003, Laveranues Coles.

Schottenheimer is expected to run a system that changes from week to week based on the defense the team faces. When the Jets face a team with a shaky secondary, Coles and fellow wideout Justin McCareins will go long regularly. When the Jets face a team whose linebackers struggle in coverage, tight end Doug Jolley will be the primary receiver over the middle. The system will require a smart quarterback who can adjust to such alternating game plans.

Ramsey, Washington’s first-round pick in 2002, is a better player than the Jets could have expected to acquire for a sixth-round pick, but his contract isn’t especially favorable. His 2006 salary of $1.7 million is about the fair market value for a backup quarterback, but he’ll become a free agent after the season, meaning if he surprises everyone and becomes a solid starter in 2006, the Jets could lose him.

Ramsey is unquestionably an improvement over last year’s nightmare situation, in which has-been Vinny Testaverde started four games and never was Brooks Bollinger started nine. But that doesn’t mean the Jets are in good shape at quarterback. If he is healthy, Chad Pennington (who is also strong in making the quick decisions Schottenheimer will ask of his quarterbacks) will be ahead of Ramsey on the depth chart.

But that, of course, is a big “if.” Ramsey is an unknown quantity because he has started only 24 games in his four-year career, but Pennington’s two shoulder injuries in the last two years make him an even bigger question mark. With Ramsey and Pennington, the Jets might have two capable starters, or they might have none.

Which is why they could still select a quarterback in the draft. Recent reports have suggested that USC’s Matt Leinart would love to go from Los Angeles to New York, even if it means not being chosen until the Jets use the fourth overall pick. A year ago, most scouts regarded Leinart as the top college prospect, but he decided to return to college for his senior season, during which teammate Reggie Bush surpassed him. The Houston Texans almost certainly will select Bush with the first pick.

The New Orleans Saints, who own the second pick, will probably pass on Leinart after signing ex-Chargers quarterback Drew Brees last week. That would make the Tennessee Titans, who own the third pick, the logical place for Leinart, especially because Norm Chow, Leinart’s offensive coordinator when he won the Heisman Trophy in 2004, is now Tennessee’s offensive coordinator. But Tennessee has bigger needs than a quarterback: Steve Mc-Nair is a capable starter and Billy Volek is a promising backup. So Leinart could be available when the Jets choose.

But even if the Jets have a chance at Leinart, they might feel tempted to take Vanderbilt’s Jay Cutler instead. Cutler isn’t as polished a player as Leinart, but he has a stronger arm and is rising on many teams’ draft boards after wowing scouts at the NFL combine in February. Some observers see Texas quarterback Vince Young as the best choice because of his incredible scrambling ability, but Young is an unproven passer and probably doesn’t fit the type of offense Schottenheimer wants to build. In any event, a quarterback will be there for the taking if the Jets want one.

Of course, the Ramsey trade was probably not the last deal Gang Green will make before the draft. The Jets have talked about shipping free agent defensive end John Abraham, the team’s franchise player, to both the Seattle Seahawks and the Atlanta Falcons. Abraham has agreed to a deal with the Falcons, but the Jets want backup quarterback Matt Schaub to be part of any deal, and the Falcons don’t want to let him go.

If they could acquire Schaub, the Jets might suddenly consider Ramsey or Pennington expendable. They might conceivably turn around and trade Ramsey before he’s even unpacked his bags in New York, or they might look around to see if any teams are interested in Pennington, who recently agreed to a restructured contract. Friday’s trade added one piece to the Jets’ quarterback puzzle, but the puzzle is by no means solved.

Mr. Smith is a regular writer for FootballOutsiders.com.