Due to some space limitations in today’s newspaper edition, this “story”:http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070327/SPORTS01/703270393/1043/SPORTS on quarterback Kellen Clemens was squeezed as tight as a middle-aged man trying to fit into his high school prom tux.

But thanks to the beauty of cyberspace, I can let out that belt and let the story breathe a little.

Spoke to Clemens for about 10-15 minutes yesterday after he completed his first day of the Jets’ voluntary offseason conditioning program. It’s interesting to note that while the NFL allows teams to run their programs for 16 weeks, the Jets will complete theirs in 12 weeks. I certainly don’t think that’s any sign that coach Eric Mangini is relaxing his strict requirements, rather, I think it’s a sign of how intense the Jets’ program is going to be – again.

Just a couple of more tidbits on the offseason program. The Jets broke the team into three workout groups – all heavily attended – and the workout days are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

As for Clemens – who is presumed to be the Jets’ No. 2 quarterback in 2007 – I started off by asking him what differences he notices as he enters his second NFL season.

“It was nice just coming in, there are some new faces around and a new strength and conditioning coach (Sal Alosi), but it was nice knowing most of the guys already,’’ Clemens said. “I know what to expect, as opposed to the last time I did the offseason workout. It’s really nice to be back to work.’’

Next, I asked whether Clemens completely shut it down after last season ended or whether he did some work.

“A little bit of both,’’ he said. “When the season was over, I kind of shut it down and got away from football. But I was running and lifting to keep my body in shape.’’

Clemens said there were two crucial things he learned as a rookie.

“First was how important it is to be as smart and as mentally prepared heading into a season,’’ he said. “Going into each game, there are so many things that change week to week based on what opponent you play. You’ve got to stay fresh on it. The other thing is time management. There are not enough hours in the day to learn what you need to learn and still get sleep so they next day you can be mentally ready to do it again. The big thing I learned the last three or four games of the season was how to prepare efficiently.’’

I asked Clemens for his reaction to last year’s No. 2, Patrick Ramsey, being cut and now being a member of the Denver Broncos, which opens the way for Clemens to become Chad Pennington’s backup.

“Patrick was a great guy to learn from and to play with,’’ Clemens said. “In a way, I was sad to seem him go but that’s the business. A lot of quarterbacks move around. I heard about it but I don’t know if I heard about it the day it happened out there in Burns, Ore.’’

I added that with Ramsey, Clemens had that chance to ascend up the depth chart with a good performance in training camp as he competes with ex-Raider Marques Tuiasosopo.

“Training camp, that’s so far away,’’ Clemens said. “If there is a plan for me, I don’t know about it. Right now, the plan is to get better.’’

Turns out, Clemens, who watched some of Oregon’s run to the Elite Eight, is well-acquainted with fellow Pac-10 alum Tuiasosopo (Washington). Tuiasosopo was a counselor at a football camp Clemens attended in high school and they’ve also played together in a golf tournament. The two also chatted before the Jets-Raiders season-finale at the Meadowlands.

As for Pennington, Clemens said he wasn’t surprised when Jets coach Eric Mangini said at the Scouting Combine that Pennington was the starter going into training camp. Other, of course, than being surprised that Mangini said anything on the subject since the coach wouldn’t definitively say it was Pennington’s job to lose after the season ended.

“Chad, obviously, he’s the AFC comeback player of the year and, obviously, he had a great year playing the whole year and taking the hits – my hats off to him, he’s a great guy to learn from,’’ Clemens said. “It didn’t blow my socks off, let’s put it that way.’’

In short, Clemens said he was excited about the opportunity he has.

“Am I jazzed? Heck, yes,’’ Clemens said. “I’m excited. I’ve been there, done that. I’ve got a good foundation that we built through last year, really through hard work. Now is a chance to build on it. I’m really excited not only for myself but to see what the team can do with it.’‘