Pennington all class
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- October
- 29
On the day that was no doubt the most disappointing of his NFL career, Chad Pennington couldn’t have been classier.
Not many benched guys in this league would come into the media room hours after being told he no longer was the starting quarterback and been as supportive as Pennington was to his successor, Kellen Clemens.
Clemens spent plenty of time during his media session – symbolic or not, he came into the room after Pennington – talking about his strong relationship with Pennington. He still defers to Pennington as a team captain and, title or not, a team leader. That’s a smart move, because Clemens is in a tough spot here. He needs to gain the trust and respect of the other veterans in the room. Any false moves toward Pennington could hurt his locker-room rep.
But team politics aside, I don’t think there was anything false about the admiration Clemens showed to Pennington.
“It has a certain sense of difficulty to it,’’ Clemens said of the day, though he added he was excited and it was an exciting day for him. “Chad Pennington is not only a teammate and a mentor, but he’s also a very good friend of mine. You wouldn’t wish it on anybody and especially not Chad because he is the player and the person that he is. So, I mean, there is some feelings for him and what he’s going through as well.’’
Great answer and that bodes well for the Jets’ future. Of course Clemens has to produce, but he apparently does have the makeup of an NFL quarterback.
“He’s a natural leader,’’ running back Thomas Jones said. “He comes in the huddle and he has a presence. He’s a smart guy. He knows the offense really well. Those guys (he and Pennington) are always over here in the playbook. We’ll be behind him 100 percent and make sure we’re doing our part to make his job easier.’’
Pennington spent plenty of time talking about how he’s not worried about his future, that it wouldn’t be fair to Clemens or his other teammates to openly wonder about his long-term future with the Jets. Which, of course, will be limited if Clemens produces.
That’s a discussion Pennington said he would have with us in the media after the season is over.
However, I did ask him whether, at age 31, he felt like he was at a career crossroads of if he still saw himself as an NFL starter.
“Yeah, absolutely, I definitely see myself as a starter,’’ Pennington said. “I see myself as a productive quarterback in this league and a guy who can bring a lot of great things to his team. But, right now, that’s really not important.’’
Pennington will start in the NFL again, probably next season, probably for another team. Speculation as to which team would be a good fit has already begun – Vikings? Panthers?
For now, though, he’s back to holding the white towel, back in the role he left in 2002 when he was Clemens to Vinny Testaverde.
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on Monday, October 29th, 2007 at 5:19 pm by Andrew Gross.
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Jane McManus 
It’s sad this had to happen, but there’s no denying the inevitability after all that has happened this season. I’ll be rooting for Clemens (who seems to demonstrate many of the same admirable traits), but everything you just recounted illustrates, why I’ll always be a Chad Pennington fan. Wherever he winds up (assuming it will be elsewhere), I’ll root for him and hope the Jets don’t have to cross his path, so I don’t have to root against him.
Clemens is lucky to have had Chad, as a mentor, and model.
It’s been sad, seeing all the garbage directed at Chad, by Jets fans, over the past couple of years.
It’s one thing to criticize one’s performance, but it’s gotten very personal, & that bugs me, as Chad is the epitome of all the good in athletics.
I’m happy he’ll be here to help Clemens, over the 2nd-half of the season.
By the way, Andrew, not much known about Clemens’ personality, other than what I’ve seen in a few interviews, or pressers.
He seems like a good guy.
Can you give us a sense about him?
Is he as quiet as he seems, etc?
I hope that Chad Pennington’s makes his mark on this team for years to come via Kellen Clemens. Clemens could not have had a better mentor than Penny. Pennington’s time has come and gone in NY, but I know I’ll never be ashamed to wear my green #10 jersey.
Mangini and Tannenbaum (Tangini) destroyed the teams chances when they wrecked the offensive line with the Pete Kendal move….you dont take an all pro off the line a week before the season and expect the line to work…..that destroyed the running game and took away what Chad did best which was the play-action pass, without this weapon pennington’s weaknesses were exposed…Tangini stayed pat and did not improve the defense either….Letting the Revis holdout situation fester also hurt the team…..plus the fact that to play the 3-4 you have to have a nose-tackle which the Jets most certainly do not have…...so the plan was bad right from the start and Tangini is squarely to blame…how about fixing some holes…sign Grady Jackson if you want to play the 3-4….get a right guard too, because kendal’s replacement can neither pass block or run block….hey maybe Chicago will take Thomas Jones Back for a #2 Pick…their running game is bad and they could use him. Leon Washington hits the hole twice as fast a jones ever can.
Andrew, the NFL needs more Chad Penningtons….but a question about him, do you feel that the struggles he had this year (and I don’t mean the interceptions on the out routes) are just a lack of confidence in his own ability to make at times or was the playcalling a culprit? There were passes he made this season and last that only he could make. Balls that he hit a spot where only his receiver could catch. But looking at Sunday’s game, it just seems like he wasn’t getting the balls to his receivers and hence the 3 point output. It is a very sad day for me as a Chad fan. If he does end up somewhere else, let’s hope he is appreciated.
Frank,
Unfortunately, I agree with your assessment, he was not throwing the ball as well as he did last year, nor making as many good reads. But I think it goes back to the poor protection he got from the line early in the season. I think Chad started hearing footsteps and just couldn’t shake that funk. Mangini keeps saying it never comes down to one player but the same offensive line last year kept Pennington healthy and well protected – for the most part. Trading Pete Kendell may have not only sunk this season but Pennington’s career with the Jets.
With all due respect—
Pete Kendall missed two games last season—a 24-17 loss to the Pats and a 28-20 win against the Bills. In both games, the offense operated fairly well.
As much as I love Chad, to pin his shortcomings as a QB on Kendall’s departure is a pretty weak argument.
[...] Gross blogs about Pennington’s class after finding out that Clemens is the new starter this weekend. [...]
Frank – - I actually think Chad’s problems go back a bit further.
If you recall, when Chad took over the team, he was always demonstrative & energetic… all gung ho.
One of the prime focuses, of our previous head coach, was NOT to make mistakes… never take chances. Over the years, together with his injuries, Chad grew timid. The gung-ho attitude was rarely seen on the field.
Obviously, Chad’s arm aint the best, but he can still throw it, as evidenced by the Coles TD pass, in Cincy, and many of his passes over the middle.
So, to me, Chad’s problem is in his head. Not necessarily confidence, but this idea drummed into him, not to make mistakes. Hence, he became infatuated with touch.
And of course, Schott’s playcalling, factors in, too.
If he told Chad to throw a few longer passes, each game, to put the thought into the opposing D, Chad would have done it.
I BELIEVE THAT CLEMMENS’ STYLE WILL BE A COMPLETE 180 OF CHADS…CHAD WAS A HIGH PERCENTAGE PASSER WITH ACCURACY…I
HOPE CLEMMENS HAS A GUNSLINGER/CANNON/TAKE CHANCES ATTITUDE,AND I HOPE MANGINI LETS HIM DEVELOP
HIS OWN STYLE…THATS WHAT OUR TEAM NEEDS RIGHT NOW…JET FANS HAVE BEEN HOPING FOR A LONG TIME,THAT WE WOULD HAVE AND DEVELOP AN ATTITUDE,LIKE WE HAD WITH OUR BELOVED SACK EXCHANGE…GOOD OL SMASHMOUTH IN YOUR FACE DEFENSE,WITH AN OFFENSE THAT COULD RUN THE BALL DOWN YOUR THROAT,OR THROW BOMBS DOWNFIELD…SO BRING ON SOME ATTITUDE!!WELCOME KELLEN!
Its a sad announcement, because chad is such a great guy, but at this point in the season we need to see if Clemens can be a starter.
Just a quick question about your article on Vilma..I noticed that you credited the Vilma interview to WFAN, but don’t acknowledge the exact show (Joe and Evan). I’m just wondering if its you paper’s policy to not plug individual shows, or what the deal is with that. I’m actually surpised to see WFAN at all! Lots of papers just say “a radio interview.” Just curious! keep up the good work.
Burf…you are correct, there needed to be a few more helmet to helmet hits on Sunday from Chad to his team with a game that could have been played in a cemetary…
One undisputable fact on Chad, his play went down hill since he returned from his second surgery, throwing as many INT’s as he did TD’s.
What complicates analysis is his return coincided with the implementation of Schott’s system.
So we have yet another chicken/egg discussion, did the surgeries spell his downfall or the system.
We will discover the answer next year when he plays in another system.
I echo everyone’s comments about Chad the man, and was a big supporter of his play over the years.
Wish him nothing but the best and feel he will have one more run in him next year if he signs in the right situation, a team with a legitamate running game, and a good defense.
MIN would be perfect, and ironically KC would work out fine also as Herm seems to be developing a nice defense.