Chad Pennington
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| Chad Pennington | |
|---|---|
 Chad Pennington signs a football for a fan. |
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| Date of birth | June 26, 1976 (age 30) |
| Place of birth |  Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Position(s) | QB |
| College | Marshall |
| NFL Draft | 2000 / Round 1 / Pick 18 |
| Career Highlights | |
| Awards | 2006 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award 1998 Motor City Bowl MVP |
| Stats | |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 2000–present | New York Jets |
James Chadwick "Chad" Pennington [1](born June 26, 1976 in Knoxville, Tennessee) is an American football quarterback for the NFL's New York Jets. Pennington was a Rhodes Scholar finalist as he held a GPA of 3.75 majoring in Broadcast journalism.
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[edit] Pro career
Pennington is widely known throughout his career for not having great arm strength, but he makes up for it with the accuracy in his throws, and his awareness and knowledge of the game. Among NFL quarterbacks with at least 1,500 pass attempts, Chad Pennington's 65.1 career completion percentage ranks second-highest all-time to Kurt Warner's 65.6.
After making only three appearances during his first two seasons, Chad emerged as the Jets' starting quarterback after filling in for an ineffective Vinny Testaverde during the fifth game of the 2002 season. Pennington helped reverse the Jets' fortunes by leading the 1-4 team to an eventual 9-7 record and an AFC East division championship. Despite playing less than a full season, Pennington managed to throw for 3,120 yards with 22 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. His 104.2 quarterback rating during the 2002 season is a team record. Pennington led the Jets to a first round 41-0 blowout of the Indianapolis Colts in that season's playoffs. While this was his first season as a starter, it remains Pennington's best season of his career.
After a breakthrough performance a season earlier, Pennington and the Jets were given lofty expectations entering the 2003 pre-season. However, in the fourth pre-season game against the New York Giants, Pennington endured a fracture-dislocation on his non-throwing hand after suffering a hit from linebacker Brandon Short. The injury forced him to miss the first six games of the season. Without Pennington the Jets began the season 1-4. Despite his return, the Jets were only able to win five more games to finish 6-10.
[edit] 2004 season
Prior to the 2004 season, the Jets signed Pennington to a team record contract for 7 years and $64.2 million dollars. The contract seemed to pay immediate dividends as Pennington was able to lead the Jets to a 5-0 record. However, during a Week 9 game against the Buffalo Bills Pennington injured his rotator cuff and was forced to miss three games. Second string QB Quincy Carter was 2-1 in Pennington's absence. After returning to action with a rout of the Houston Texans, Pennington struggled the rest of the season and there was speculation that Pennington's shoulder was not fully healed. Even after a scuffle with the New York media and losses to the New England Patriots and St. Louis Rams, the Jets still managed to earn a Wild Card berth with a 10-6 record. Pennington answered speculation that his shoulder was ailing with a sterling 20-17 overtime win against the AFC West Champion San Diego Chargers. This win came in the first round of the playoffs and Pennington's numbers were impressive: 23-33 for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Pennington then faced the 15-1 Steelers at Pittsburgh. Despite the Jets offensive struggles and being in a 10-0 hole, the Jets defense and special teams rallied to score 17 unanswered points. However, Pennington and the Jets would see their season end with kicker Doug Brien missing two crucial game winning field goals. The Steelers would go on to win in overtime, the third overtime in a row for the Jets.
[edit] 2005 season
Pennington underwent surgery on his right shoulder in Birmingham, Alabama on February 4, 2005. It was later revealed that he had suffered a substantial tear in the right rotator cuff, as well as a large bone spur on that shoulder. A dismal performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in September and a lackluster one against the Miami Dolphins the following week led to speculation that the shoulder had yet to fully heal, but both Pennington and Jets coach Herman Edwards denied this, citing rather a lack of pre-season practice and Pennington's less-than-full grasp of new offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger's plays. On September 25, 2005 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pennington once again suffered injury, although he re-entered the game later and almost led the Jets to victory despite not throwing well. However, tests later showed another tear in his rotator cuff.
On October 6, 2005, Pennington once again underwent surgery to repair his right shoulder. Pennington and the Jets expect that with more rehabilitation time than his first surgery, he should be able to have better strength and control with his throws entering the 2006 season. In the midst of the eventually-resolved labor talks of February-March 2006, Pennington restructured his contract with the New York Jets, ensuring that he remains with the team for at least the 2006 season. Pennington is reported to have taken a significant cut in pay, with the amounts lost regain-able by way of achievable incentives, however the New York Jets organization does not comment on contractual issues.
[edit] 2006 season
The 2006 season was a year of redemption for Chad Pennington, as he came back from his second rotator cuff surgery to lead the Jets to the playoffs and win the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Entering the 2006 season, Pennington trained with new throwing coaches, and worked significantly on the strength of his torso and throwing mechanics. During training camp, new head coach Eric Mangini told players and the press that the quarterback position was still uncertain, and that all four Jets quarterbacks (Chad Pennington, Patrick Ramsey, Brooks Bollinger, and Kellen Clemens) had a chance to be the starter. Also, the Jets medical staff had continued to limit Pennington's play, placing him on a limited number of throws to ensure the safety of his shoulder.
Pennington won the Jets pre-season quarterback competition, and started the 2006 season in apparent pre-injury form. For the first time in his career, Pennington posted back-to-back 300 yard passing games in the first two weeks of the season. Pennington's Week One performance against Tennessee earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. In Week 15 in Minnesota, Pennington passed for a career high 339 yards.
Pennington would go on to reach career highs for the season in completions, passing attempts, and passing yardage with 3,352 yards. Perhaps the most notable career high Pennington reached in 2006 was in games played with 16, marking the first time that he stayed healthy for an entire regular season in his career.
Although his lack of superb arm strength was often criticized, Pennington's abilities fit well into the the new offense instituted by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Using a short passing game and taking advantage of the "yards after catch" ability of wide receivers Laveranues Coles, Jerricho Cotchery, and running back Leon Washington, Pennington led the Jets to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth as a wild card team, a surprising feat for a team that finished 4-12 a year earlier.
The Jets took on the New England Patriots in their lone playoff game. The Jets lost 37-16 with Pennington passing for 300 yards and a touchdown. Pennington's second quarter 77-yard touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery stands as the longest pass in Jets postseason history. With the start, Pennington also became the Jets' all-time leader in postseason starts by a quarterback with five.
For his stellar season, Pennington was awarded the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award, just one year after tearing his rotator cuff. He received 27 of the 50 votes cast, finishing far ahead of the 8.5 votes received by second-place finisher Drew Brees.
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[edit] External links
| Preceded by Vinny Testaverde |
New York Jets Starting Quarterbacks 2002- |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Tedy Bruschi Steve Smith |
NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award 2006 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
