PENNINGTON: 'I WAS READY TO GO' By MARK CANNIZZARO September 17, 2007 -- BALTIMORE - Chad Pennington made it perfectly clear with the look on his face and with his words after yesterday's 20-13 loss to the Ravens. He was ready to play and he badly wanted to play and Eric Mangini's decision to start Kellen Clemens was the only thing that kept him from making a rather miraculous comeback from the ankle sprain he suffered last Sunday. "I was ready to go," Pennington said in no uncertain terms or tone. "(It was) purely (Mangini's) decision there. I lived in that training room and every hour of my days were focused on getting well and getting better. I leave those decisions up to him and go from there." There were significant signs as the week progressed that Pennington might be able to start. As of Friday and Saturday, there were thoughts inside the organization that he might go. Even in pregame warmups it appeared Pennington was moving around well and could start. But Mangini told Pennington shortly before yesterday's game that he was going to go with Clemens. "Competitively you want to play, but I don't ever question Coach's decision," Pennington said. "He's our head coach and he makes the final decisions and all of us as players have to make those decisions work. Once I found out what position I'd be in, my whole focus went to helping Kellen and being supportive on sideline." Pennington said he hopes to play against the Dolphins Sunday at Giants Stadium. "I have made progress. I'll do everything I can to be available," Pennington said. "When we get back to New York I'm not going to bed; I'm going to make sure I'm doing everything I can to continue the path to getting healthy so I can be available for next week." Asked if he tried to talk Mangini into playing him, Pennington said, "There's no convincing." Pennington seemed frustrated that, despite all his hard work during the week to get back and the progress he made, it ended up being all for naught this week. "I just thought Kellen gave us the best chance this week," Mangini said, also praising Pennington's "outstanding" week of rehab and being so "diligent." Despite Clemens' impressive comeback bid yesterday, Mangini said he is sticking with Pennington. "Chad is still the starter," Mangini said this sounds to me like mangini didnt want chad to get further injury, if not then y else wud he not start chad, especially since kellen showed some nice signs but mangini named chad the starter vs the doophins, im very confused
I think Chad should probably go to bed... sleep is obviously going to help him with his injuries... wtf
Just wasn't worth the risk in Mangini's mind. Chad always thinks he can play. You could tell he wanted to play, he had a helmet on and a football in his hands all game lol. But competitive players always want to play and you need coaches smart enough to make the tough decisions for them.
He also wanted to play against the Jags when he shouldn't have. The only difference was he had a coach in Sperm Edwards stupid enough to listen to him.
Yep, exactly. If Mangini was the coach, I bet Chad doesn't get some of those injuries, but who knows. It definitely wouldn't have gotten as bad as it did though. Why ruin the entire season for the short term?
He got hurt against jax ad later went back into the game just like he got hurt against NE and later went back into the game.
Chad is tough but should not play unless he's 100% committed to the team he can perform at a high level and not further injure himself so bad that he would be out for a playoff push. Kellen is a viable backup that can be effective in the gameplan until he's healthy.
Yeah u can tell he really wanted to get in the game....he was pacing the sidelines, probably trying to get the coaches attention....the guy is a warrior and a gamer!
Fat-ass Cannizzarro is trying to create a controversy where there is none. With his bad ankle Chad had zero mobility against a defense that swarms to the QB. He likely would have gotten injured worse. Kellen took a beating and he was able to move around. Chad would have gotten killed. Take anything fatboy writes with a huge grain of salt. He's an idiot who knows nothing about the game. Mangini made the right call.
However, he is, but Mangini serves another purpose here. For the last few days we have been discussing the fact that Chads biggest drawback is that he makes all plays with his head,and none with his balls. Now, having had his cage rattled, and knowing that his leash is shortened, it will be curious to see how he plays against Miami.
Execlent point there Hobbes. Is this Eric's way of instilling some fear into Chad, or a sign that the Jets are going in different direction. I guess it depends on how short that leash actually becomes. No matter who lines up on Sunday, I'm backing them.:jets:
I kind of agree with you on this. Chad is going to have to open it up a little if he wants to keep playing. I'm sure as limited as the play book was with Clemens last week, Shot and Chad must have seen the possability of what a more vertical game could do with this offense. Chad is going to have to play a little more opened up if he wants to keep his job.
Mangini absolutely made the correct call. Pennington was still hobbling during pre-game warm ups. I wouldn't be so sure he's going to be starting this week, due to his ankle not being ready.
Well, starting Pennington would have been one way to end the QB controversy. I doubt he would have made it out of the first quarter alive. Good call by Mangini to keep him out until he's 100% healthy, and to assure him that he still has the starting job when he comes back.
Yeah but the press is going to play this up big time. If Pennington throws a pick, the cameras will cut to Mangini or Clemens. They love this shit.
Considering that Clemens took 4 sacks and who knows how many hurries, not starting Chad at least this week may have been a good strategy. Better to lose him for a game rather than several. And Clemens gets his feet wet. Double bonus.
The only QB controversy that exists is in the minds of fans and the lens & pens of the media. I doubt no matter how much they want to prattle on that one exists that the team will pay little attention to it. They tend to keep themselves fairly well insulated against whatever wind is blowing about outside.
Just because its the Dolphins and not the Ravens, don't sell them short. The Dolphin Dfence is just as capable of ending Chad's season if our OLine plays like it did the first 3qtrs. last week. I'm not so sure starting Chad this week is a great option either unless he's fairly mobile. JT and company, as much as I dislike them, are still a far more effective bunch than DRob and our group of pretenders on D.
Your kidding right, just cause it`s the Dolphins .We are 0-2! we don`t have the right to over look Notre Dame right now...
First off, I'm a Chad Pennington guy. With that said, I thought CP was extremely disrespectful in how he carried himself during the Ravens game. He had his helmet on, stood right near the sideline and all but said PUT ME IN THIS GAME NOW. Correct me if I'm wrong, (or just being a slave to tradition) but don't you agree that the back-up quarterback's job (even if he isn't the back-up, per se) is to stand on the sidelines, helmet off, cap on, headphones on, holding a clipboard and ready to help relay plays to the starter? Apparently Chad felt he was above this modest yet important responsibility. This certainly isn't a damning offense in and of itself, but keep this in mind: sooner or later, we are going to need CP to be a teacher, a booster, a coach. He doesn't appear willing to wear those mantles.