Jets' Pennington overhauls throwing mechanics

Competing for a starting job at the age of 31 will do strange things to an NFL quarterback. In Chad Pennington's case, his battle with strong-armed, third-year pro Kellen Clemens has prompted him to reinvent the way he throws the football.

"The biggest point of emphasis for me right now is I'm changing mechanical issues with my throwing motion," Pennington said after a Thursday morning workout. "I really went back and studied it, and I want to really focus on it to where I gain more consistency with my throws, be more consistent with the velocity and really take it to the next level."


Heading into the 2008 season, Pennington knows his 65.6 career completion percentage -- the highest for any NFL QB in history with at least 1,500 pass attempts -- might not be enough to allow him to reclaim the starting job he lost to Clemens eight games into last season.

So this offseason, his personal reclamation project began. Befitting someone who was Rhodes Scholar finalist at Marshall, Pennington has gone about this deliberately and scientifically, with plenty of film study and repetition.

"Changing the ball placement, how I'm holding the ball, would be No. 1," he said. "No. 2, I'm changing the actual motion and trying to incorporate more of a torque and twisting action with my upper body to where I can really incorporate my hips more.

"I want to be more compact with the throw and not be an all-arm thrower. When you're an all-arm thrower, you lose that consistency because some days you have it and some days you don't. If you really rely on your hips and your core and get a torque with the throw, that creates consistency, no matter what your arm feels like."

Pennington, who turns 32 on June 26, said what he is trying to accomplish is similar to a golfer changing his swing. "Probably to the naked eye it's not going to look like very much, but to the athlete it feels different," he said.

What is obvious to the naked eyes at Jets minicamp, including those of coach Eric Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, is Clemens' superior arm strength. Throwing the same patterns side by side in passing drills, Clemens' passes arrive at their destination faster and with more zip than Pennington's.

If the competition consisted only of passing drills, the decision would be clear cut. But the real test comes when the exhibition season begins in Cleveland on Aug. 7.

At that time, Pennington will attempt to do two things at once -- outplay Clemens and master a new throwing motion. That's not an easy task, and Pennington knows it. But it is what he says he needed to do to have his best chance at reclaiming the starting job.

"I've still got work to do," he said of his new motion. "It's one thing to do it against air when you are by yourself and honed in on it. But when you have the reads and the footwork, and 22 guys on the field, your body tends to revert back to the old way."

Last season, that way resulted in costly interceptions on throws that often lacked the necessary velocity. He threw six interceptions in his first four games. Pennington led the Jets to a 31-28 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 3, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. But in Week 7 against the Bengals, he threw a costly interception late in the fourth quarter of a 38-31 loss.

After the 13-3 loss to Buffalo in Week 8 to drop the team's record to 1-7, Mangini had seen enough. Clemens also struggled, though, throwing five touchdown passes and 10 interceptions and finishing with a 60.9 passer rating, significantly below Pennington's rating of 86.1.

That set the stage for this summer's open competition for the starting job. Such a battle is nothing new to Pennington, who won a four-way battle for the starting job before the 2006 season.

Asked to assess the QB derby at this point, Mangini said Thursday it was too early to make any judgments and that the challenge for Pennington and Clemens is more mental than physical.

"There's a lot of experimentation going on," Mangini said. "Plus, you're working with new guys, whether it's (rookie tight end Dustin) Keller, or whoever it is, so it's going take a little time for it all to jell."

Pennington's familiarity with the offense and superior ability to read defenses was apparent in 7-on-7 passing drills Thursday. Twice in the morning workouts, Clemens could not find an open receiver and had to pull the ball down and run. "You never really want to see that happen," Mangini said.

Once the season begins, Pennington said both quarterbacks should have more time to find open receivers thanks to the addition of seasoned veterans Alan Faneca and Damien Woody on the offensive line.

"We're excited that we've been able to bring in some veteran experience, guys who have been in the league for a while and understand how to play the game," Pennington said.

But the QB competition itself will come down to a personal battle between Pennington and Clemens.

"The biggest thing is you can't get caught up as an individual and try to compare," Pennington said. "You let the coaches make the comparisons and evaluations, and you focus on how you are going to get better as a player."

That is easier said than done.

"It's a challenge. It really is," Pennington said. "Human nature is to be competitive and to fight back. ... So when you're in between the white lines you don't give ground. When you're out there competing, you're fighting as hard as ever. You're not pulling for anybody but you."

Pennington, who has a reputation as a model teammate, is able to turn off that switch when he steps outside the white lines and put the team first.

"That's part of being a professional," he said. "How you treat people is important. At the end of the day, this game will pass all of us by. But the relationships you have and the friendships you make will last forever."

Even the friendship with a quarterback trying to take your job.

Bill Eichenberger is a staff writer