Chad played as well as Joey Harrington did in the first half who was benched. He played almost as good Lemon in the second half. Clearly Pennington was the difference last night. Leon was the difference last night.
Not every game is going to be as easy as last week was for Chad. He played a gutsy game, it was very difficult to do anything in the first half especially w/ no running game. he didn't turn it over and when we needed him most he stepped up- great QBs do that. In winning time Chad delievered and is now has the highest win % in Jets history for a starting QB and is on the brink of leading us to the playoffs for the 3rd time and becoming the ONLY QB to do so(technically O'Brien led us to 3 postseasons but he didn't start in the 2 postseason games in '96).
Junc the reality is Pennington is and should be the starter because he is without question the best QB on our roster right now. He is highly limited and I mean highly limited. He doesn't have a mediocre or a weak NFL arm he is limited in what he can do because of his arm. The fact is if this team is ever going to take the next step they are going to need a QB who can make throws in wind and rain against a good team playing for a champoinship not a bad team playing out the string. We won1 SB because we had a QB who in a driving wind in misrable conditions was able to throw the ball down field any where on the field and lead us to victory in an elimination game. Chad simply can't do that. Now if we can keep Chad for 2 to 3 years at a relatively cheap price so that we can buy the best D and a bruising running attack, I do think he can win. I just don't see that happening.
I think we can win with Chad as QB. I really do. There have been a lot of mediocre QB's who have won Super Bowls. And Chad is much better than mediocre. He may not be a superstar qb, but he has enough tools to win.
I thought there was one thing very different about Chad last night: he protected himself from himself. Throwing the ball alway, not forcing it quite as much as he has the last month. He came away with no interceptions, which is quite remarkable considering the conditions. We all know how brainy he is; maybe he is actually playing even "smarter" and is now more comfortable with what he can and can't do at this stage of his recovery. My guess is that this offseason he'll focus more on his mechanics and delivery... after all, he had to learn how to throw a football again after this last surgery. I hope he gets Comeback POY just for what he has meant for a ragtag team that wasn't supposed to win squat this year.
Chad was terrific last night when it mattered the most. You judge a QB by how many times he puts the team in the end zone.., not by his arm strength, his height, his ability to sramble, etc. etc. Joe (It rhymes with Heisman) Theisman should know that and should have made that point in last nights game. ....As a matter of fact EVERYONE that critisizes Chad or ANY QB should remember to judge him not by his inabilities but by the amount of TD's he gives his team, or the amount of time he gets his team in a position to score. Those ae the ONLY TWO things that should be discussed when ANALYZING a QB. Two quick examples: Jake Plummer and Michael Vick Both have Good Arms, Good Mobility (one excellent) but do they put their TEAMS in a position to WIN.
Good QBs find ways to win games when they are having bad days (see Tom Brady). Last night's conditions were horrible. Chad did not play well until the end of the game. With the weight of the season on him last night, Chad came through late in the game. Last night's game could have easily went the way of the Buffalo game or Cleveland game...but it didn't. Chad fought his way though this game and we won. He deserves credit.
if you watched that Bengals game, you shouldn't make this comparison. it doesn't matter what the numbers say; Palmer was gunning the ball 15-20 yards downfield in horrendous conditions with a cold, wet ball. on the last drive - when it mattered most - he led them like 85 yards that would have tied the game if not for the holder botching the snap on the PA. look, i give Pennington credit for keeping his head together last night, and making a couple of good throws (i.e. Cotchery's TD), but in poor weather, Pennington is not a very good QB. cheers
Yes but in those stats if you deduct the 2 Leon Washington runs then his stats turn into medicore stats. If you could not see the weaknesses he brings to the field then you are surely watching a different game then my son & myself
What makes me scratch my head is this. Why are so many of Chad's passes high? He's gonna get somebody killed one of these days. I thought he had worked on his mechanics and started throwing more with his body. For the better part of 3qtrs, I saw one long Aflac commercial in the form of duck after duck. This is the second week in a row he gets Coles absolutely smoked going up for a high one. Once the weather cleared up, I saw a completely different Pennington. Good thing Harrington sucked as well last night or we all would be singing the blues today. Chad managed a good game last night. Once the weather cleared, he made the touch passes he always seems to and I give him credit for that. The arm issue still remains and always will. Chad doesn't have a cannon and there are certain throws (deep outs) he can't make without severe adjustments by his WR's which leaves them open for crushing hits. That being said, until we know what Clemens can or can't do, This team sinks or swims with Good Chad/Bad Chad Pennington. Note to JWWS: 15 games and Chad is still on his feet. Big Kudos for that!!!
I remember hearing years ago from someone on the NBC pregame (Paul Zimmerman ??) that heavy rains and/or snow would subtract at least 20-30 points from a top QB's rating and more for mediocre/poor QB's. This was in the early 1990's I think I heard it.
Every week there is some new excuse of why Pennington was bad for most of the game. Shouldn't the fact that you have to think of some new bullcrap every week tell you something?
Great point winston. I was waiting for someone to bring this up. Obviously it's a little bit of a different situation since the Dolphins season is over but Saban clearly felt that Harrington could've done alot more in the first half in spite of the weather conditions. The most surreal part of this whole discussion is how people want to credit Pennington for "not beating himself" like he's done in previous games when on the TD drive he air mailed an INT right into a DB's hands who simply dropped it. The end result doesn't change the reality of the play.
The way these people treat Pennington is like treating a toddler; they're giving him praise and love for things that normal quarterbacks do all around the league and he struggles to do. "But, he doesn't normally do that." Yeah, well, everyone else does.
What is really the point f the Chad discussions right now. We could all agree(I think) that Pennington is the best option for this team RIGHT NOW. Alot could happen over the next couple weeks to sway everyones decision for the future, including the CS. This has been one of the most fulfilling Jets seasons of my lifetime, I'm gonna worry about the future of the QB position when this season is over and we have alot more to judge Chad by..
I give Chad credit for playing a pretty decent game in terrible throwing conditions. Some throws he made were terrific, however others were... eh. Lean Washington really helped him out with many of the passes though. Nothing better than spending Christmas infront of the tv watching the beloved Jets with 10 family memebers, 7 of who are Giants fans and having the 4 Jets fans (myself included) watch their team win after having to take bullshit from the 7 Giants fans all game. Congrats to chad on a terrific win.
The only people who are even thinking the Jets QB job isn't Chad's for the near future (1-2 years) are you idiots. Not one analyst, beat writer, national writer, ESPN analyst, CBS sportsline columnists, ESPn columnists, CBS color analysts like Simms, Fox commentators like Aikman, former players like Joe Namath, should I go on?? Not one of them think that this job isn't going to be Chad's for the foreseeable future. And that Namath guy who everyone worships said that he believes Chad can lead a team to the Superbowl. But I know, you cynical retards know more about the QB position and what it takes more than Joe Willie...especially mrs ny jet
Yeah, Manning and Brady are so good , their receivers never get YACs. I have never heard a QB criticized because his receivers gained yards after the catch as much as Pennington does. Watch some of the old 49er games and see how many yards Montana's receivers gained on those slants after the catch. I never hear anybody say Montana wasn't so good because his receivers gained all the yards. Since when are QBs measured by how far the ball travels in the air before the receiver catches it. This is all mythical BS.
