Chad Pennington: Will throw for food
OK, things aren’t REALLY that bad for Chad Pennington. But he has to be feeling pretty badly this morning after the late night trade that brought Brett Favre to the Jets. To make the deal work financially, it’s expected that the Jets will release Pennington (as well as make a few other roster moves) ending what was a fairly successful career before injuries set in.
“It’s a bittersweet moment for us,” Tannenbaum said. “I have all the respect in the world for Chad as a person, as a player. We’ve accomplished a lot of good things with Chad. … He gave his heart and soul to this organization for a long, long time. I really appreciate everything he’s done.”
The issue is whether or not another team still thinks Pennington can start in this league and win games.
The 32-year old Pennington is coming off a season where he started 8 games and finished with 1,765 yards, 10 TDs and 9 INTs. He was competing against Kellen Clemens in Jets camp and, although neither appeared to be setting the world afire, Pennington was considered the clear leader to claim the starting job.
Pennington is still a highly accurate passer and is smart enough to adjust to a new offensive playbook in a relatively short period of time. By all accounts, he’s also a hard worker and a consummate professional. Those things should go a long way in giving him another shot at playing time. Working against him, however, are a clear lack of arm strength, a troubling injury history (including two stints missing time with his shoulder) and a lot of hits (132 sacks, including nearly 10% of his dropbacks last year).
So who might Pennington land with? He will have two viable options. One, go to a team where he could clearly compete for playing time. Two, go to a contender as a proven backup with an understanding he won’t see the field unless the starter gets hurt.
- Minnesota Vikings — Now we’ll REALLY see what the Vikings think of Tarvaris Jackson. It’s one thing to be willing to push him aside for a Hall of Famer who already knows the offense and its coaches. It’s another thing entirely to displace the strong armed youngster for a 32-year old game manager.
- Kansas City Chiefs – Herm Edwards used to coach Pennington and still doesn’t have a starting QB that gives anyone confidence in Kansas City. Unfortunately, the Chiefs offensive line looks troubling and Pennington may not want to consider playing for a team where he’ll take a pounding and probably can’t get into the playoffs.
- Miami Dolphins — Yes, the Dolphins have three QBs competing for the job including two youngsters. But this is a team that brought in QUINCY CARTER last week for a workout. Chad Pennington would be a much better stop-gap option than Josh McCown, until either Beck or Henne were ready for the job. The Dolphins have the added bonus of playing in the Jets division, which would serve as motivation for both Parcells (intel) and Pennington (revenge).
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The Bucs have never met a QB they didn’t like, and are currently planning on starting a 38-year old with an average arm. Why not make that a 32-year old?
- Dallas Cowboys — The Cowboys have been in the market for a new backup, eying Chris Simms allegedly. Pennington would be a good fit, as he’s a Southerner who wouldn’t rock the boat behind Tony Romo but would be a significant upgrade over Brad Johnson is called upon.
- Carolina Panthers — Jake Delhomme is coming off Tommy John surgery and there isn’t much precedent there. His backups are woefully inexperienced and lack the pedigree to suggest the Panthers can win with them under center. Pennington wouldn’t get to compete against Delhomme, but he would have a reasonable shot at playing time due to injury.
So who do you think Pennington will play for? And do you see him starting or transitioning to a purely backup role in 2008?
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