Chad Shoulders the Criticism

By Tom Rock

So, since you asked, what do I think about Chad Pennington?

Here?s the summary: I think his comeback from a second shoulder injury is one of the most courageous stories I have ever covered. I think his arm is healthy, but that doesn?t mean strong. I think he?s really got to stink up the place against the Texans and probably against the Packers too before Mangini pulls him. I think the difference between Pennington and Ramsey and Clemens during training camp hasn?t shrunk all that much, and a flawed Pennington is still the Jets? best option. But I also think training camp 2007 might be similar to this year?s with an open competition for starting quarterback, and I?m not sure if Pennington emerges from that one as convincingly.

And I definitely think Mangini knew what he was saying when he dropped the ?right now? into his ?Chad?s the quarterback? statement. He?s the type of guy who practically scripts what he wants to say when he addresses the press ? heck, he might actually write drafts of his remarks knowing his penchant for preparedness ? and he had to know that the direct question about Chad was coming on Monday. The fact that the caveat was not stricken from the official transcript of the press conference also tells me that Mangini might have been sending a shape-up message to Chad. I think Mangini likes Chad, admires his perseverance, and respects his ability to manage a game. But I also get the sense Mangini is a bit concerned about Pennington?s recent swoon, and if the Jets had anything better than Ramsey or more experienced than Clemens on the bench, he?d be closer to having to make a tough decision. Tougher than deciding to open the second half with an onsides kick.

Pennington may be playing poorly as of late, but gosh, at least he?s not pulling an Eli!

I had to chuckle that I wrote a feature on Mangold where the opening paragraph was a joke that the center?s main job is to know the snap count, then Mangold goes out and forgets the snap count on a fourth-down play late in the fourth quarter that could have cost the Jets a chance to score.

Thanksgiving may be a federal holiday, but it?s not a Jets holiday and the team will practice on Thursday. That?s not uncommon in the NFL, even I heard the Giants will be off. That?s the difference between the Jets corporate approach and the Giants? family-run business. Not judging one better than the other, just pointing out the difference.

The good thing about the Jets loss to the Bears is it keeps those 1 p.m. games from being grabbed by the networks for their flex schedule. At this point, the only game I see that might be yanked to a later starting time would be the Oakland contest on Dec. 31, and that?s only to satisfy the California TV viewers. If that?s the case, I might be ringing in 2007 somewhere on the George Washington Bridge trying to get home from the stadium. I might even be starting to plan my trip to a wild card playoff game with the Jets the following weekend!

Posted at: 24.11.2006
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