Will The Real Chad Pennington Please Stand Up?

Last Sunday, as you have probably heard, Chad Pennington did what Brett Favre could not. The long-time Jets quarterback, released this offseason to accommodate incoming future hall of famer Brett Favre, came into the Meadowlands and led his new team, the Jets’ archrival Miami Dolphins, to the playoffs, only one year removed from a season in which they won one game.

Against the Jets last Sunday Pennington completed 73 percent of his passes, threw two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Favre, on the other hand, was lucky to complete 50 percent of his passes, threw only one touchdown and three interceptions, as the Jets missed the playoffs despite spending $140 million this offseason and beginning the season winning eight of their first eleven games.

So the man who the Jets kicked to the curb so to speak came home and made his former team look like the Detroit Lions.

You could say the irony was so thick you would need a chainsaw to cut it.

Understandably, the New York papers had a field day with this. But wasn’t it only a few months ago that the same fans and media couldn’t wait to be rid of the weak-armed, slow-footed Pennington? Isn’t there a reason that the Jets management determined Pennington couldn’t quarterback a Super Bowl team and decided to cut him loose in favor of Brett Favre?

As a matter of fact, yes. Speaking as a lifelong Jet fan who watched almost every game Chad Pennington played for the New York Jets, he was a relatively ordinary quarterback after his spectacular first full season in 2002. His best season after 2002 was probably in 2004, when he threw sixteen touchdowns against only nine interceptions and took the Jets to the playoffs.

However, Curtis Martin led the NFL in rushing that season, and the future hall of famer probably had more to do with the Jets’ success than did Pennington. The next closest Pennington came to a good season was in 2006, when he threw for 3352 yards and seventeen touchdowns—this, however, was offset by sixteen interceptions, which, for a quarterback like Pennington who relies on good decisions and accuracy to succeed, is inexcusable.

Additionally, Pennington has, for his entire career, had a problem staying on the field. From 2002 when he was anointed the Jets’ starting quarterback to when he was released in 2007, Pennington had only one season where he played all sixteen games. One.

Even when he wasn’t undergoing multiple operations on the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder he was missing games due to wrist and other injuries. This season with the Dolphins marks only the second time in his career that he was able to stay healthy for an entire season. He also set a career high in passing yards and threw the most touchdowns and fewest interceptions in his career since 2002.

So forgive me for saying it, but Pennington’s performance and durability this season has well exceeded what Jet fans have seen from him for the majority of his career. ESPN.com recently featured an article suggesting that Pennington could be Miami’s successor to Dan Marino; is there any way that the quarterback who played for the Jets from 2003 to 2007 could even be mentioned in the same sentence as Dan Marino?

Don’t get me wrong, Pennington had a fine career with the Jets and I never for a minute doubted he would again be a starting quarterback in the NFL, but Marino? Pennington the Jet wasn’t even close.

Maybe Pennington needed a change of scenery; maybe he couldn’t play in New York. Whatever the case, it should be clear to Jet fans that the quarterback they watched beat them on Sunday didn’t at all resemble their starting quarterback from the past five seasons.

Under the circumstances the Jets look like fools, but his release was warranted and a long time coming, as the Jets waited years for him to replicate his 2002 season and become the franchise quarterback he is capable of becoming.

Maybe Pennington needed to move to Miami to become that franchise quarterback. But Dolphin fans would be wise to wait a couple years before making Dan Marino comparisons.