A mirror image, almost: Chad?s like Tom, when he plays By Tony Massarotti / Boston Herald Sports Columnist Saturday, September 16, 2006 - Updated: 12:55 AM EST HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - In terms of efficiency, if nothing else, Chad Pennington measures up quite well. He has a better career quarterback rating. He has a higher completion percentage. He even has a better career ratio of touchdowns to interceptions. And that is when he is being compared to Tom Brady. What Pennington lacks, of course, are the Super Bowl rings and the durability, the latter of which (for now) is far more significant for a Jets team that made him the first quarterback selected (18th overall) in the 2000 NFL draft. Since becoming a first-stringer in 2002, Pennington has started at least 10 games in a season only twice (2002, ?04), and in both years, the Jets made the playoffs. In Pennington?s 25 starts those two seasons, New York was 16-9.So, when Jets coach Eric Mangini is asked about facing Brady and the Patriots tomorrow at the Meadowlands, forgive him if the conversation inevitably turns to his own quarterback. For him, it seems a matter of word association. You say Brady, he says Pennington. ?His intelligence, his understanding of not just what the offense is trying to achieve, but what the defense is trying to achieve,? the former Patriots defensive coordinator said when asked what Brady qualities he most admired. ?Those are the same traits that I really like about Chad. There are a lot of similarities between those two guys. I?m sure Chad would learn everything about special teams if he had to, or if we gave him the opportunity, or if he had enough time. Tom is kind of the same way. They?re both good people, and they both are outstanding examples of what you?re looking for in terms of a professional athlete.?Decision-making is always a big part of any quarterback. What are we trying to get done? What are we doing? Where should I go with the football?? Mangini continued. ?When you face that type of quarterback, it?s extremely challenging because they?re right a lot more than they?re wrong. That means you?d better be right a lot more than you?re wrong (in defending them).? The 2006 NFL season is just a week old, but this much is clear: If the Jets and their rookie coach are to have any success this year - if they even want to be decent - they need to keep Pennington healthy. Pennington played in just three games last season before undergoing shoulder surgery for the second time in his career, a major reason the Jets tumbled to 4-12, tied for the second-worst record in the league.That said, keeping Pennington healthy is no easy feat. Brady has started all 65 regular-season games for the Patriots since the start of the 2002 season, but Pennington has started just 38. The Jets frequently win when Pennington plays, but what good is that when he plays less than 60 percent of the time? For a quarterback who has built his career on efficiency, that has been a terribly troubling number.Last week, returning to the Jets lineup for the first time since Week 3 of last season, Pennington earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Against the Tennessee Titans, albeit, Pennington completed 24-of-33 passes for 319 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. And he did it all despite a Jets rushing attack that averaged just 2.7 yards per carry. ?Everyone was involved in the game plan. Everyone was involved in the success of our passing game,? Pennington said. ?So I think it?s a reflection of all the guys coming forth and putting forward a good team effort, which allowed me to have a really good game.? Brady himself would not have said it any other way.
too funny! Tony Massarotti / Boston Herald Sports Columnist is a football no nothing who writes for the Dead Sox
95%? Incorrect exageration. Even those educated fans who were looking for another QB to start knew Penny wasn't cuttable, just based on the cap hit alone. Try more like 35% or so. Even most of those that did want him to get cut would have not wanted to do so, if they knew his arm would bounce back this well, and he'd be able to take a hit.
Brady used to consider Chad a rival, before Chad fell off the map due to injuries. I wonder what he thinks of him now.
Quote: Originally Posted by Tight Im just glad we didnt cut him like 95% of the board wanted to do back in july. I have to agree that 95% may be a slight exaggeration, but 35% is too low in my opinion, unless it was just a 'very vocal' minority yelling it. It seemed like every thread was about how the other 3 QB's were a better option then Chad, how he was a nice guy... butttttttttt! You're comeback that "Even most of those that did want him to get cut would have not wanted to do so, if they knew his arm would bounce back this well.......", and yeah, if I had known the last winning PowerBall numbers I would have picked them. It's called faith in his abilities and his dedication to making a comeback. No matter the reasons, that vocal minority still wanted Chad gone no matter who replaced him and now they are all of a sudden Chad fans... until he has one bad game. In other words, the bandwagon has arrived for some of you. Just my opinion.
Imagine cutting him n the Titans or Bills signed him ... that would have been ugly. THe titans or BiLLS would have been a better team. Plus we wouldnt have dBrick. We would have cutler since the Jets were so high on him.
Seriously, you're calling him on that? Does the exact percentage make any odds at all? The guy was making a point using an exaggerted number, whether the %age is accurate or inaccurate, be that deliberate or not it doesn't make a jot of difference to the point he's making. Why do people waste so much time arguing over irrelevancies? Back on topic: Delighted for Chad and would love to see him have a great year.
Pennington is very good, but he is NO Brady. Seriously, Pennington can throw 40 yards, sure, but Brady can heave it 50 - 60... and he has 3 rings
Too bad the Jets couldn't pry Philip Rivers from SD, who is 2-0 in his first two starts and looking like a pro. Chad's durability is the big question mark, not his ability. If you can't put together 16 healthy games in a season, what's the point?
Yea, Rivers is playing pretty well, but he's got the best running game in the nfl, and they haven't asked rivers to do all that much. Chad is playing better than him with no running game at all.
