Stop blaming Chad for losing

dabrowsk1 · Nov 26, 2006

Exit 117 said: ↑

You're wrong. He WAS the best thing to happen to this franchise in 2002. He came back in 2003 just to get injured in preseason and perform mediocre when he returned. He came back in 2004 to a decent team and performed pretty well, but, got injured... again. 2005? Comes back to a team with a lot of potential before... getting injured... again... And performs horribly in those 2+ games, fumbling 8 times and throwing 3 interceptions... Comes back from that third injury this year to a bad team that ends up playing well, but, performs badly yet again.

I don't view him as a guy who was a franchise savior, hit a low point in his career, and gets turned on. I view him as a mediocre quarterback who can't get it done and had a career year in 2002. A one hit wonder.

As far as the team falling into a slump, yes, but in this year, they've done well. You can?t place all of the blame on him, but in the Chicago game, the team played a very winnable game. They probably should have won, too, but Pennington turned the ball over twice in key spots, something he is prone to doing against good defenses. It's not like he's making these idiotic mistakes this year and we're turning on him; he's been doing it his entire career.

And it's not like the fans are without reason in losing faith in him. After his 2003 injury, I backed him and said he would be fine after that. After his 2004 injury, I said he'd be fine after that, don't worry about it. Then he goes out and gets another major injury in 2005. You can't just sugar coat something and pretend it isn't what it is.

I'd like to believe that Chad Pennington can return to his 2002 form. I'd like to believe that he isn't injury prone. I'd like to believe that he can make those key throws when he needs to. I'd like to believe that he can throw a ball with zip. I'd really like to.

The fact is, Pennington is now 30 years old. It's unlikely that he'll ever return to his 2002 form. He is getting older and still hasn't "turned the corner" into becoming a very good quarterback. He probably won't, either. He can still perform as an average stop gap quarterback, who can fill in for a year or two while a team grooms a young quarterback. A better version of the present day Kurt Warner.

I'd also like to believe that he isn't injury prone, but again, probably untrue. He's gotten 2 major injuries with the rotator cuff and the muscle below his throwing shoulder, and then the "minor" injury in his broken wrist. Fact is, he has problems staying healthy. I'm not going to say it's his fault, but you know what, he DOES keep getting injured, freak injuries or not, they've happened way too often.

He's rarely ever been able to make those key throws I was talking about. He made that great throw to Santana Moss in the back of the end zone against San Diego in the 2004 Playoffs, but I can't think of many others. He's lost to New England so many times. He's lost to other great times, such as Chicago this year. The Steelers in the 2004 playoffs. Hell, even against the Steelers in the 2004 regular season where he completed just slightly above 50% of his passes and threw 3 interceptions. He just isn't that type of quarterback. Pennington won't be able to lead you to those late comebacks against good teams. He won't be able to beat those good teams in close games, either. He is just incapable of doing. Maybe it's his approach. Maybe he's too nervous. Or, maybe he's just not a good NFL-caliber quarterback who can lead a team to the Super Bowl.

I'm not saying that if Pennington wasn't so bad and inconsistent this year that we would have gone anywhere. I wasn't buying into the playoff hype after the start, or after beating New England. I thought it was stupid. Despite our over achievements, we're still a team without much talent, and it's still Mangini's rookie year as a coach with two rookie coordinators. The fact that we are 5-5 at this point without that much talent and with three rookie coaches is a miracle, and I'll gladly accept it. I wasn't expecting more than 5 wins this season, and we had that after 9 games.

Even with the low expectations, even after the start, I can't just "let it slide" with Pennington. Now that we have seen what we have and where we are as far as talent and coaching abilities, we have to look towards the future, and this future can NOT include Chad Pennington in it. By the time this team is "ready" for a strong playoff run, Chad Pennington will be past his prime, if he isn't already.

I still don't think you can bench him at this point in the season, either. That is just conceding the season. It's too early to do that. It's a loser's mentality. Yes, you want to get Kellen Clemens in as soon as possible to get experience. At the same time, you can't throw him in at a point where we are 5-5 with a playoff "chance," as people see it. Although I know we aren't going to make it, the pressure and situation just isn't right for Clemens just yet.

As far as Ramsey goes, no. Just no. Just say no. Listen to Nancy Reagan. He isn't any better off than Pennington is. Probably worse. Besides, there is no point in benching Pennington for him anyway because Pennington has already reached the incentives to get the full $9,000,000.

Pennington will still need to play this season out. I still think he puts us in the best position to win THIS YEAR. But I can't fathom him being with us in the future. His time is up. We can see him. He isn't good. He won't get good. He's injury prone. He can't beat the good defenses. We have to look elsewhere. Whether it's Clemens, a free agent, another draft pick, or whatever, it's NOT Chad Pennington.
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Well said and well written. I agree 100%.

Scikotic · Nov 26, 2006

GreenMachine said: ↑

IMHO, Pennington is a good QB who has had a couple bad games. Inept would be someone like Mike Nugent.
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im so glad you made that statement before todays game instead of after:shit:

Stop blaming Chad for losing

dabrowsk1 Active Member

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Stop blaming Chad for losing

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