By Brian Bohl
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.- Standing in front of a podium on the ground floor of Giants Stadium, Eric Mangini maintained his even-keeled disposition, insisting the Jets are on the periphery of success regardless of what transpired moments earlier. The second-year head coach had just witnessed his Jets blow a double digit lead, surrendering 28 second-half points in a potential season-crushing loss to the Giants.
At 1-4, the Jets need a complete turnaround to make a return trip to the playoffs. But Chad Pennington, the man who led them to the postseason in 2006, is suddenly lacking the one attribute that always allowed him to compensate for a limited throwing range. He has become careless with the football, throwing five interceptions the past two weeks in losses to the Bills and Big Blue.
Backup quarterback Kellen Clemens already started one game this season in place of an injured Pennington, though Mangini immediately shot down questions about making a switch for performance purposes.
“Chad’s our quarterback,” Mangini said in an authoritative way, quelling a budding controversy for at least another week.
It’s the right call. Pennington is 26-21 since 2003. Those numbers aren’t great, yet don’t tell the whole story. The former first round pick came back from a second surgery on his throwing shoulder, helping the Jets finish 10-6 to earn a playoff spot. He earned the Comeback Player of the Year award and emerged as the offensive leader without Curtis Martin. He’s played through pain and earned Mangini’s trust, which should allow the eighth-year veteran to at least get one more game to turn things around.
Pennington usually is optimistic and quick to shrug off defeats, yet his body language last week revealed how much this particular step-back bothered him. As the rest of his teammates quickly filtered out of the dimly lit locker room, Pennington sat by his stall in solitude. A rookie defensive back named Aaron Ross just intercepted him twice in the fourth quarter, including the second pick that went for a 43-yard touchdown that cinched the Giants’ 35-24 victory.
“We were playing well in all three phases, and it just came apart in the end,” Pennington said. “There’s no magic formula. Now, it’s really simplistic and basic on what you have to focus on: the next day of practice and the next game.”
Going to Clemens, a second-year pro, would be the panic move. The Meadowlands crowd booed Pennington last Sunday because the Giants were the home team. When the Jets run out of the Giants Stadium tunnel this Sunday, Pennington could hear jeers again, only it will be from a dissatisfied fan base. It’s the same core of people who cheered Pennington when he limped off the field in a Week 1 loss to New England, a disgusting move on the part of a fan base that continues to mistakingly equate arm strength to effectiveness.
Clemens could be the future quarterback, starting this summer when he enters his third NFL training camp. Pennington’s earned the right to turn this season around, which could help if a struggling offensive line opens up holes for running back Thomas Jones.
Jones rushed just three times in the second half, putting pressure of Pennington to lead the entire offense. Despite getting a long-term contract after being acquired from the Bears, Jones has produced just one 100-yard rushing game, which (no surprise) came in his team’s only victory. A strong ground game could help minimize the mistakes in the passing game, something the Jets have been searching for since Martin last suited up two years ago.
“You’re always looking to be balanced offensively and defensively in terms of your play calls,” Mangini said. “Some situations we’ve been in earlier dictated that you had to go to more of a passing-type attack, but you’re always looking to have balance as an offense so there can’t be a run?pass key based on the situation.”
The offensive line improved in the pass blocking, holding the Giants to one sack. Without guard Pete Kendall, the unit is still struggling to give Jones room. He’s received just 25 carries the past two games; hardly enough of a workload to establish a rhythm. To put Pennington in the best chance to succeed, Mangini needs to get Jones more involved against an Eagles defense that ranks sixth in the league.
“Most feature backs in this league get the ball 20-25 times a game,” Jones said. “By getting the ball that many times, you can get a feel for what the defense is doing and how the offense is blocking. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to do that the past couple of weeks. We have a lot of guys on this team who are playmakers and who are dedicated to trying to get this thing turned around.”
Above-average arm strength can help a quarterback deliver a ball into tight coverage. It isn’t an panacea for all offensive problems, or gun-slingers like Jeff George would be in the Hall of Fame instead of a list of draft busts. Pennington’s proven to be a winner, leading the Jets to the postseason three times. He’s relied on a caretaker mentality, favoring high-percentage passes and smart decisions. That can be frustrating to fans clamoring for a quick-strike attack, and his 6-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio is causing many to wonder if a change is needed to spark a lethargic group.
The Jets need a win to avoid falling out of the wild card playoff picture. A division race with the 5-0 Patriots already seems out of reach. Pennington’s completed over 70 percent of his attempts thus far, which will just be an empty stat if he can’t succeed against an Eagles secondary that generated just four interceptions en route to a 1-3 start.
“I don’t have any concern,” Pennington said about losing his job. “My whole concern is me and what I can do to get better and become a better quarterback.”
Although the New York media and Jets fans have called for a quarterback change, Chad Pennington is a proven leader and should not relinquish his spot to an unproven backup yet. (sports.yahoo.com)