By Cold, Hard Football Facts contributor Tim Sullivan
The New York media gets a bad rap in the nation's eyes. Too brash, too nosy, too sensationalistic, too scandalous, choose your description. They've all been said before and will be said again. After all, the tabloid mentality that surrounds the city doesn't suit all readers.
Count Jets quarterback Chad Pennington as one of those people. Last season, the inconsistent quarterback fired back at a group of reporters who suggested that he and the Jets weren't playing their best football at the most critical time of year.
The Jets had just defeated the Seahawks, 37-14. But the week before they lost to the Steelers, 17-6, in a game that saw Pennington throw three interceptions. Two critical games loomed on the schedule against the playoff-bound Patriots and Rams.
Pennnington was angry over the line of questioning. He was angry that a quarterback with eight wins under his belt that season (he did not play in New York's wins over Cleveland and Arizona) had to respond to such negative inferences.
So, he fired back.
"It is a privilege (to cover the Jets)," Pennington told reporters Dec. 20, 2004 at the Jets' training facility at Hofstra University. "You took that job. You have an opportunity to be around some of the greatest athletes in the world. That's an opportunity. It's not your right. It is a privilege. And it is your job.
"It's a privilege for you to be able to report in the greatest city in the world, to be around a bunch of professional athletes every day and do your job. But when it crosses the line sometimes, that's where I have a problem, because whether it's your job or not, it's about character and it's about integrity and it's about honesty."
The Cold, Hard Football Facts are not in the business of defending reporters. Many reporters are nosy and annoying. And, as a perusal of Pigskin Detention will show, many often fail to have their facts straight. Players like Pennington, meanwhile, are forced by their employer to answer questions from this collection of triple-chinned, notebook-toting geeks who never played the game. It's easy to see why a player in the glare of the New York media spotlight might be inclined to lash out, especially when reporters so often fail to accurately report the Cold, Hard Football Facts.
So, defending the media is not our business. But pointing out the truth is. And the truth is this: Pennington has been way off his game since his tirade last December.
The Jets stumbled in those final two games. They lost to New England, 23-7, at the Meadowlands, and then, in a win-and-you're-in season finale, they lost to the Rams, 32-29, in St. Louis.
In those two losses, the 2000 first-round pick out of Marshall had adequate passing statistics – completing 43-of-72 for 433 yards and two touchdowns – but they were well below the 90-plus passer rating numbers he brought into those contests. He was also careless with the ball and unable to escape pressure. He was intercepted twice, fumbled once and was sacked nine times.
But – thank goodness for small favors – the then-resurgent Bills lost to the Steelers, 29-24, in Buffalo, allowing the 10-6 Jets to snare the final wild-card berth in the AFC Playoffs.
Given second life by Buffalo, Pennington took advantage in a 20-17 wild-card victory at San Diego. He completed 23 of 33 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn't intercepted and didn't fumble. He was sacked only twice.
But, the following week, in a 20-17 divisional-round loss to Pittsburgh, he was back to being Bad Chad. And last week, in a dreadful 27-7 season-opening defeat at Kansas City, the trend continued.
In those two most recent losses, he failed to throw a touchdown pass and was picked off twice. And in that loss to the Chiefs, he somehow found a way to fumble six times. That's right, six. One shy of the NFL single-game record.
Put most bluntly, Chad simply has not produced with proficiency since "Pennington's Privilege Party" last December. He has fumbled and stumbled while guiding his team to a 1-4 record since that day.
|
Opponent |
C-A-YDS |
TDs |
INTs |
Rating |
Fumb. |
Sacks |
Result |
|
New England |
22-36-252 |
1 |
2 |
68.3 |
1 |
3 |
L, 7-23 |
|
St. Louis |
21-36-181 |
1 |
0 |
80.9 |
0 |
6 |
L, 29-32 |
|
San Diego* |
23-33-279 |
2 |
0 |
115.6 |
0 |
2 |
W, 20-17 |
|
Pittsburgh** |
21-33-182 |
0 |
1 |
65.5 |
0 |
3 |
L, 17-20 |
|
Kansas City |
21-34-264 |
0 |
1 |
73.7 |
6 |
3 |
L, 7-27 |
|
TOTALS |
108-172-1158 |
4 |
4 |
80.5 |
7 |
17 |
1-4 |
* AFC wild-card round
** AFC divisional round
"It's gonna take time, and I'm not worried about it," Pennington said in Kansas City after last week's loss. "My goal is to play better the 15th week than the second week. But that doesn't mean we can't win the second week. We gotta find ways to win. All teams go through growing pains, all teams go through periods of time where they gotta work on their chemistry, and we're one of those teams right now.
"I'm not concerned. I'm just determined to help us get it done, and I think we got the guys in the locker room to get it done."
"He's gonna be better after four weeks, I think...a lot better," Edwards said in Kansas City. "But the problem he's gonna face and our whole offense is gonna face, we're playing some really good defenses. What are you gonna do? You can't say, 'Well, can we get a bye for a month?' "
Pennington, 29, just had offseason rotator cuff surgery, so perhaps Edwards is right. Maybe a little time is what he needs.
But time may not be on his side. The Jets are the lone 0-1 team in a division that has the defending Super Bowl champions as well as one of the more popular sleeper picks in the Bills.
Pennington probably needs to start his road to recovery this weekend against the Dolphins at Giants Stadium. In fact, a visit from the Dolphins may be just what the doctor ordered to soothe Pennington's wounded pride and straighten out the fluttering ducks he calls pass attempts. Yes, Miami is fresh off a resounding 34-10 win over Denver. But Pennington's four career starts against the Dolphins have included some of his most consistently solid performances, highlighted by a cumulative 96.5 passer rating and, more importanly, just two total turnovers.
|
Date |
C-A-YDS |
TDs |
INTs |
Rating |
Fumb. |
Sacks |
Result |
|
Nov. 1, 2004 |
11-19-189 |
3 |
0 |
131.4 |
0 |
1 |
W, 41-14 |
|
Oct. 3, 2004 |
14-24-143 |
0 |
1 |
58.2 |
0 |
3 |
W, 17-9 |
|
Dec. 28, 2003 |
22-28-221 |
1 |
0 |
111.5 |
1 |
4 |
L, 21-23 |
|
Nov. 10, 2002 |
17-27-167 |
0 |
0 |
80.3 |
0 |
0 |
W, 13-10 |
|
TOTALS |
64-98-720 |
4 |
1 |
96.5 |
1 |
8 |
3-1 |
So, this weekend's home opener against a divisional opponent coming off a 4-12 campaign is a perfect time for Pennington to start showing again that it's a "privilege" to be the Jets starting quarterback.
Until then, it appears the pen is mightier than the Pennington.
Tim Sullivan is the deputy sports editor of the New York Post.
