Chad Pennington has started all 10 games at quarterback for the New York Jets during this 2006 campaign. Pennington, who threw two interceptions in Sunday’s loss to the Bears, will start for a 11th consecutive time this weekend against the Houston Texans at the Meadowlands.
“Like I said, I thought there were a lot of decisions that I really liked in the game and there are a lot of things that Chad does that I appreciate as a coach and I really respect," said Jets head coach Eric Mangini on Monday. "I think he does a nice job.”
The Bears slowed the Jets offensive attack for much of the day as the visitors captured a 10-0 victory. It was the second time the Jets were shutout this season. Against the Bears, Pennington completed 19 of 36 passes for 162 yards. The Jets moved into plus-territory on four separate occasions, but they failed to finish. Mangini said Monday that neither backup Patrick Ramsey nor rookie Kellen Clemens will see their practice reps increase.
“It will be the same each week,” Mangini said. “Chad will be the starter, Patrick will have his normal reps, and Kellen will be mixed in a little bit.”
Pennington’s performance was not without positives. Mangini liked the way his 6’3”, 225-pound passer directed from the line of scrimmage.
“What gets lost a little bit is a lot of the plays Chad got us into because it’s not really seen,” Mangini said. “You only see the final play call, but he will be given different options coming out of the huddle. Based on the look, he’ll check to one thing or the other thing. There were quite a few really positive plays that he got us into based on the look to help us with the drives.”
"Chad has done a lot of things - not just yesterday but through the year - where he gets us into the right play at the line of scrimmage," added guard Pete Kendall. "If the right play is a pass, it gets thrown. If the right play is a run, it gets called."
The Jets reached the Bears' six-yard line on their third drive. Facing third and goal, Pennington threw a ball in the direction of Chris Baker. But Brian Urlacher, the supremely talented middle linebacker who has played in five Pro Bowls, made a phenomenal read and came up with a critical first takeaway.
“He made a really good read on a play that I understood where Chad was going and why he was going there,” Mangini said. “He initially looked him off, but Urlacher is a pretty good player and came over and made a great catch and a great read. They have gotten the most takeaways of anybody in the NFL – they are pretty good at it.”
Trailing 3-0, the Jets again entered enemy territory only to turn the ball over again. After colliding with rookie runner Leon Washington, Pennington felt Alex Brown breathing down his neck and unloaded a pass in the direction of Baker. Cornerback Nathan Vasher easily handled it for the Bears to thwart yet another scoring threat.
“The one that I think he thinks he should probably have thrown away was the one where he threw across his body," Mangini said of Pennington. "The second best thing that can happen on a pass play is an incompletion and that would have been the best play for us at that point.”
After 10 games, Pennington has completed 61.9% of his passes with 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Pennington, who entered the season with a 92.1 QB rating, has a 76.8 rating and has passed for 1,888 yards.
Notebook
Why did Eric Mangini opt to attempt an onside kick at the beginning of Sunday's second half? People have tried to over-analyze the unsuccessful play, but Mangini had a simple answer Monday. “I thought it was going to work,” he said. “It wasn’t about the offense or about the defense. I liked the play. Watching it in practice, watching how we executed it, seeing what they were doing in terms of the return game, seeing the match-up we had, seeing the numbers we had – I really liked the play. Sometimes plays you like don’t work out the way you like them to.” Mangini said Mike Nugent's kick could have been higher, but Chris Harris made a good recovery despite the oncoming pressure… The Bears only reached the red zone once Sunday and the Jets forced a Robbie Gould field goal after a first and goal from the four-yard line. “I have been impressed for a while with the goal line defense,” Mangini said. “I think they have really done an excellent job with responding in that situation, which is a critical situation. It goes a long way to winning and losing games.”… With a little more than six minutes remaining Sunday, Mangini decided to punt on a fourth and 12 from the Bears' 37-yard line, hoping to force a quick three and out. "There was quite a bit of time on the clock there. I felt pretty good about getting them backed up,” he said. “I thought the defense was playing really well at that point. If you get a three and out, force a punt and keep them backed up, you get really good field position and you have a really nice opportunity to get at least three and ideally get seven.”…
