The following is exclusive content from Coach Mangini's conference call with the Indianapolis media.
QB-CHAD PENNINGTON(on proving himself to a new coach and the QB competition in camp) September 27, 2006
"I've actually enjoyed it and I think the competition actually made me a better player. Any time you're in a competition you have to stay on the edge, you have to have some anxiety in your stomach and you have to stay focused at all times, because you are fighting for your job, you're fighting for your livelihood. It (competition) made me a better player and I just tried to embrace the challenge and make the best of it."
QB-CHAD PENNINGTON(on questions regarding his arm strength before and after surgery) September 27, 2006
"I just tried to execute throughout training camp. I knew there would be certain times in practice that we would have a chance to throw long balls. I didn't really make it an emphasis to fire a few out there just to get people off of my back because the bottom line is still about execution and putting your team in the end zone. I just tried to work really hard and seek as many experts and advice as much as I could to see how I could increase my velocity and really help myself out."
QB-CHAD PENNINGTON(on any doubts he may have had on his recovery time after surgery) September 27, 2006
"I really didn't have negative doubts. I didn't know what to expect. After you've had two surgeries you just don't know how your body is going to respond. I believed in the plan that we had and I still do. I knew working hard wouldn't be a problem. It was just a matter of how my body would respond and how things would come together. I think the key has been time and repetition. You can't replace time, nor can you place repetition. It's been a key factor in allowing me to get back healthy and try to help us win."
QB-CHAD PENNINGTON(on what Laveranues Coles means to him) September 27, 2006
"Laveranues is such a special player. He does such a great job of getting open. Any time you put the ball up in the air, you know #87 is going to give you a chance to make a play. I think our receiving corps as a whole has done an excellent job of coming in working hard every day. These guys have made plays for me. They're exciting to watch. They're a tough bunch of guys that aren't afraid to get dirty in the running game, hit linebackers and safeties and do what they need to do to help us win."
QB-CHAD PENNINGTON(on the Colts defense and Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis) September 27, 2006
"They're an opportunistic defense. I think the most impressive part about the defense as a whole is their team speed. Anytime you stop the frame when you're watching their defense you see eight, nine, 10 guys around the football. They're always swarming the football, they're there to make plays and they do a great job of that. Teams start to worry about the Colts offense scoring points, but you've got to worry about the Colts defense scoring points, too. With their pass rush and getting strip sacks, with their ability to intercept the football and read the quarterback's eyes, they do a great job of creating turnovers and creating havoc."
QB-CHAD PENNINGTON(on the lack of sacks for Dwight Freeney this season) September 27, 2006
"Any time you have such a great player like Dwight, you have to know where he is at all times. At any point in the game he can change a game. He may not have a sack all game and when they need it the most, he'll come up with a big play. Sometimes it's not even a sack, it may be just flushing the quarterback out of the pocket or getting the quarterback pressure, something like that. You always have to know where he is."
QB-CHAD PENNINGTON(on what he remembers about the 41-0 playoff game) September 27, 2006
"It has been a long time. It was a great time for Jets fans, I know that, being able to make the run that we made. Anytime we've played the Colts it seems like it's been an interesting game. When we went up there (Indy) in 03, it was a 38-31 game. Anytime we get together with the Colts, it's really a good game for the fans to watch."
QB-CHAD PENNINGTON(on the development of his relationship with Laveranues and the relationship between Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison) September 27, 2006
"I sure hope so. You can just tell that those guys can just look at each other and know exactly what they want from each other. They don't even have to speak, they just know and that takes time, it takes hard work that they've put in week in and week out. Laveranues and I are trying to develop that too. I think it's important that you have a good relationship off the field too. We've just tried to work on that our whole career. We came in together. We've had a natural feel for each other, and how, that we really couldn't explain. We've just tried to expand upon that."
QB-CHAD PENNINGTON(on his assessment of the team (Jets) so far) September 27, 2006
"I think we're proud to be 2-1, but we're not satisfied. Any time you can start the season and not put yourself in a hole it's a good thing, but we've got a lot of work to do. We have a lot of things we've got to work on fundamentally to play better football and to put ourselves in position to be successful. Right now it's just too early to really see or talk about our identity. I think all teams throughout the league are still trying to find their identity and trying to find what each team does best."
QB-CHAD PENNINGTON(on his concern for their running game) September 27, 2006
"I think we've made improvement, I really do. Last week versus Buffalo we were able to punch two rushing touchdowns in the end zone, which is a positive, and at the end of the game when we needed it the most, we got some good production out of our running game. I think with our offensive line and our running backs, really, the running game is a total team effort. It starts with the quarterback understanding the vision that the back needs so he can see the holes. It goes to the running back running the correct courses and the line blocking the right schemes and then the receivers in the perimeter. It's really a full team effort and that's what we're concentrating on."
QB-CHAD PENNINGTON(on the biggest mood change from Herman (Edwards) to Eric (Mangini) right now as the coach) September 27, 2006
"Everyone does know that they do have different styles. Both coaches do bring a lot of passion to the game. They love going out on Sundays and watching their players play and execute the game plan. There are some similarities, too. Coach has really come in here with a good plan and a good attitude. He's a hard worker. The guy works endlessly and he's very detailed and very thorough, and he's been fun to play under."
