New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington met with the media Wednesday. The veteran passer will lead the Green & White into Jacksonville this weekend as the Jets look for a third consecutive road win. Pennington's 2005 season ended last September after suffering a torn rotator cuff in a game against the Jaguars.
"I haven't even really thought about it," Pennington said of the hit he absorbed from defensive end Paul Spicer. "I have the picture at home that I see quite often just to remind me how far that I've come and just to remind me of what it's like to be injured and not to take for granted having the chance to play. So I do have that reminder. "
Read Below for the Full Pennington Press Conference Transcript
On going back to Jacksonville…
It's a fun place to play. We know it's going to be a warm weather game and a good crowd, hostile environment against a very good football team, a playoff football team that is very sound across the board. They understand how to win football games. So it'll be a big challenge for us.
On what makes the JAX defense so tough…
I think there is strength in power. They do just a great job up front. Their size and physicality is unbelievable. It's unmatched, really, and they do a great job of just overpowering offenses and playing good team defense. But they're definitely a hard bunch to handle.
On Pennington's relationship with Byron Leftwich…
He was there my last two years there. We're pretty good friends. We talk on a regular basis, and he's done an excellent job. We've always had a good relationship right from the very start. I remember buying his first meal in college, which was McDonald's, which wasn't a lot. I knew he was going to be pretty amazing as a freshman. We were out there throwing in the summertime and he bets me he could throw through the goal posts from the 50 yard line. I'm like, "You're a true freshman, there's no way." He made it through it easy.
On what Pennington lost in the bet…
Probably that first McDonald's meal.
On Leftwich picking Pennington's brain while the were at Marshall…
Byron is a very heady person and a very heady quarterback. He always wanted to be known as a well-rounded quarterback, a guy who could read coverage, who could see things well and make the throws, and he's done a very good job of that, and even when he was a freshman, he studied the game, and he always did a good job of that.
On what the offensive line needs to do in order to improve…
I think our offensive line is starting to gel together, and each week you see improvement. I think that's important. We have a nice mix of veterans along with young guys, and they're just doing a good job of communicating, doing a good job of staying on an even keel and just trying to make progress each week. Each week I think we're seeing progress.
On if the offensive line is gaining confidence…
Absolutely, I think the confidence level does increase each week, and I think what we have to do is just continually work hard and communicate, that's the biggest thing on the offensive line is communication and being on the same page, and that always takes time, especially when you have some new guys that are involved in the mix. They're doing a good job of looking at the mistakes and correcting those things and then getting back to communicating and making sure they're on the same page.
On what Pennington says to D'Brickashaw Ferguson if he misses a block…
Just punch him in the chest next time we get in the huddle and say everything is all right, we'll be fine. I don't think that bothered him. I'm sure it bothered him, but he didn't seem like he carried that with him the rest of the game. He rebounded well and adjusted nicely. Things like that are going to happen. The left tackle position is a tough position to play. You're always playing against great pass rushers. Normally you're by yourself a lot, you don't get a lot of help, so that's a tough position to play, and he steps right in and hasn't complained one bit and just tried to learn as much as he can.
On facing Paul Spicer…
I haven't even really thought about it. I have the picture at home that I see quite often just to remind me how far that I've come and just to remind me of what it's like to be injured and not to take for granted having the chance to play. So I do have that reminder.
That's part of football. I don't let injuries scare me. Injuries are part of this game. If you play scared, if you play not to get injured, you get injured.
On where Pennington has the picture…
I just have it on my desk so when I pass by it, I'll see it every once in a while and it's just a quick reminder of count your blessings and take advantage of the opportunity. That's what it reminds me of.
On Pennington's reaction to the picture…
I'm past the wincing. It's pretty amazing that your arm could be in that position, no doubt about it. A lot of people get that play confused with the previous play and think it was the previous play, but it was actually that play where my arm was put in that position.
On what Pennington learned from Leftwich…
Well, he's a genuine person, and I think he cares about people. He loves the game of football. He's ultra competitive. He loves to compete, and any time he steps out on the field, he doesn't believe anybody can touch him. That's a great attitude to have as a quarterback. You need to feel like you're invincible and you can make any throw and every throw, and he can. He can do it. You just see when he plays the game. He loves being out there, he loves taking on the challenges and he's confident in his abilities and his ability to lead, and it shows.
On the significance of playing against Leftwich…
It's actually weird, it's been weird for us to play against each other because we were teammates, and so when you see each other on the other side, you get a weird feeling, like I'm playing against this guy instead of playing with this guy. So it's a little bit different. But now we've played two times, so this will be the third time, so I guess it's getting easier to accept now that this is the third time around.
On if Leftwich talked to Pennington following the injury last season…
I can't remember, but I'm sure we talked pretty soon after. Well, actually we saw each other after the game, too. He probably knew something was wrong.
On if he can see the running game becoming more confident…
I sure hope so. That's our goal is just to make progress every week and make sure that we're learning our run fits, we're learning how to have a hat for a hat and how to cover guys up. In this league if you can cover guys up or at least get in their way, you've got a chance to create some running lanes. It's when you turn guys free that you don't have a chance at all. So I think they're doing a great job of that, of understanding that and communicating that and trying to make sure we have a hat for a hat most of the time. Sometimes you can't avoid it because they get a safety down or whatever, but as long as we can get a hat for a hat in the front seven in the running game, a team always has a chance.
On what plays he can use during the no huddle situation…
Well, it's a little bit of both. It just goes through game plan, game plan on what we want to do, what we want to attack, what weaknesses we want to take advantage of, and that's obviously constant communication between Brian and myself and making sure we're on the same page.
On plans he and Coach Schottenheimer make prior to a series…
We make sure we after every series have communication on what happened to us on the previous series, what we want to do the next series, making sure we're communicating all the time because I am the extension of him out there on the field, and I've got to make sure that everybody gets the calls and the signals and gets lined up correctly, all the way to the simplest thing such as snap count. It's very important that you get all those things communicated.
On if Pennington is surprised that the team is undefeated on the road…
I'm surprised that we haven't won at the Meadowlands. I'm not surprised that we're undefeated on the road. I think Coach Mangini has prepared us very well with for hostile environments and all the different things he put us through with training camp. Training camp is difficult for us to communicate with all the noise and all the different situations we went through. I think we've handled that well, now we have to translate that to our home games and protect our home field. It's important that you win at home.
Wednesday Injury ReportJets
Doubtful:RB Cedric Houston (knee)*Questionable: CB David Barrett (hip), WR Laveranues Coles (calf), RW Tim Dwight (thigh), OL Pete Kendall (thigh) & OL Trey Teague (ankle)
*Probable: *DL Dave Ball (hand), *RB Kevan Barlow (calf), *LB Matt Chatham (foot), *OL Anthony Clement (shin), *DL Bobby Hamilton (knee), *FB James Hodgins (knee), *OL Adrian Jones (thigh), *CB Justin Miller (hip), *QB Chad Pennington (calf), *S Kerry Rhodes (thigh), WR Brad Smith (thigh), *S Eric Smith (knee), & *DL Kimo von Oelhoffen (knee)
Jaguars
Doubtful:WR Matt Jones (hamstring), DT Marcus Stroud (ankle), DE Marcellus Wiley (groin) & RB Derrick Wimbush (knee)
Probable:S Donovin Darius (knee), LB Nick Greisen (ankle), CB Rashean Mathis (knee), G Chris Naeole (knee)
* Denotes players who participated in practice
