Would love to see Patriots pick up Pennington

[MoLewisrocks]

From CHFF:

The 5 Most Underrated Quarterbacks Ever

5. Chad Pennington (2000-present)
Can we give a little love to Herbie the Dentist? Jets fans have certainly never been sold on him. And a spate of injuries hasn’t helped Pennington’s career or his reputation in New York and around the league.

But he boasts the 7th best passer rating in NFL history (88.89) and the No. 5 mark among active players. Believe it or not, Pennington had a better career passer rating than Tom Brady heading into the 2007 season.

Pennington is also the most accurate passer in league history, with a record 65.61 career completion percentage. Hard to believe, considering he puts up so many parabolas that the networks want to hire him as a sideline sound man following his next rotator cuff injury in October.

And the lack of a laser, rocket arm is compounded by the quality of the offensive talent around him, which has never been spectacular.

But proof of Pennington’s proficiency is evidenced by the fortunes of the Jets when he plays and when he doesn’t: Pennington has played in 12 or more games just three times in a season since replacing Vinny Testaverde in 2002. The Jets have made the playoffs all three of those seasons (2002, 2004, 2006). They failed to win even half their games every other season (2003, 2005, 2007).

Head coach Eric Mangini was “Man-Genius” in his rookie season at the helm in 2006. Pennington, not so coincidentally, played every single game for the one and only time in his career that year. Mangini became a duplicitous rat turncoat in 2007 while his team struggled through a 4-12 sophomore campaign – and Pennington started just 8 games.

In other words the Jets are a playoff team when Pennington plays; they’re an also-ran when he doesn’t. He’s a difference-maker at quarterback and one of the most precise parabola-tossers the game has ever seen.

If not for the rash of injuries we might be talking about a player who competes with Brady and Peyton Manning for status as the best quarterback in the league today.

He's also a better teamate and locker room presence and when not undercut leader than Farve has ever been. He presents as a potential starter, at least in transition, and someone who would be loyal to those who give him that opportunity to the point he would also present as a long range backup and mentor willing to do what is best for his team. God knows he proved that in his years in NY.

 

[Urgent]

I've been down on Pennington as a starter for the Jets.

The 'but he's valuable as a back-up' argument is valid.
More valid is the 'he's WAY better than Cassell, Gutierrez, or O'Connell' argument.

If Brady went down, I'd love to have a top QB available. Without a top QB available, I would take Pennington over those three anyday, as would most Pats fans.

That said, given that there are only 15-20 good QB's in the league, there are numerous spots where a guy with Pennington's skillset and leadership capabilities would give him an immediate shot at starting. As noted, Minnesota, Chicago, Baltimore, Miami, Kansas City, etc.

No competitive quarterback should want to come to New England, Indy, Dallas, Cincinnati, or places like that.

 

[patchick]

Hypocrites my ass. I've called Penny a noodle arm, and on and on. But as a BACKUP QB I would take him. In an EMERGENCY he could play, not make a critical mistake and we could rely on the run game and defense more. I'd take him in a key situation over Cassel or Guttierez and that doesn't make me a hypocrite.

Absolutely. It's perfectly consistent to say that:

- With his weak arm, Pennington is too easy to gameplan against to be an effective #1 QB at this stage in his career;

- If somebody had to step in after an injury and play a half for the Patriots, the team would be better off with an experienced, level-headed, weak-armed game manager than an inexperienced, nervous, strong-armed prospect.

Where's the hypocrisy?

(BTW, lost in all of this is the happy fact that the Jets clearly whiffed on Clemens.)

 

[patchick]

Pennington has to be severely wounded by all of this and like any wounded animal worth living he is going to want to fight to live (as a starting NFL QB) and exact revenge against those who turned on him.

It's certainly likely that Pennington will be looking for a real chance to play football, which would rule out New England. But I don't think that "he'll never sign with the Patriots because he wants to take revenge on the Jets" is a winning argument!

 

[NEPatriot]

Pennington is not a good choice for Pats.

 

[RayClay]

Wait a minute here....

Countless times some of you ,even many in here posting in this thread made fun of Chad calling him a Noodle Arm and he can't throw for more than 15 yards when he was the Jets starting QB and had no chance of being cut or replaced but now when you see Chad is on his way out now you think he is a good signing and makes a good backup?

My how the Hypocrites rise to the top when things change and hes no longer a threat in the division - It's Disgusting sometimes the way some of you change your minds overnight

Ummm... He was on the Jets.

We don't like them....

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

He'd never come here, he wants to play. It would be cool to see him go to Minn and light it up while Farverrah throws 25 INTs.

No, the vet QB I'd have an eye out for would be Chris Simms. He's going to be cut late if all the Buc QB's survive camp, he'll need a quick siging and what better way to improve your image than holding TB's water bottle for a year? He could fill the gap between O'Connell being ready to be back up - I mean we didn't spend a 3rd on Kevin for nothing, right?

Of course that would mean both Cassel and Gutierrez would have to go...somewhere. I don't think they have any trade value but one or both would be signed if cut.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

He'd never come here, he wants to play. It would be cool to see him go to Minn and light it up while Farverrah throws 25 INTs.

No, the vet QB I'd have an eye out for would be Chris Simms. He's going to be cut late if all the Buc QB's survive camp, he'll need a quick siging and what better way to improve your image than holding TB's water bottle for a year? He could fill the gap between O'Connell being ready to be back up - I mean we didn't spend a 3rd on Kevin for nothing, right?

Of course that would mean both Cassel and Gutierrez would have to go...somewhere. I don't think they have any trade value but one or both would be signed if cut.

Given that Atlanta's GM used to be with the Pats, I could see them forking over a 6 or a 7 for one of the Matts.