NFL Notes: Pennington Near The End With Jets

Kellen Clemens is the future for the New York Jets, but when is it the right time to tell Chad Pennington? 

I believe the time is coming sooner than later. 

This is a situation that requires careful timing on the part of Eric Mangini.  If you pull Pennington right now, you are basically saying the team’s problems center around the quarterback.  That’s not fair on Pennington.  I believe you have to give this team another week or two to see if they can play themselves back into playoff contention.  I don’t believe this is a playoff team, but you have to give the veterans enough respect. 

Let’s not forget what Pennington has brought to the Jets over the last several years.  He’s smart and understands how to read a defense.  He earns a lot of respect with his approach to the game and he’s generally very accurate.  Unfortunately durability has been a problem throughout his career, which led the Jets towards reconsidering their future at the quarterback position. 

Pennington is definitely in a bad situation.  He’s not getting much support from his offensive line.  The run game hasn’t found any rhythm.  And there is a lot of pressure on this team to score points to support a subpar defense.  Pennington has put himself in a position where he’s trying to make too much happen beyond his physical skills.  This problem already began surfacing last season when he threw 16 interceptions.

His poor arm strength limits the offense. They can’t stretch the field with Pennington, which allows opposing defenses to sit on the short routes and keep an extra defender in the box against the run. 

Clemens will bring better physical skills to the quarterback position.  He can make all the throws that Pennington can’t – including the deep out.  But there will be growing pains and that’s why Mangini must be careful with the timing of this move.  Clemens has to learn how to consistently read defenses and make good decisions with the football.  There’s going to be a few ugly games and that’s why Mangini must pick the ideal timing of this move and how it affects the rest of the team this season. 

In other news:

Many people believe the Arizona Cardinals are a stronger contender in the NFC West with Kurt Warner at quarterback.  Warner is a more trusted option in the short-term, but can he stay healthy for the rest of the season?  I have doubts there.  Warner has trouble getting away from the rush and was very turnover prone last season.  With Matt Leinart out the rest of the year, the Cardinals lose a lot of development time with their young quarterback.  Leinart struggled at times this season when under pressure and needs to become more disciplined within Ken Whisenhunt’s offense.  The chemistry between Leinart and Whisenhunt definitely needs to improve before next season.  Another concern is that Leinart has suffered two injuries to this throwing shoulder within the past year.  Stay tuned. 

The Kansas City Chiefs hope to establish a run game against Cincinnati this week.  They have Kyle Turley coming back from a hamstring injury at right tackle.  He’s not much of a force in the run game, but brings more stability to the line at this point of the season.  Chris Terry has been given a few opportunities to succeed at right tackle, but he’s been a major disappointment.  Terry has been lackadaisical and isn’t very well-liked by coaches. The offensive line must become a priority for the Chiefs next spring.  They lack the stability and continuity that the organization enjoyed for several years.  I don’t understand how an organization can lose Will Shields and William Roaf within two seasons without having a proper succession plan for this unit.  This is poor organizational planning. 

What has happened to Saints’ left tackle Jammal Brown?  Brown has struggled at times this season and continues his career-long penchant for committing penalties.  Brown is only in his second season at left tackle and needs to continue working to refine his footwork and learn the proper angles.  Brown has good athletic skills and made a solid transition to the left side in 2006 – even earning Pro Bowl honors. 

A few weeks ago before J.P. Losman went down with an injury, I mentioned how most within the Buffalo organization were smitten with rookie Trent Edwards and view him as the future at quarterback.  Edwards hasn’t posted big numbers while filling in for Losman, but has pleased the coaches with his poise and accuracy in the intermediate passing game.  The organization raves about Edwards’ makeup.  Now the question is whether Losman regains his job?  That concerns Lee Evans.  Losman has a lot to learn and needs to get rid of the ball quicker, but he can push the ball downfield and has excellent chemistry with Evans.  Evans doesn’t have the same chemistry with Edwards at this point.  And Edwards lacks the arm strength and command of the downfield passing game. 

The Lions are going with youth on the right side of their offensive line.  In the past couple weeks, they have transitioned Stephen Peterson and Jonathan Scott into the lineup.  Peterman has good size and power in the run game.  He also plays with a lot of tenacity.  He’s worked hard to overcome some of his athletic limitations.  Scott has an athletic, rangy frame as a tackle who displays a lot of upside in pass protection. 

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