The End of The Pennington Era...

by Ssj3alucard

As Seen on 3rdstringsafety.blogspot.com

When Aaron Ross jumped in front of his second pass of the game and started sprinting down the sideline to seal the win for the last Sunday, Jets fans started to see the Chad Pennington era flashing before their eyes. With another loss that fell squarely on the quarterback's shoulders the Kellen Clemens countdown began.

There is now little doubt that Pennington is a lame duck. With a quickly deteriorating arm, and a talented backup in waiting on the sideline, its only a matter of time until Pennington is holding a clipboard. The scariest part for Jet fans is that Pennington's demise is marked by him no longer being able to do what he did best during his best years: Play mistake free football. He's thrown game ending interceptions in both of the last two weeks, and neither throw was even justifiable.

It would be one thing to leave Pennington in the game if the Jets weren't talented enough to score points, but they are. Outside of a developing offensive line, the offense is capable of being solid, if not explosive. In reality, it's Pennington that's holding the offense back.

The Jets best offensive weapons are their wide receivers. Both Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery have game breaking ability and can be one of the most prolific pairs in the game. However, they are being forced to gain all of their yardage after the catch as Pennington is incapable of getting them the ball if they beat their receivers deep. Not to mention the fact that the underneath routes that they are forced to run have a higher chance of being intercepted, as shown by Ross and Sam Madison this past week.

Coles and Cotchery are not the only players on the Jets being held back by Pennington. Thomas Jones was considered the crown jewel of the off season for the Jets, the crucial ingredient that would take them to the promised land. His struggles this season have been well documented and everybody has given 100 reasons why. The truth is that teams are stacking the box because they are willing to let Pennington throw the ball in front of their defense and tackle the receivers short of the first down. With no threat of throwing deep, Jones is no better than any other mediocre back in the league.

Coach Eric Mangini will be hard pressed to save his team from their 1-4 start. That doesn't mean that this season can't be useful. A bad 2007 with Kellen Clemens at the helm can lead to several playoff berths to end the decade. It's a case of it being better to lose with Pennington on the bench, then with him in the game.