With Jets Win, Pennington Puts End to QB Debate

Football

By MICHAEL DAVID SMITH
September 24, 2007

Chad Pennington put any talk of a quarterback controversy behind him with a coolly efficient game, and the Jets held on in the fourth quarter to earn a hard-fought 31–28 win over the Miami Dolphins yesterday.

Pennington's numbers weren't spectacular — he completed 15 of 22 passes for just 124 yards — but he threw two touchdown passes, didn't turn the ball over, and controlled the game, calling plays at the line of scrimmage and keeping the Dolphins' defense on its heels. No one had to ask afterward who the Jets' Week 4 starter will be.

The ankle injury that kept Pennington out of the Jets' loss to the Baltimore Ravens last week may still have bothered him, but he was mobile enough to make some plays with his feet. On one thirdand-17, Pennington felt pressure, rolled out to his left, threw across his body and hit Laveranues Coles for a gain of 23. On another play the Jets had the ball on the 2-yard line, and when Pennington saw the Dolphins' defense vacate the middle of the field, he waltzed into the end zone for the Jets' first rushing touchdown of the season and his first since 2004.

The Jets and Dolphins both entered the game 0–2, and the victory established the Jets as the second-best team in the AFC East. Granted, second place in the AFC East means just leading the race to finish behind the New England Patriots, who continued to look all but unbeatable as they crushed the Buffalo Bills, but there were real reasons to believe the Jets can be a good football team on display in the Meadowlands Sunday.

One was running back Thomas Jones, who had 25 carries for 110 yards. Jones's longest run went just 12 yards, but he gained ground in consistent chunks and showed after two mediocre games why the Jets traded for him.

Another was wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who caught five of the six passes Pennington threw to him, getting four first downs and leading the team with 54 receiving yards. Cotchery has quietly become one of the league's most dependable wide receivers, a player who rarely shows up on "SportsCenter" but who runs good routes, has good hands, and does the little things that help his team win.

The Jets' most valuable player may have been left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who had struggled through the first two weeks of the season. Ferguson was matched one-on-one with Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor — the league's reigning defensive player of the year — for most of the game, and Ferguson consistently won that individual matchup. Showing the quick feet and intelligence the Jets loved about him when they chose him with the fourth pick in the 2006 NFL draft, Ferguson consistently recognized and snuffed out Taylor's attempts to get outside pressure on Pennington. If Taylor hadn't been flagged for three offside penalties, it would have been easy to forget he was on the Dolphins' defense at all.

The Jets' defense, however, needs work. Although Shaun Ellis had a sack and Kerry Rhodes had an interception — the first of each for the Jets this season — the defense left too many receivers open and allowed Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown too much room to run. And after the Jets took a 31–13 lead in the fourth quarter, Brown scored two touchdowns to get the Dolphins back in the game before a failed Miami onside kick finally allowed the Jets to put the game on ice.

The second-biggest issue facing the Jets this week was how they would replace Justin Miller, the Pro Bowl kickoff returner who was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. On the basis of their first game without him, it appears that the Jets will be just fine. Leon Washington returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, and the Dolphins were sufficiently impressed that they squibbed their next kickoff to keep it out of Washington's hands.

And the biggest issue, whether Pennington deserves to start ahead of Clemens, has been resolved. Clemens might be the Jets' starter some day, but Pennington showed yesterday that he gives them the best chance to win now.

Mr. Smith is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com.