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Title: Jets: It will be weird to face Chad Post by: DolFan619 on September 03, 2008, 03:37:55 pm http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/football/pro/dolphins/sfl-jets090208,0,4310690.story
Jets: It will be weird to face Chad BY ERIK BOLAND Newsday 1:06 PM EDT, September 2, 2008 Weird. That was the word players kept coming back to in describing what they'll see Sunday, a scene unfathomable less than a month ago. Chad Pennington, a member of the Jets from 2000 until his release Aug. 7 - when Brett Favre was introduced as the Jets' new quarterback - starting for the Dolphins in Miami in the teams' season opener. "It's going to be weird," safety Kerry Rhodes said yesterday on a conference call. "He's been here since I've been here, before I got here. He's a winner. When he's in and he's healthy, he's a productive quarterback in this league. You know he's going to be able to make all the reads. He knows what we like to do. We know what he likes to do. It will be a chess match. It's going to be fun." Defensive end Shaun Ellis, also with the team since 2000, said of seeing Pennington wearing the orange and teal of the Dolphins: "It's going to be very weird. Only thing I know him to be in is green and white. He's a smart quarterback who knows our system. We're going to have to play a little bit of cat- and-mouse." Pennington went 32-29 in his Jets career and led the franchise to three playoff appearances, most recently in 2006, Eric Mangini's first season as head coach. The Jets were one of the surprise teams of the AFC that season, going 10-6, but the organization soured on Pennington last season as the quarterback battled several injuries and the team struggled to a 4-12 finish. Pennington, upset about being benched at midseason in favor of Kellen Clemens, requested a trade in the offseason but the Jets refused. Mangini declared the quarterback job to be an open competition before training camp, a competition Pennington by most accounts was winning before the Favre bombshell Aug. 6. The Jets released Pennington the next day and he signed with the Dolphins on Aug. 8. Mangini attempted to downplay the Jets-Pennington meeting, mentioning that players change teams all the time in the NFL and that come Sunday, it will be team vs. team and not Chad vs. Brett looking for revenge. "I think everyone is happy for Chad and excited for the opportunity he has there," Mangini said. "But when it comes down to the game, it will be the Jets vs. the Dolphins, not Chad vs. the Jets, or vice versa." And what it won't be is the final time this week that Mangini is asked the question. Notes & quotes: Players spent yesterday in the team's new practice facility in Florham Park, N.J., and had nothing but rave reviews. "I think it's fantastic," center Nick Mangold said. "What they've put into this building, it's amazing. Everything was designed with the purpose of allowing us to have better preparation to be at the peak of our game. It's exciting to be in the building after hearing about it so long." ... The Jets added these eight players, all of whom were in camp with the team, to their practice squad: WR Larry Brackins, RB Jehuu Caulcrick, OL Stanley Daniels, DB James Ihedigbo, OL Matt McChesney, DE Ropati Pitoitua, WR Paul Raymond and LB Brandon Renkart. Renkart played for Rutgers. Season opener Jets at Miami Sunday, 1 p.m. Title: Re: Jets: It will be weird to face Chad Post by: YoFuggedaboutit on September 03, 2008, 03:39:09 pm Boland knows that Pennington is gonna slice up this Jets defense.
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