He’s been compared to Joe Namath, he’s been compared to Joe Montana, but when it counted the most, Chad Pennington simply choked.
The future looked pretty bright for the Jets after a long touchdown drive at the end of the first half, the drive that tied the game and turned the momentum to the Jets’ side. At the start of the third quarter the Raiders missed what looked like a sure field goal. The opportunity was in the hands of the New York Jets, they just had to keep the momentum going, score points, and get the crowd out of the game. The Jets went three and out, and then Pennington showed that all those comparisons were way too premature. He threw two interceptions and fumbled a hand-off to FB Richie Anderson, he began missing wide open receivers, his decision-making became questionable, he just folded under pressure. His final stats were 21 of 47, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 2 fumbles, and two costly delay of game penalties. Then, the defense totally gave up, and the game was over…
I still don’t understand how an NFL quarterback can miss a wide open FB Jerald Sowell who had no opponents within 10 yards around him. I also don’t understand how an NFL quarterback can overthrow his wide receivers time after time, at times putting them in a very dangerous position. Wayne Chrebet got hurt on one of those badly overthrown passes. He looked like a rookie, like a quarterback who stepped onto the field for the first time with this team. Is Wayne Chrebet 7 feet tall? Is Santana Moss 7’5”? I don’t think so.
It would be foolish, however, to put the blame entirely on Pennington. The defense came totally unprepared to defend the Raiders’ passing attack. We all knew that it would be suicidal to give these Raider wide receivers 8-10 yard cushions, but that’s exactly how the Jets were defending against the pass in this game. When will Herman Edwards learn that his zone defense just doesn’t work with this anemic pass-rush? In the first half the Raiders didn’t pass much, but when they did pass, the Jets’ cover-2 was having big problems. Did the Jets make any adjustments? Of course, NOT! When WR Jerry Porter scored on a 29-yard touchdown pass, did the Jets learn anything from that play? Of course, NOT! A few minutes later Gannon connected with Porter on a very similar route for a gain of 50+! No adjustments, no preparation, and a quarterback who looked like a rookie making his first NFL start – this just won’t get you past an experienced team like the Oakland Raiders! Same old Jets! See ya next year!