An Open Letter to Chad Pennington

Chad,

I come to you utterly embarrassed. I've come to despise my own kind. I always considered New York to be an educated sports town. I know the Yankees fans can sometimes misrepresent us, but most of them are bandwagon jumpers and would be gone the second things go south. Us Jets fans have grown up under a different kind of success. Or lack of success. Things began to change when Bill Parcells came around. You may have never played under him, but I know he appreciated who you are. One of his last acts as a Jets executive was to draft you in 2000. It was one of the best moves the Jets ever made.

In 2002, we pinned our hopes on an aging Vinny Testaverde. The season was seemingly lost when we started at 1-4. Then Vinny got hurt and things changed very quickly. You came in and had a stunning debut. The team went 8-3 the rest of the way and won the AFC East. The Jets proved they could be a playoff team without Parcells. You picked apart nearly every defense you faced. 3,120 yards and 22 touchdowns in 11 games. Not bad for a QB who couldn't throw the ball downfield.

Then the injuries started to come. In 2003, we lost you for the first 6 games after Brandon Short broke your hand. When you came back, we rallied slightly, but the team just wasn't very good.

2004 was different. Halfway through the season, you tore your rotator cuff and missed 3 games. Most mortals would miss a year, but you came right back and led the team into the playoffs. When we played a dominant 15-1 Steelers team, you put us in position to win. We had no business beating them and we didn't. But it wasn't because of you. It was Doug Brien's two shanks and Herm's conservative coaching.

The effects of playing with a torn rotator cuff came into play in 2005 and you didn't play much. At the end of the year, you put your cards on the table and took a pay cut. You knew you had something to prove.

In 2006, you did just that. The rotator cuff surgeries had really affected your arm strength. Luckily, it was a new regime and Brian Schottenheimer understood just how to utilize you properly. With no running game, teams played a base nickel against the Jets. But thanks the Schottenheimer's play calling and your accuracy; you played well enough to lead us back into the playoffs. You were comeback player of the year. In a rebuilding year with undermanned personnel, we went toe to toe with the Patriots.

I thought you had taught the Jets fans and the New York media that you did not need a major arm to win football games. It helps when you don't make mistakes. 1 career turnover in the red zone is pretty unprecedented. I mean, your career record is 21-16 and in your time, the Jets have never had exceptional personnel. There are plenty of Billy Joe Tollivers and Jeff George's who could throw a football through a brick wall. Most of them have never won anything. There is one man who has completed a higher percentage of his passes than you. It's not Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. It's another quarterback with questionable arm strength, Kurt Warner. He won two MVP's and a Superbowl.

In 2007, you again proved your incredible toughness. High ankle sprains usually cost players 6-10 weeks. It cost you one series. You came back and picked apart one of the better defenses in football. Then you placated the fans by sitting out the rest of the game.

The fans in the stands got their wish. They have short memories. They remember the touchdown passes Kellen Clemens threw against 2nd and 3rd string defenses. They don't remember the injuries you gutted your way through. They don't remember how efficiently you work in the red zone. But I do. I know you give the team the best shot at winning games. I know because it is all you have ever done. I wanted you to know that one fan is still cheering for you...