Chad Pennington Accepts Role as Backup and Mentor to Henne
It’s hard to believe that just a couple of years ago, the Miami Dolphins were coming off their worst season in franchise history as they went 1-15 in the 2007 season.
That offseason many changes were made. First it began with the organization hiring a retired Bill Parcells to be the Vice President of Football Operations. Parcells went straight to work in restoring the franchise. He hired a few friends from Dallas, including general manager (GM) Jeff Ireland, and former Cowboys offensive line coach Tony Sparano as the team’s new head coach.
Parcells also bid farewell to some of the franchise faces, including Jason Taylor, who played his next season in Washington, and Zach Thomas, a legend in Dolphins history.
The team built through the draft that offseason, drafting tackle (T) Jake Long first overall, and drafting quarterback (QB) Chad Henne in the second round. As the team was preparing to head into the season, something amazing happened to the team.
As the team was in search of a quarterback to lead the team, as they wanted Henne to sit and learn, Miami’s division rival, the New York Jets did something wonderful for the Dolphins. With the team trading for Brett Favre, the Jets released their franchise quarterback Chad Pennington. The Dolphins wasted no time in signing the new free agent and found an accurate, intelligent, humble leader in Pennington to begin the franchise’s ascension back to the top.
It didn’t take long for that to work out as Pennington was named the Comeback Player of the Year and was the Dolphins MVP in the 2008 season, as the team went 11-5 and won the AFC East.
Pennington set a foundation for the Dolphins to get back to their winning ways and now he’s graciously stepped aside for Henne to take over the offence. Pennington suffered a season-ending injury in Week 3 last season. Henne took over the rest of the season and went 7-6. Pennington is willing to do whatever is needed of him.
"I'm prepared to start all 16 games. I'm prepared to get cut," Pennington said. "I'm prepared for anything in between because this league is really crazy. I need to prepare myself mentally and physically for whatever I'm called upon to do. Best-case scenario out there? There's not one. Whatever's best for our team is what's best for me."
With the Jets, things were different as Pennington was convinced that the Jets were pushing him aside to make room for Kellen Clemens to be their new starter. Pennington has found a new home in Miami, and understands what the team needs to do to win.
"When I became a Miami Dolphin in 2008 that was the plan, to win and set a foundation in two years that would allow Chad to take over in the third year. I've been fine with that. I understand that. I made the decision to come back here because I want to finish what we started in 2008. This is the right place for me to be."
Pennington is still recovering from the reconstructive shoulder surgery that ended his season a year ago. His timing is still a little off and his throws aren’t quite as strong, but he’s still progressing.
"If I needed to go out there right now and play, I could," Pennington said. "But there's obviously things I want to get better and fine tune and get stronger. But as far as being able to execute, I could do it. A couple days ago I was able to break through some tightness in my shoulder and unleash the ball, really let it go. That felt really good."
Pennington is still preparing as he always has. He spends a lot of time in the film room and he stands behind Henne when he practices with the first-team offence, making the same reads as Henne. Pennington has accepted his role heading into the season.
"It will be hard when the season comes around, but I made this decision," Pennington said. "When I signed on the dotted line, I was comfortable with that. I think I'll be fine. I have a role here."
Pennington has shown that he’s a team player and still a true leader for this Dolphins team. The team is still like his family and he’s showing loyalty to the franchise that gave him a second chance to prove himself when the Jets unceremoniously tossed him aside. He’ll always have a special place in this organization, even after he retires.
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