Pennington injured- probably out for the season

[mavsfanforever]

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Associated Press


EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Chad Pennington landed hard on the turf after being tackled from behind and immediately clutched his left wrist.

Just like that, another starting quarterback was seriously injured in the preseason.

Pennington dislocated and fractured his left wrist in the Jets' 15-14 victory over the New York Giants on Saturday night and is out indefinitely.

He was tackled from behind by Brandon Short after throwing away a pass with just under two minutes remaining in the first half and landed awkwardly on his wrist.

Pennington had X-rays at Giants Stadium, which revealed the fracture-dislocation, and was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York for immediate surgery. The Jets do not know how long their starting quarterback will be out, and said Pennington's status would be determined after surgery.

Vinny Testaverde, who turns 40 in November, entered the game in place of Pennington.

"We ran a blitz ... I came up the middle untouched," Short said. "Chad rolled to his right. I must have grabbed his legs right as he threw the ball, and he fell down on his arms and was just lying there.

"I asked him if he was all right, and he just kept lying there until the trainers came out. It's unfortunate to see someone go down like that."

This is the second time in as many weeks a starting quarterback was injured in an exhibition game. Last week, Falcons starter Michael Vick broke his right leg against Baltimore and is expected to be out at least six weeks.

"It's really unfortunate because we don't want to see anyone get hurt," said Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, who did not play because of a toe injury. "For him to get hurt like that in a preseason game is just a shame."

Pennington replaced Testaverde in the fifth game of last season. Testaverde started 1-3, and Jets coach Herman Edwards decided a change was necessary.

The young backup engineered a tremendous turnaround for the Jets, who ended up winning the AFC East and finishing the regular-season 9-7 after a 2-5 start.

Pennington led the NFL with a 104.2 passer rating and 68.9 completion percentage. He finished 275-of-399 for 3,120 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions.

His favorite target was Laveranues Coles, who left in the offseason for the Washington Redskins. In the preseason, Pennington was building chemistry with new addition Curtis Conway, along with Santana Moss and Wayne Chrebet.

Against the Giants, Pennington was 4-of-12 for 58 yards before getting hurt.

Testaverde, meanwhile, took his new role as backup with class. But the 17-year veteran saw limited time in the preseason before Pennington's injury. In the first three games, he played one series and went 1-of-3 for 8 yards and an interception.

He saw his first extended action Saturday and finished 5-of-11 for 48 yards.

Now Testaverde becomes the starter again. Two weeks ago, Edwards said he wanted to figure out a way to get Testaverde to 40,000 yards passing. Testaverde is 442 yards away from the mark, which only eight others have reached.

Even though they lost, the Giants (0-3) finally got their offense going. After scoring just one touchdown in their first two preseason games, they got touchdowns on consecutive possessions.

Kerry Collins guided a 21-play, 95-yard drive that ate up 9:58 of the first quarter. Collins threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Visanthe Shiancoe on fourth-and-goal to start the scoring.

On their next possession, Collins threw an 88-yard touchdown pass to Ike Hilliard to make it 14-0. Hilliard had an outstanding game, catching seven passes for 150 yards.

Collins also looked good and played into the third quarter, finishing 13-of-23 for 198 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Nothing went right for the Jets (2-2). They wanted to work on their running game against the Giants, but starter Curtis Martin had 10 carries for just 14 yards. The Giants dominated the first half, and the Jets' only points came on a 40-yard field goal by Doug Brien.

Brien kicked two other field goals, and the Jets took the lead in the fourth quarter when Chad Brinker scored on a 2-yard run.

[Just211]

could you imagine if he's out for the Dallas game? that would be two QB's that have went down for the Cowboys first 3 opponents. Although Vinny will probably be a lesser step down then Vick to Johnson. Let's hope the Boys can find a way to take advantage and pull out some early W's.

[Drbio]

Originally posted by: Just211
could you imagine if he's out for the Dallas game? that would be two QB's that have went down for the Cowboys first 3 opponents. Although Vinny will probably be a lesser step down then Vick to Johnson. Let's hope the Boys can find a way to take advantage and pull out some early W's.

Could be an opportunity that we won't have later in the season unfortunately.

[jmiles65]

Wasn't his throwing arm, but he will miss around 6 weeks, and will probably miss the Dallas game..

Luckily for them, they have Vinny.
Not a bad back-up if you ask me.

[mavsfanforever]

Vinny is as bad as it gets. At this stage he sucks even more than the qbs we got.

[FilthyFinMavs]

Originally posted by: mavsfanforever
Vinny is as bad as it gets. At this stage he sucks even more than the qbs we got.

Are you serious? He was a pretty good qb about a year or two ago. He must be on the decline. I can't imagine him being as bad as Hutch. He took too many steps backwards.

[Fah Q]

Wow, what a suprise. You took a shot at Hutch.

[jmiles65]

Vinny isn't that great a QB, but... he is an experienced veteran, and he knows how to run a team. He still can get some W's.

[FINtastic]

could you imagine if he's out for the Dallas game? that would be two QB's that have went down for the Cowboys first 3 opponents. Although Vinny will probably be a lesser step down then Vick to Johnson. Let's hope the Boys can find a way to take advantage and pull out some early W's.

Do you think Jerry is working some sort of voodoo?

[FilthyFinMavs]

Originally posted by: Fah Q
Wow, what a suprise. You took a shot at Hutch.

Why don't you post this when someone takes a shot at Carter?

[FilthyFinMavs]

Originally posted by: FINtastic

Do you think Jerry is working some sort of voodoo?

I'm going to laugh my ass off when or if the Cowboys don't even take advantage of those games like the ATL and the Jets games.

[Fah Q]

Originally posted by: FilthyFinMavs

Why don't you post this when someone takes a shot at Carter?

Because when you stated that, it was a pointless statement. Vinny will be going against Qcar not Hutch. So it seemed that the only reason you made that statement was to prolong a fight between you and Doc. Luckily Doc didn't respond to what as I said seemed to be an open invitation for more confrontation.

[FilthyFinMavs]

Originally posted by: Fah Q

Because when you stated that, it was a pointless statement. Vinny will be going against Qcar not Hutch. So it seemed that the only reason you made that statement was to prolong a fight between you and Doc. Luckily Doc didn't respond to what as I said seemed to be an open invitation for more confrontation.

Doc doesn't even like Hutch. He likes neither qbs. So what is your point? My statement wasn't pointless at all. As a matter of fact I was replying to a poster who stated that our qbs were better than Vinny.

[mavsfanforever]

Sources: Injury may end QB's season

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By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com


Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, who suffered a fractured and dislocated left wrist during a Saturday night preseason game, will likely miss 12 weeks, coach Herm Edwards said Sunday.

But a source within the organization acknowledged to ESPN.com that Pennington, an emerging star who took over the offense from Vinny Testaverde last season, possibly could be out the entire season. Edwards did not deny such a scenario, but said the team hoped to have Pennington back possibly in as short a period as 10 weeks.

The injury is to Pennington's non-throwing hand. Edwards allowed that, with such wrist injuries, the recovery time often depends on the individual.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm optimistic," Edwards said during a conference call, when asked if he believed Pennington would return at some point this season. "I think if anyone can do it, then Chad certainly has the will to do it. But we're not going to put him in harm's way. ... We're going to make sure he's ready to go. We're not just going to rush him in there."

Pennington was tackled from behind by Brandon Short after throwing away a pass with less than two minutes remaining in the first half and landed awkwardly on his wrist.

"We ran a blitz ... I came up the middle untouched," Short told reporters after the game. "Chad rolled to his right. I must have grabbed his legs right as he threw the ball, and he fell down on his arms and was just lying there.

"I asked him if he was all right, and he just kept lying there until the trainers came out. It's unfortunate to see someone go down like that."

Pennington had surgery Saturday night in New York. To set the fracture, doctors inserted seven surgical pins into his wrist. Edwards said Pennington had broken carpal bones 2 through 7. He also allowed that, even after rehabilitation, Pennington might have to work through some residual stiffness in the wrist.

Other players who have suffered similar injuries have experienced stiffness and some loss in range of motion for a period following their surgery.

Edwards emphasized that Pennington's injury is not career-threatening. He noted that the surgery went "very, very well," and said Pennington's recovery "is a day-to-day matter for now." Pennington could be released from Lenox Hill Hospital as early as Sunday evening, but Edwards and sources close to the quarterback said he is still in considerable pain.

For now, Pennington's wrist is in a splint, and he will subsequently be in a cast for about three or four weeks. It is clear he faces a fairly lengthy rehabilitation.

With the injury, 17th-year veteran Vinny Testaverde -- who turns 40 in November -- moves to the top of the depth chart. Edwards professed great confidence in Testaverde, who had seemed to settle nicely into the backup mentality in camp, and last year handled his demotion with great grace. Pennington replaced him as the starter after the first four games of last season.

"It's not like Vinny has never played quarterback," Edwards said. "We're going to rally up around him." Asked if he was "bummed" about losing his starter, Edwards sighed and sounded frustrated, tersely replying: "I've still got a quarterback, right? What am I bummed about?"

Rookie quarterback Brook Bollinger, a sixth-round pick in this year's draft, suffered a sprained knee in Saturday's 15-14 preseason victory over the Giants, so the Jets are looking to sign another quarterback. Among the possibilities are journeyman Jamie Martin, recently released Clint Stoerner, and Todd Husak, who spent some time on the team's practice squad two years ago.

It appears that the Jets have ruled out veterans like Jeff George and Ray Lucas. Edwards said the team is still determining the potential candidates and hopes to have someone in place early this week.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

[FilthyFinMavs]

Why haven't the Cowboys contacted Jeff George about a leadership role for our qbs? Just to show them the ropes?