Chad Pennington helps Mark Sanchez

There is no end to how much of a pro and person Chad Pennington is. I've said it before but Chad is the guy you hope your son becomes.


Chad Pennington helps Mark Sanchez

Quarterback Mark Sanchez is learning the New York Jets' new offense from one of the Jets' old quarterbacks -- Chad Pennington.

Sanchez met Pennington in South Florida recently for a crash course in Tony Sparano's offense, ESPNNewYork.com confirmed. Pennington brought an old Miami Dolphins playbook and began teaching the system and terminology to Sanchez. The two quarterbacks met more than once for classroom-type sessions.

Sanchez reached out to Pennington because, under the new collective bargaining agreement, players aren't allowed to meet with their coaches and discuss football until April 16 -- the start of the offseason program.

Sparano was hired Jan. 11 to replace offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Instead of waiting around for three months, Sanchez took the initiative.

Pennington, unceremoniously released by the Jets before the 2008 season, signed immediately with the Dolphins and directed Sparano's offense in 2008 and 2009. Pennington played brilliantly in 2008, leading Miami to the AFC East title.

Pennington, 35, who worked last season as an NFL game analyst for FOX Sports, has a home in South Florida. He missed last season because of major knee surgery and is considering retirement after a career filled with several shoulder injuries.

Interestingly, Pennington's former backup in Miami -- Chad Henne -- is on the Jets' free-agent radar, according to sources. The Jets are looking for a veteran to back up Sanchez. Obviously, Henne would be a fit because of familiarity with Sparano's system.

Rich Cimini covers the Jets for ESPNNewYork.com.

Follow Rich Cimini on Twitter: @RichCimini

this is great news.... i think Pennington would make an excellent QB coach... i wish the jets would hire him..
Its good to see that Sanchez reached out to him...
says a lot about our QB

Chad Pennington is a class act. He is the kind of player and person that you want to succeed because he is so genuine. I love that Mark reached out to him, and I would love to have him back as a coach one day. However, I wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to...the Jets treated him like crap for no reason.

You got to be kidding Sanchez a starting QB in the NFL needs tutoring. That's kind of like admitting you suck.

You got to be kidding Sanchez a starting QB in the NFL needs tutoring. That's kind of like admitting you suck.


This from a Browns fan? The last time you contended, number 32 played in the backfield.
C'mon, you must be feeling your oats because of your draft spot. Colt McCoy is a good guy, but the Browns' fans would drop him in a second.

Dmounts wrote:You got to be kidding Sanchez a starting QB in the NFL needs tutoring. That's kind of like admitting you suck.

Come on now, OTA's and all don't kick off for a while, so Sanchez is getting help learning the "new playbook" from someone who has been in that system before.

It's not admitting you suck, it's wanting to get a head start on the new system. If it were McCoy with a new OC, and he reached out to a former QB of that system, you would be impressed with his work ethic. Why the double standard for Sanchez?

For the record, love Pennington.

He was a very good QB, just didn't have the arm, then you couple that with the injuries... Sad story for that guy, he had a lot of promise.

Now if you could put his accuracy, and approach in Sanchez' arm? You've got a winner. Let's hope Pennington can help make a few changes in Sanchez game.

I for one would love to see him eventually end up as a QB coach.

And the Jets didn't treat him like crap, it's just a business. He had two shoulder surgeries while with the Jets, missed entire seasons, the Jets felt they needed to move on. Cant blame them for that.

GangGreen wrote:
And the Jets didn't treat him like crap, it's just a business. He had two shoulder surgeries while with the Jets, missed entire seasons, the Jets felt they needed to move on. Cant blame them for that.

I get that it's a business, but they still could have handled it better. Maybe it's just me, but at the end of the day, you can ship a player out while showing them a little respect. Instead he was dumped ASAP for Brett Favre. Great experiment that turned out to be...