Pennington to attempt comeback

[CF DolFan]

I figured someone would have already posted this but they never did. Personally I find this humerous and actually more desperate than the Favre situations of the last few years. What is he thinking other than easy money?  What in the world could a coach be thinking to actually sign him? Of course the way things are going we will probably sign him and try to start him again. 


http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Miami-Dolphins-QB-Chad-Pennington-to-attempt-another-comeback-011711


Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington said Monday he will try to come back again from another shoulder injury.

“I’m going to make a run at it, and the reason I am is that I still have that fire inside,” Pennington told The Palm Beach Post.

“I have to go out and see if my shoulder can respond. If it doesn’t respond, I can live with that. But if it does, or it could have responded and I didn’t give it a chance, I don’t think I could live with that.”

Pennington had a fourth surgery on his shoulder after suffering another injury this season for the Dolphins.

The free agent plans to visit Dr. James Andrews next month.

The Dolphins on Monday hired former Jets quarterbacks coach Brian Daboll to be their offensive coordinator. He worked with Pennington when he was at the New York Jets during the 2007 season.

[Tenshot13]

I used to have this G.I. Joe toy as a kid.  Its one arm would pop off and on really easily.  My point is, Penny is going to be an amputee if he keeps this up.  Retire already man!

[Pappy13]

Actually I'd love to see Pennington back again for the Dolphins...only as a QB coach. 

If the Dolphins do in fact hire Daboll, I'd like to see them give Pennington a shot as a QB coach.  Pennington worked with Daboll when they were with the Jets and Miami wouldn't be taking Daboll if Pennington didn't give him an endorsement.  I think Pennington would make a fine QB coach at some point, why not let him cut his teeth here in Miami where he already has a good relationship with both the QB and the Offensive coordinator?  Sure, it would mean learning on the fly for Pennington, but there aren't many smarter guys than Pennington and Daboll can do most of the work while bringing Pennington along.  It's not a definite that they even bring in a QB coach to work with Daboll, so it's not like they don't believe he can handle the OC and QB coaches duties.  Why not let Pennington come along for the ride and learn as much as he can.  Makes sense to me.

[tepop84]

Pennington - 1
Thigpen -2
Henne -3

If Pennington gets hurt, he gets hurt.

[Jim Gray]

I stood next to Pennington and Henne during warm ups in the 2009 season.   Seeing them literally side by side highlighted just how weak Pennington's arm is, and this was before his latest injury and surgery.

In Pennington's favor is his accuracy and field vision.  Against him is his mobility, arm strength and durability.  Pennington has played 11 years, 9 years as a starter.  Only twice in that time has he played all 16 games, and his durability and arm strength aren't going to get better. 

(side note - look at the play where he was injured this year.  He just gets knocked down, not a really hard hit.  I know you can get injured if you fall funny, but it doesn't give me much confidence when he can only make it through 1 play and 1 light hit, before a season ending injury.)

Obviously, I don't think Pennington is the answer for our anemic offensive.  With his limitations, defenses can stack the box and virtually ignore the outside passing game.  He will only perpetuate the problems we have, and he does nothing to move the QB position forward.  At best, he is a poor short term solution, and if Miami brings him back as a starter, I will see the move as a sad attempt to save the coaches job with a short term solution that guarantees we will be facing the same issues next year.

There has always been a lot of talk about Pennington coaching.  Before we give him the role of QB coach, I'd like to understand what he did this year while on the bench and on IR.  Was he helping Henne at that time?  If those are the results we can expect, maybe Pennington needs to develop his coaching skills at a lower level before taking on the position in the NFL.  Just a thought.

[Pappy13]

There has always been a lot of talk about Pennington coaching.  Before we give him the role of QB coach, I'd like to understand what he did this year while on the bench and on IR.  Was he helping Henne at that time?  If those are the results we can expect, maybe Pennington needs to develop his coaching skills at a lower level before taking on the position in the NFL.  Just a thought.

I agree with what you're saying, I just don't know how much help Pennington could really offer Henne this year.  I know that last year when Pennington was out most of the year and on IR there was talk of having Pennington on the sideline during games to help Henne, but that Sparano had a strict policy than anyone on IR could not be on the sidelines for games and that he would not break that rule even for Pennington.  I'm assuming that same rule was in place this year.  That still leaves outside of games for Pennington to help Henne, however the Dolphins already had a QB coach this year and no doubt it would be overstepping his bounds for Pennington to try to fill that role, so I'm not sure Pennington had much of a chance to help Henne.

[Doc-phin]

I am ok with this.  I can understand why people would use common sense and say that Pennington's arm is toast.  However, medical outcomes are a funny thing.  Keep in mind that the second injury was likely very minimal.  It is very possible that with proper rehab, that Pennington's arm could be stronger and healthier than ever next season.

Dr. Andrews is no joke.  If he is getting medical advice from Dr. Andrews that his arm has the potential to be as good as ever, then I say go for it.  If this is purely about a "fire" in his heart then I would urge him to retire as a player.  Some injury repairs, such as spinal repairs, tend to only lead to additional risks and weakening.  Some injury repairs can give results that offer little to no additional risk or decline in performance.

Don't forget the lessons of the Drew Brees situation.  But I understand why most people would be skeptical.

[Jim Gray]

I agree with what you're saying, I just don't know how much help Pennington could really offer Henne this year.  I know that last year when Pennington was out most of the year and on IR there was talk of having Pennington on the sideline during games to help Henne, but that Sparano had a strict policy than anyone on IR could not be on the sidelines for games and that he would not break that rule even for Pennington.  I'm assuming that same rule was in place this year.  That still leaves outside of games for Pennington to help Henne, however the Dolphins already had a QB coach this year and no doubt it would be overstepping his bounds for Pennington to try to fill that role, so I'm not sure Pennington had much of a chance to help Henne.

This is just the kind of explanation I want to hear.  A reasonable explanation as to why Chad Henne regressed at a time when you would expect Pennington to be helping him.  If it does turn out to be true, it's disappointing that the team was unable to utilize Pennington in some way, since he wasn't contributing on the field.  

[Sunstroke]

As long as the headline is "Pennington to attempt comeback" and not "Pennington named Dolphins starter," I don't see any problem with it at all. Who can really blame a man for wanting to keep competing at his chosen profession?

I personally think his arm is toast, but if he wants to give it a shot...more power to him.

[Phishfan]

I know that last year when Pennington was out most of the year and on IR there was talk of having Pennington on the sideline during games to help Henne, but that Sparano had a strict policy than anyone on IR could not be on the sidelines for games and that he would not break that rule even for Pennington.  I'm assuming that same rule was in place this year. 

The TV showed Pennington on the sideline several times this year. I can't recall last season though.

[Pappy13]

If he is getting medical advice from Dr. Andrews that his arm has the potential to be as good as ever, then I say go for it.

The problem with that line of thinking is that Pennington's arm has never been very good to begin with.  Saying it can be as good as it ever has been isn't saying much.

I'm not against Pennington trying to make a comeback, I just don't think he will be ready in time for next year.  He wasn't ready to come back this year in my opinion.  He was rushed back because Sparano wanted to give his team a spark and he wasn't ready which caused the injury.  If he wants to make a comeback in 2012 after a full year of rehab and getting his arm strength back up to 100%, then maybe.

[Pappy13]

The TV showed Pennington on the sideline several times this year. I can't recall last season though.

Hmmm.  Perhaps they did change the policy.  I didn't really understand the policy anyway.

[Dave Gray]

If Pennington gets hurt, he gets hurt.

That's kinda how I feel.  If he's on the roster, start him -- what's the difference?  If he gets hurt, you don't play him anymore anyway.

[Doc-phin]

The problem with that line of thinking is that Pennington's arm has never been very good to begin with.  Saying it can be as good as it ever has been isn't saying much.

Not necessarily true.  If you recall, Pennington's arm strength was not an issue early in his career.  He was pushing the ball downfield just fine in his playoff game against the Colts (way back).  

It is more recent that Pennington was first injured in New York and he was using his legs to compensate for his discomfort.  Once he got to Miami, he was re-learning his original throwing motion.  It is definitely possible that he could be better than we have ever seen him.

I wish I could go back and find the interview in which Pennington explained this sequence of events and the changes in his throwing motion/ability, but it was last year sometime and doubt it is posted anywhere.  But I am not making it up or taking much liberty in relaying what I heard.

[masterfins]

That's kinda how I feel.  If he's on the roster, start him -- what's the difference?  If he gets hurt, you don't play him anymore anyway.

The problem is that he will take up a roster spot.  If the Fins want to draft a late round QB to try and develop there won't be a spot for him.