Pennington to Miss at Least 12 Weeks With Broken Wrist

[Walter Cronkite]

Jets quarterback Chad Pennington is expected to be out 12 weeks with a broken and dislocated left wrist.

Coach Herman Edwards said Sunday the injury is not career-threatening, but would not rule out the possibility that Pennington could miss the season.

"That's the best estimation at this point,'' Edwards said. "(The doctors are) optimistic that he will have the ability to come back. You're talking about surgery, so you never know. No one can guarantee on that.''

Vinny Testaverde, a 17-year-veteran, becomes the Jets starter.

Edwards said that in addition to the dislocation, Pennington broke four bones that connect the knuckles to the wrist and also has ligament damage.

He said Pennington had seven pins inserted in his wrist and will be in a splint for the next week. Pennington then will wear a cast for three-to-four weeks.

Pennington was still at Lenox Hill Hospital on Sunday afternoon, a day after surgery.

Pennington was injured against the New York Giants in a preseason game Saturday night. As Brandon Short came on a blitz, Pennington rolled to his right and threw the ball away. But Short tackled him from behind, and Pennington used his wrist to cushion his fall to the turf.

The 12-week estimation is the doctors' best guess. Edwards said Pennington could come back earlier, depending on how his wrist heals. If he does miss 12 weeks, he could return for the Jets' game against Jacksonville on Nov. 23.

"I'm optimistic,'' Edwards said. "If anybody can do it, Chad has the will to do it.''

Pennington became the starter in the fifth game last season, after Testaverde went 1-3.

The young backup engineered a tremendous turnaround for the Jets, who won the AFC East and finished 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.

[Bob Berkowitz]

If u think Vinterception T. can lead this
to the playoffs I'll sell u the Lincoln Tunnel!

if Pennington is out 6 weeks: The Jets will be 1-5

Eight weeks 2-6

the season 5-11!
Root for somebody else Your season is OVA!
hahahahaahahaha

[Modern Arts]

Jets are done - start thinking about "04.

[AndySMC]

The Jets weren't gonna go far this season anyways. They made no good off-season moves. They lost there kicker best receiver and kick returner. And now they loose their QB. The Jets will be lucky if they win 6 games this year.

Damn McBain, only 6 games? Your Brutal. But I'm not even sure the Jets have the guns to get to the playoffs. Martin is about average now, Vinny is slow and you don't have Chad Morton bailing the Jets out of two to three games. My guess is 8-8 or 7-9 and thats IF you get CP back relatively soon.

[Walter Cronkite]

Pennington Has 'No Doubt' He Will Play for Jets This Season

When the New York Jets filed in for their team meeting at 8:30AM ET on Sunday, they saw Chad Pennington already seated and ready for the start of the season.

Several teammates gave him hugs, others gave him hearty hellos. Everyone was happy to see their leader back.

Pennington rejoined his teammates for the first time since breaking and dislocating his left wrist in a preseason game against the New York Giants on Aug. 23. After the injury, Pennington left the team for a week to be with family in West Virginia following the death of his father-in-law.

Sporting a soft cast and a big smile, Pennington said at his first news conference since the injury that there was "no doubt'' he would return this season for the Jets. He also felt the need to be back with the team as it prepares to open the season against Washington on Thursday.

"My heart is still with my wife and my family, but there is a sense of relief that you're back in familiar surroundings,'' Pennington said. "This is my passion, this is where I want to be. It felt good to walk through the doors knowing I still had a chance to play.''

Pennington is expected to be out 12 weeks, though he did not rule out an earlier return. He will begin throwing in three to four weeks, but for now is working on conditioning.

He also will travel with the Jets and do anything he can to help out. During practice Sunday, he shadowed the quarterbacks and talked with receivers Curtis Conway and Wayne Chrebet.

"I'm going to be right there,'' Pennington said. "When you have an injury like this, it tests you to see how much you love this game. It kills me. I know my passion for the game is true and real.''

Pennington said he was in shock when he got hurt, especially since he has never had such a serious injury. His thumb got caught in the turf and did not allow his hand to slide, forcing all his weight to come down on it.

"That was a weird feeling,'' Pennington said. "When I got off the turf, I thought I had a thumb sprain. Once I saw my hand, it didn't look too pretty.''

He no longer is in any pain and said he does not think the injury will cause him problems with snaps in the future.

So now the Jets turn to 39-year-old Vinny Testaverde, who was one of the most surprised to see Pennington on Sunday. They talked during breakfast, and Testaverde asked how Pennington was doing.

"It's great for me to see him here,'' Testaverde said. "It was unexpected, I'm sure for most of the guys. He's a big help to this football team. Right now, he's lifting everybody's spirits.''

Coach Herman Edwards met with Pennington before the team meeting.

"We had a good talk this morning. He's excited about being back,'' Edwards said. "He's going to be focused in. He's ready to do whatever he can do to help the team. In his mind, he wasn't missing the first team meeting.''

Pennington never felt sorry for himself after the injury and has complete confidence in Testaverde.

Though he can't play, it was good for the Jets to see Pennington back.

"It just goes to show you what kind of team player he is and the kind of competitor that he is that he wants to stay around us as much as possible,'' center Kevin Mawae said.

For now, Pennington has to fight the urge to rush back from his injury while waiting patiently on the sideline. He stood on the sideline behind Testaverde his first two seasons with the Jets and at the start of 2002.

Even though he is out, Pennington believes the season is not ruined.

"Our team has the character and the veteran experience to keep pushing forward,'' Pennington said. "We're not the Chad Pennington Jets. We're the New York Jets. We're going to take another step Thursday night to see what we're made of.''