Pennington May Be Possible After All

February 06, 2010 at 10:19pm by Scott   •  3 Comments »

I had said a few weeks ago that I thought Chad Pennington would be a good mentor for Josh Freeman and a better quality backup than Byron Leftwich. My only reservation was that he wouldn’t have accepted his lot in life as a backup and would most likely hold out for a starting job. But it sounds like reality is hitting him squarely in the shoulder and he may be ready to ride the pine for a lower salart.

“There’s always flexibility, and I think there’s always a need for good quarterback play in this league,” Pennington told the Daily News. “There’s always a need for leadership, and you don’t necessarily have to lead from a starter’s role.”

The quote is in response to backing up Mark Sanchez in New York, but sounds like it could apply to any team. The free agent pickings will be thin this year and it’s really sounding like Leftwich is out the door. Pennington is the kind of guy who would help out Freeman in any way possible and wouldn’t get all pouty that he’s not starting. He’s a team-first guy. Having Freeman, Pennington and whoever wins a competition between Josh Johnson and some rookie developmental quarterback wouldn’t be a bad lineup. Assuming they just have to keep Freeman.