The Boone Docks

By Tom Rock

So you think the Jets have QB troubles? Look who might resurface in the desert.

Back to New York:

I remember writing about Clemens pushing Pennington during the summer when Chad was having some struggles and Kellen looked good in preseason. There was always this kind of haze when I was writing those stories, a lot of careful words like "could" and "possibly" and "not a quarterback controversy." I don't want to say I was insincere. But I tried to be as measured as possible, figuring that Pennington would work things out. And in the first game he looked pretty good (minus the hobbling off the field part). And when he returned for the Miami game he did alright. But in the last five quarters, well, perspectives have changed dramatically.

When Pennington stood at the podium after the game on Sunday and looked off into the distance to replay those interceptions in his mind, it was startling. It was as if he were looking for answers as much as we reporters and you fans were. It was a look of confusion, like he was trying to analyze a car wreck right after it happened. He looked at the back wall, squinted, winced a little, and talked about where he thought things might have gone wrong.

Seems to me that that could be a crack in confidence. An NFL quarterback has to bave a cockiness to be able to throw, make decisions, take hits. If there's even a sliver of doubt, the wheels fall off. We'll see Pennington tomorrow, be able to look into his eyes, and get a better feel for whether or not the confidence has returned.

Mangini has made it clear that Pennington is the starting quarterback. But he'll be on a short leash on Sunday against the Eagles. If things aren't clicking at halftime, I wouldn't be surprised if Mangini makes a move to Clemens. That gives Pennington 30 minutes of play, probably about six or seven series, to turn that foggy gaze back into an icy stare.

It's not a lot of time. But at 1-4, the Jets aren't afforded that luxury.