BALTIMORE – Chad Pennington made it perfectly clear with the look on his face and with his words after yesterday’s 20-13 loss to the Ravens.
He was ready to play and he badly wanted to play and Eric Mangini’s decision to start Kellen Clemens was the only thing that kept him from making a rather miraculous comeback from the ankle sprain he suffered last Sunday.
“I was ready to go,” Pennington said in no uncertain terms or tone. “(It was) purely (Mangini’s) decision there. I lived in that training room and every hour of my days were focused on getting well and getting better. I leave those decisions up to him and go from there.”
There were significant signs as the week progressed that Pennington might be able to start. As of Friday and Saturday, there were thoughts inside the organization that he might go. Even in pregame warmups it appeared Pennington was moving around well and could start.
But Mangini told Pennington shortly before yesterday’s game that he was going to go with Clemens.
“Competitively you want to play, but I don’t ever question Coach’s decision,” Pennington said. “He’s our head coach and he makes the final decisions and all of us as players have to make those decisions work. Once I found out what position I’d be in, my whole focus went to helping Kellen and being supportive on sideline.”
Pennington said he hopes to play against the Dolphins Sunday at Giants Stadium.
“I have made progress. I’ll do everything I can to be available,” Pennington said. “When we get back to New York I’m not going to bed; I’m going to make sure I’m doing everything I can to continue the path to getting healthy so I can be available for next week.”
Asked if he tried to talk Mangini into playing him, Pennington said, “There’s no convincing.”
Pennington seemed frustrated that, despite all his hard work during the week to get back and the progress he made, it ended up being all for naught this week.
“I just thought Kellen gave us the best chance this week,” Mangini said, also praising Pennington’s “outstanding” week of rehab and being so “diligent.”
Despite Clemens’ impressive comeback bid yesterday, Mangini said he is sticking with Pennington.
“Chad is still the starter,” Mangini said.