Pennington says more with less

By Adam Sweeney  |   Thursday, March 26, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

Miami Dolphins
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We've been attacking the NFL draft like a quarterback in a zone blitz here at RealFootball365.com, but sometimes you have to slow down and appreciate a certain player or situation. Chad Pennington comes to mind, for example.

When the Miami Dolphins announced earlier this week that they were setting forward plans to position quarterback Chad Henne as the team's starter, it seemed only a matter of time before Pennington or his agent, Tom Condon, would issue a statement expressing their anger and frustration over the decision. After all, the Dolphins haven't worked toward negotiating a new contract with Pennington even after he put up career numbers and led the team to an improbable playoff run in 2008.

What was forgotten is that Pennington is unlike most other quarterbacks in the NFL. He has the maturity to understand that this business is all about numbers. A

As far as the Dolphins are concerned, Pennington is 32 and not necessarily the face of their future. However, instead of throwing a fit or ignoring Tony Sparano's text messages like a certain Mr. Cutler would do, though, Pennington reacted in a manner that we have grown accustomed, perhaps to a fault, from the nine-year veteran.

''I have no reaction to it,'' Pennington said to the Miami Herald. ``To me, it's not news. Coach [Tony] Sparano, [executive VP] Bill Parcells, [general manager] Jeff Ireland, those guys have been up front from Day 1, since I came to Miami, knowing what my role is, what I need to do. So when people ask me about my future, my future's now.

''Once you get to double-digits in this league -- I'm going to be a 10-year vet -- the future's always now,'' he continued. ``You're not guaranteed anything. It's definitely a year by year thing. I'm excited to be a Miami Dolphin, I really am.''

It is that type of team-first approach that will always endear Pennington to a front office. Fights like the one between Cutler and Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels are engaging in do nothing to help the team. But look at Terrell Owens' behavior with every team he has been on. Larry Johnson is in the same boat and so are a dozen other big names that killed the chemistry on their teams by grandstanding for a bigger contract (and don't think Pennington wouldn't have legs to stand on if he asked for a new deal).

Pennington will never be mentioned in the same breath as guys like Tom Brady, Drew Brees or Peyton Manning from a numbers standpoint, but he's as good as it gets when it comes to being a leader.
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About Adam Sweeney

Adam Sweeney spent 4 years as an opinions and arts & entertainment columnist with the Lone Star Lutheran, also working with Sports Illustrated.com. Along with his work on Realfootball 365 he currently is a contributor for Film School Rejects, SLAM Online, Talkhoops.net, and C-Heads ...
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