Pennington remains Jets' starting quarterback

Published: Oct 24, 2007 at 06:25 AM

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- The New York Jets are sticking with Chad Pennington as their quarterback.

Two days after saying he would evaluate the entire team, including the starting quarterback, coach Eric Mangini announced Wednesday that Pennington will start against Buffalo on Sunday.

"I went back through the tape, looked at it and felt very good about the decision-making process," Mangini said, referring to Pennington's performance in the Jets' loss at Cincinnati. "There were quite a few plays that I really liked."

With the Jets struggling at 1-6, fans and members of the media have been calling for Kellen Clemens to start, mostly based on the second-year quarterback's stronger arm and solid performance in Week 2 in relief of an injured Pennington.

Mangini repeatedly endorsed Pennington as his starter early in the season, but declined to do so after the loss Sunday and Monday, helping fuel the speculation.

"It's something I wanted to look at as a group and I wanted to look at all different elements," Mangini said. "I thought that was important. I did. I feel this is the decision. I'm very comfortable with that."

So, Pennington will be behind center Sunday, when the Jets take on Buffalo (2-4), despite having to wait a few days for Mangini's decision.

"I was confident in how I played and I felt good about how I played," Pennington said. "But coach's decision is totally out of my control."

Pennington, who has taken a lot of the blame for the Jets' poor start, had one of his better games against the Bengals. He was 20-of-31 for 272 yards and three touchdowns, but threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown in the closing minute and sealed the 38-31 loss.

"The way I play the game, I don't hide anything," Pennington said. "I don't play to save my job. I don't play to make sure that I don't get something negatively written about me. I don't play that way. I play to help us win."

When asked if Pennington is the starter just for now, Mangini offered only: "I'm saying he's the starter."

Pennington has nine touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season and has thrown for 1,211 yards with a quarterback rating of 88.6.

"At 1-6, none of us are solidified in our jobs," Pennington said. "That's how it is when you are facing a losing streak. When you're 1-6, I think everyone is being evaluated from the top down. We're all on a pressure cooker."

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