They were baby steps, but significant nonetheless.
There was Chad Pennington yesterday lofting 25-yard passes to his receivers, tossing some 15- to 20-yard slant, hitch and hook routes, and doing what he does: throwing the football.
And though the Jets quarterback looked fluid and said afterward he felt good, there was no definitive date for Pennington’s return under center, though there is strong hope inside the organization he’ll be back for the Dec. 5 game against the Houston Texans at Giants Stadium.
“It’s hard to predict, and I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know we’re making progress,” Pennington said after practice. “It’s exciting when you have a chance to get back on the field. When you’re on the shelf, it’s a helpless feeling, but when you’re able to get out there and start to get back in the groove it’s definitely a good feeling to have.”
If Pennington, who suffered a strain in the rotator cuff in his right shoulder during the Jets’ Nov. 7 loss in Buffalo, is able to return for the Texans game, he’ll have missed four games, close to the original prognosis of two-to-four weeks.
Sunday’s game against the Cardinals in Arizona, in which Pennington will not play, will mark the third game he’s missed, replaced by Quincy Carter. The Jets are 1-1 under Carter’s guidance.
Pennington completely downplayed the rampant rumors that have been swirling that speculated he wouldn’t return this season and would require season-ending surgery.
“It never was an issue of me not playing,” Pennington said. “I always knew I was going to come back. It was just an issue of when. There never was an issue of season-ending surgery or anything like that. That was just all rumors and junk, really. We’ve had to take it slow and make sure we do the right thing.”
Pennington said the key to yesterday’s workout, as well as it went, is how he feels today.
“The reason I don’t have a feel for [exactly when he’ll return] is you never know how you’re going to feel when you wake up the next day, and as you increase your workload you hope you’re able to bounce back quicker and don’t have more soreness and more pain,” Pennington said. “Every day dictates what you’re going to do based upon the previous day, whether you’re going to take another step forward or take a step back.
“So far, I’ve been taking steps forward. Everything we’ve done new in the rehab – adding more exercises, adding more resistance or weight – I’ve been able to come back the next day and progress. That’s what I expect to happen [today].”
Asked what he has planned for today’s practice, Pennington said, “Hopefully each day we’ll add a little bit to the reps and the distance. It’s a feel thing now.”
Pennington said throwing yesterday “did feel strange,” adding, “when you haven’t picked up a football for two weeks you feel a little awkward and strange, but at the same time I didn’t feel any discomfort and pain. It’s a good feeling knowing you can go through range of motion and not have any restrictions.
“My goal is to feel confident in it so when I start playing there’s no doubt about whether or not I can make a throw.”
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‘There never was an issue of season-ending surgery or anything like that. That was just all rumors and junk, really.’ -Chad Pennington