“I commend him for being able to handle the situation . . . because I know it’s difficult to be thrown into the fire.”CHAD PENNINGTON on Joey Harrington
The only time they’ll have actual physical contact is when they shake hands in pre-game warm-ups and again after the game.
But the outcome of Sunday’s Jets-Lions game at Ford Field in Detroit will have everything to do with how the two young quarterbacks perform.
Will the poise and energized leadership of Chad Pennington, he of the two-plus-year apprenticeship, lead the resurgent Jets to their third win in a row and fourth in five games?
Or will the youthful enthusiasm of Detroit’s Joey Harrington, the second-overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, carry the Lions to their fourth home win and ruin the Jets’ playoff run?
What makes the matchup even more compelling than the obvious playoff implications for the Jets is that each quarterback has taken a vastly different route to his respective starting role.
Pennington, one of four Jets’ first-round draft picks in 2000, waited patiently behind Vinny Testaverde for two-plus seasons before finally being handed the keys to the family sedan six games ago.
Conversely, Harrington was thrust into the starting lineup as a rookie in Week 3 after Detroit suffered two blowout losses in which they were outscored 80-28.
On Sunday, the two QBs will be opposite each other, each trying to help save his team’s season.
Pennington is 3-2 as a starter, having completed 74.5 percent of his passes in those fames.
Harrington is 3-4 as the Lions’ starter, having completed only 50 percent of his passes, though injecting life into the once-lifeless Lions with his swashbuckling, scrambling style.
Clearly, Harrington poses the greatest threat to the Jets’ turnaround. The defense, which has allowed an average of only 13.5 points per game in the last four games, cannot allow Harrington to turn the game into a shootout.
“As far as I can see, it was a wise decision to put the young guy in there,” Herman Edwards said yesterday of the immediacy of Harrington starting. “He’s got a lot of skills. He throws the ball well. He has electricity in his body, similar to Chad. He’s energetic. He’s a fun guy to watch.”
Harrington will likely present a problem to the Jets’ defense throwing on the run. He’s a good scrambler who’s been sacked only five times.
“He’s a very elusive quarterback; our big thing is to keep pressure on him and not let him get comfortable back there,” said Jets’ DE John Abraham, who leads the team with five sacks.
“That’s when he’s really dangerous, throwing the ball down the field when the pocket breaks down,” Edwards said. “He makes a lot of plays on the run.”
While Pennington has played and acted like a seasoned veteran, Harrington can be prone to trying to force a play here and there. Conversely, some of the plays Harrington makes belie his inexperience.
“He’s an exciting player,” Pennington said of Harrington. “He brings a lot of fieriness and competitiveness to the game. He’s a leader. Joey plays the game with a lot of energy and emotion and really enjoys the game – and that’s similar to me in a lot of aspects.”
Pennington said he doesn’t regret the route he took to the starting lineup nor does he believe Harrington is being forced in too soon.
“For my situation, it’s worked out fine for me,” Pennington said. “I commend [Harrington] for being able to handle the situation as well as he has, because I know it’s difficult to be thrown into the fire. To be successful and produce points is pretty remarkable for a rookie to come in and do that.”
Harrington yesterday conceded that his ascent to the starting lineup “happened a little quicker than I expected, but I think our circumstances at beginning of the season forced us into that. Now that it’s happened, I’m very happy about it,” he said. “I think it’s the best way to learn. I feel great in the situation I’m in.”
YOUNG GUNS – TALE OF THE TAPE
A look at how the Jets’ Chad Pennington and Lions’ Joey Harrington stack up heading into Sunday’s game:
CHAD JOEY
PENNINGTON HARRINGTON
5 STARTS 7
111/149 COMP./ATT. 120/260
74.5 PCT. 46.2
1,172 YARDS 1,492
5 TDs 8
2 INTs 10
102.5 QB RATING 58.0
Vikings 20-7 BEAT Saints 26-21
Chargers 44-13 Bears 23-20
Dolphins 13-10 Cowboys 9-7
Chiefs 29-25 LOST TO Packers 37-31
Browns 24-21 Vikings 31-24
Bills 24-17
Packers 40-14