MIAMI (AP) – The quip dates to the end of the 2008 season, when injury-prone Chad Pennington was selected the NFL comeback player of the year for a second time.
Pennington was asked the secret to winning such an award twice.
“Get hurt,” the Miami Dolphins quarterback said with a laugh, “and then come back.”
The cycle continues. Pennington sustained a season-ending injury last September, necessitating surgery on his right shoulder for the third time. Now, at age 34, he’s trying to revive his career in what could also set some sort of NFL record for resilience.
“I don’t think anybody has tried to come back from three shoulder surgeries,” he said.
for years to come.
Pennington opted to re-sign with Miami this year as a backup rather than join another team where he might compete for a starting job.
“I felt like this was the place for me to be,” he said. “Part of it was I wanted to help finish what we started in 2008.”
Pennington came to the Dolphins that season and had the best year of his career. He earned the affectionate nickname “Coach Pennington” from teammates because of his take-charge personality, and threw for 3,653 yards to help transform the Dolphins into AFC East champions one year after a 1-15 season.
Last year, the Dolphins backslid to 7-9, and they haven’t won a playoff game since 2000. But expectations for the Bill Parcells regime remain high, and Pennington’s job this year will be to provide leadership as a backup QB.
It’s a tricky role when a young starting quarterback is trying to assert himself. But coach Tony Sparano says Henne’s authority won’t be diminished by Pennington’s presence, and both quarterbacks agree.
“Chad understands that he has my full support,” Pennington said. “The last thing that I want to do is undermine him. He knows that. I’ve talked in front of the offense about that, to make sure they understand he’s our quarterback, period.”
Sparano says Pennington can be a team leader even from the sideline.
ere playing, and I guess the players consider me a little bit of a leader. I would say that they would be very wise to pay attention to some of the things that people like Chad Pennington have to say.”
Henne does. He says he learned plenty as a rookie understudy to Pennington in 2008, and while they’ve swapped spots on the depth chart, their friendship remains strong.
“It’s just a great relationship,” Henne said. “I’m learning so much from him just having him by my side.
“We share leadership. I enjoy when he gets in there and has something to say, because I’m learning just like everybody else. He has been around a lot longer than I have. We’re here to win as an offense collectively, and to have two quarterbacks in there saying stuff, it’s good.”
The Dolphins also have Tyler Thigpen, a fourth-year pro and former starter with Kansas City. He provides insurance should Pennington hit a setback in his recovery from shoulder surgery.
While arm strength has never been Pennington’s forte, he has thrown well in the two exhibition games in which he has played, completing 10 of 18 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. He said his throwing improves every day, but he’s not 100 percent and probably won’t be this season.
Pennington speaks from experience. He underwent shoulder surgery twice in 2005, then won the comeback honor when he led the New York Jets to the playoffs in 2006.
But his recovery actually took longer.
Finally in ’07 I no longer felt like I had had shoulder surgery,” Pennington said. “You really don’t feel totally out of the woods until about 18 months. But that doesn’t mean you can’t go out and compete and do well.”
Eighteen months from his most recent operation will be April 2011. By then, Pennington might be in the market for another team and a No. 1 job.
It could be next season before his latest comeback is complete.
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