PENNINGTON Chad

Former Jets quarterback quarter back Chad Chad Pennington Pennington, 42, who retired after the 2010 season following three years with the Dolphins, connects with Post columnist Steve Serby to talk Jets, young QBs and all things NFL in a Q&A chat. Q: Were you surprised that Sam Darnold started from Day 1? A: If it were me, I would not have started him, but that’s just my opinion. I think we are all excited, both organization and fan base alike, about the potential that we see in Sam. And what we have to remind ourselves is that the potential has not become reality yet, and it will not become reality for another 3-5 years. That’s what I think the true developmental process is for a professional quarterback. And so as long as we give him the resources and that we’re patient with him, he’s having to make his mistakes in front of everybody. I made my mistakes behind closed doors. That’s a huge difference. Q: You sat for over two years behind Vinny Testaverde. A: Correct. And so we’ve gotta be patient with his development. But if we are, I think we will see that he will become the next franchise quarterback for the Jets. ... I like his poise. I like his demeanor. I think he develops a connection with his teammates. And then when you look at him physically, he can make the throws, he can move around, extend plays. Doesn’t have the strongest arm in the world, but he can make all the throws and that’s what you need. And he’s able to make those passes, which are different than throws. Passes are in the pockets, in the buckets, over one defender, in front of another. Those are things he can do. Q: What are your thoughts on the Browns No. 1-overall pick Baker Mayfield? A: I felt like people weren’t giving him enough credit as a passer. His leadership style and his passion for the game and how he plays, it’s infectious. Q: He’s barely over 6-foot tall. A: I don’t worry about that. I look at Russell Wilson, I look at Drew Brees, I look at all these guys that don’t fit the prototypical cookie-cutter mold of an NFL quarterback. Q: Cardinals 10th-overall pick Josh Rosen? A: What he had to his advantage was a prostyle offense, his footwork was very polished coming out of college [UCLA]. One of my best friends, Byron Leftwich, is his quarterback coach, so I know he’s in good hands there. Q: Bills seventh-overall pick Josh Allen? A: Wow, I wish I had his talent physically. For him, it’s gonna be learning how to turn that great, strong arm talent into a passer, knowing that every pass does not have to be a 100 mile an hour fastball. Q: Chiefs second-year phenom Patrick Mahomes? A: Everyone raved about his arm talent at the Combine two years ago, and now I see why. I think what he’s not getting enough credit for is how he’s been able to take Andy Reid’s offense and do well with it. And kudos to Andy Reid for being able to build a system around Patrick right now as a young quarterback where he can be successful and take advantage of all of his weapons. Q: What do you think of Rams coach Sean McVay? A: I think what Coach McVay has shown is how important it is to have a great relationship with your quarterback, and how important that is to the success of your team. And he’s very innovative, he’s on the cutting edge, always creating great concepts, great game plans, but that relationship with Jared Goff has been the key to their success. Q: If Tom Brady is still playing at 41, how come you couldn’t? A: (Laugh) Tom Brady didn’t have four shoulder surgeries. Q: Is it hard to believe it’s been 50 years since the Jets won a Super Bowl? A: Yes. That seems unrealistic. ... I hear that long-suffering Jet fan comment all the time (laugh). Q: What is your best Jets memory? A: 2002, the week leading into the [playoffclinching season finale against the] Green Bay Packers, beating the Green Bay Packers [42-17], and then moving into the first round of the playoffs and beating the Colts, 41-0. Those two weeks, with the energy and the electricity that was here in the city around Jets football is unmatched in my career. Q: Does any part of you feel unfulfilled that you could not deliver a Super Bowl championship to New York? A: I don’t feel unfulfilled. I wish that I could have. I think that when I look back on my career, if I could have taken my first shoulder surgery, and been more patient with my own rehab, and not come back so quickly, I think it may have been a different story. But that’s the insecurity part that you deal with as a professional athlete, thinking somebody’s gonna take your job. ... I wish I would have been more patient, because I think that would have provided more longevity and probably kept me away from a second and third injury. Q: What was your worst Jets moment? A: The last week [as a starter in Week 15 of 2007] before Coach [Eric] Mangini made Kellen Clemens the starter, that was tough. I had a high sprained ankle, I’m playing with a lot of medication in my system, trying to be there for my teammates, and to be booed and go through that situation was definitely difficult. Q: I thought you would say when GM Mike Tannenbaum traded for Brett Favre in 2008. A: No, that day, I felt like the whole weight of the world was taken off my shoulders (chuckle). It was very freeing and liberating, to say, OK, it is what it is, I understand, I’ve gotta go do something elseelse. I needed a change of scenery, and it kind of gave me a renewed sense of energy and a renewed purpose. Q: How did you learn that Favre would be taking your job? A: Luckily for me, I think because I had a good relationship with Mike Tannenbaum and the organization, they decided not to trade me but to release me so I could make my own decision on where I wanted to go play. So that knock on the [Cleveland hotel room] door from Steve Yarnell [VP of security] came at 11:30 at night, the night before our first preseason game in 2008 against the Browns. I didn’t answer it because they had already checked for curfew (chuckle). So the second knock came, and Steve walked in ’cause they had the master key. Said, “Coach Mangini wants to see you.” And I said, “Well Steve, I promise you he’s not wanting to talk about game plan right now (laugh).” The one thing I remember about the next hour is that Eric and I probably talked about my situation for about 10 minutes. The other 50 minutes of the hour was taking about life, talking about football, talking about team and my perspective on all that. Q: What was it like beating the Jets, 24-17, to win the division with the Dolphins in the 2008 regular-season finale at Giants Stadium? A: The last week, because we had a full season to work through the emotion of it, I was part of something pretty special where we had a team that was 1-15 the year before, and now we’ve gotta go back to New York to your old team and win the division and be 11-5. It was really all about that. Q: What do you hope your Jets legacy is? A: He had an amazing work ethic, and that he treated people right — on the field, off the field, within the organization, outside the organization. If Jet fans can say those two things about me, then my career here in New York was a success.