HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) -Chad Pennington stepped to the podium, showing little sign of a limp, and declared himself ready for practice.
“I’ll be out there,” the New York Jets quarterback said Wednesday. “As far as reps and things like that, I have no idea what the coaches have in mind. I’ll be ready to do whatever they ask me to do.”
Whether that includes playing against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday remains to be seen, but Pennington is preparing as if he’ll be out on the field despite his injured right ankle.
“It’s just a day-to-day process and I’m working extremely hard around the clock to do everything I can to prepare myself to play,” Pennington said. “I’m just taking it day by day and seeing how much progress I make each day.”
Pennington injured the ankle when he was sacked by Jarvis Green during the third quarter of the Jets’ 38-14 loss to the New England Patriots.
The Jets have remained tightlipped about the nature of the injury, and wouldn’t reveal if Pennington had an MRI, which he was believed to have taken Monday. The quarterback also deflected the question.
“I’ll let you ask Coach those questions because I’m scared to answer those,” Pennington said, drawing laughs.
Coach Eric Mangini does not allow anyone in the organization to discuss injuries, including himself, saying they are internal matters.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Mangini said. “And it’s really like everybody. We’ll talk to the doctors, we’ll see how it works and then we’ll monitor it as we go.”
Pennington, wearing a black wrap around the ankle at practice, participated in some footwork drills. The Jets clearly weren’t taking any unnecessary chances with their starting quarterback, who didn’t throw any passes or take any snaps with the offense during the half-hour period that the media are allowed to view.
He was listed as limited in practice on the team’s injury report released Wednesday afternoon.
“I think we’re seeing progress every day,” Pennington said.
The quarterback walked with a slight limp on the field, appearing to walk considerably better than he did after the injury Sunday. He said he’s received all kinds of treatments since getting hurt, but wouldn’t go into specifics.
“All of your typical stuff that you guys know about,” Pennington said. “We’re doing everything we can and doing it multiple times.”
The injury is the latest setback for the quarterback. He has missed time during his eight years in the NFL with career-threatening shoulder injuries in 2004 and 2005, as well as a wrist injury that sidelined him for six games in the 2003 season.
“I’m not frustrated, I’m disappointed,” Pennington said. “I want to be out there every snap, every rep, practice, games. Whatever it is, I want to be there, so I’m disappointed that I’m not. I’m not frustrated because I understand the nature of the situation. My whole goal, and I believe a big part of healing and getting back, is having the right attitude and not looking at it with a bad attitude.”
If Pennington can’t play at Baltimore, the team is likely to give second-year quarterback Kellen Clemens a shot at his first NFL start. Clemens said he had received no indication from the coaching staff if he would play against the Ravens.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Even if I did know, I probably couldn’t share it with my mother.”
Clemens won the backup spot by beating out veteran Marques Tuiasosopo with an outstanding preseason. He could be in for a tough task if he plays Sunday against one of the league’s toughest defenses.
“I’d be lying if I said your mind doesn’t wander, but that’s ineffective and that’s not going to help anybody out on Sunday,” Clemens said. “So, really, I try to do the best that I can to handle the things that are within my control, which right now, aren’t a lot.”
Laveranues Coles, who has thrived during his career with Pennington as his quarterback, doesn’t think there will be any sort of letdown on offense if Clemens plays Sunday.
“He works hard every day, day in and day out, and that’s all you can ask of any individual,” the wide receiver said. “The comfort level has nothing to do with going out and playing a game on Sunday. The most important thing is going out and competing.”
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