Understudies take center stage in AFC playoffs
January 6, 2003 Print it
Part II: Pennington's accuracy is among the best ever
When everyone is looking for leaders, quarterbacks Tommy Maddox of the Steelers and Chad Pennington of the Jets are raising their hands. Truth be known, they have been raising their hands for a while, but no one paid much attention until recently.
Maddox has the attention of the Titans, who will play at home against the Steelers on Saturday. And Pennington has caught the eyes of the Raiders, who will be host to the Jets on Sunday.
Neither quarterback was a starter on his team until the season was about a month old. Maddox, a football vagabond for 10 years, had been traded by the Broncos and cut by the Rams, Giants and Falcons. Before getting another shot in Pittsburgh, he sold insurance and then played in the Arena League and the XFL. Pennington, after two seasons of failing to break through, was on the verge of being considered a bust.
Of course, both played well in their playoff debuts last weekend. But they did so much more than complete passes.
The Browns are leading the Steelers, 17-7, at halftime, and it is quiet enough at Heinz Field to take a nap. Most of the fans are spreading relish on hot dogs or working their way in or out of restrooms as the Steelers come on the field for the start of the second half. Maddox gathers up his team on the sideline. Not just the offense. Every Steeler.
He wants every teammate to see the look in his eyes. He has something to say, and the Steelers are all earholes. "If anybody here doesn't think we're going to win," he says in slightly earthier language, "go back in the locker room. We are going to find a way to win this game."
The Steelers fall behind, 24-7, before going to a no-huddle offense about midway through the third quarter. That's when Maddox, calling his own plays except for when the Steelers huddle, shows there is more to him than mouth. From that point on, he completes 23-of-32 pass attempts for 257 yards and three touchdowns.
Last season, when the Steelers needed a comeback to beat the Patriots in the AFC championship game, Kordell Stewart was intercepted twice on Pittsburgh's last two possessions. It's a different game with Maddox, as the Steelers' 36-33 wild-card victory over the Browns demonstrates.
Says Steelers offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, "Tommy has proven his ability to (come from behind)."
It is the calm of pregame last Saturday. Most of the 80,000 seats in Giants Stadium still are empty. Much of the meat on the grills in the parking lot still is sizzling and dripping grease.
Pennington and Wayne Chrebet are playing catch, loosening up, dreaming the dream, going through the battles in their heads, just like some of their fans out in the lot. Chrebet asks Pennington what he thinks about it all. Pennington just wants to get it started.
The receiver reminds the quarterback that the Jets, who had started 1-4 and barely made the playoffs, have nothing to lose. "You just point us in the right direction," Chrebet tells him, "and we'll follow you. You're our leader."
Pennington, a third-year player and first-year starter, has provided the fuel for the Jets just months after many of his teammates questioned his ability to be a starter. Now, receiver Laveranues Coles calls him "Franchise."
Says tight end Anthony Becht, "I don't care what anybody says, I wouldn't pick another quarterback in this league to lead us to where we want to go."
Pennington blinks about as often as the Statue of Liberty. "The thing that strikes me about him is his poise," Oakland defensive end Trace Armstrong says. "It didn't affect him if it was blitz or a four-man rush; he didn't get rattled."
He has been at his best in places others wilt. In the red zone, the most difficult area to throw because of congestion, Pennington has thrown 20 touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Pennington nearly rallied the Jets to a victory over the Raiders in early December. Down 26-20 with 1:12 remaining, Pennington drove the Jets to the Oakland 35 before being sacked and then, two plays later, intercepted on a desperation throw as time expired. All Pennington needed was another 30 seconds or so. He'll get those ticks Sunday in Oakland, and the Jets won't come out on the losing end this time.
Maddox never had the chance to rally the Steelers to a victory when they played the Titans in mid-November in Nashville. Late in the third quarter, Maddox suffered a concussion and a spinal concussion when his head hit the ground. The 15 minutes or so he lay motionless on the field were among the most unsettling of the NFL season. The Titans won, 31-23, in what was a high point for Tennessee and a low point for the Steelers.
Since then, the timing and trust have grown between Maddox and receivers Plaxico Burress, Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El. Maddox throws more balls to receivers who are not primary targets, and he's passing with anticipation. Steelers receivers, especially Burress, have run their routes with greater urgency with Maddox at quarterback, knowing the ball will be delivered where it's supposed to be, and quickly. The pass often is made before the receiver comes out of his break.
"They've become pretty good with timing stuff, much better than they were," Browns defensive coordinator Foge Fazio says. "They'll run a 15-yard comeback, and he puts it right on the money."
AI
