Chad Pennington!

As if there was any doubt.

Eric Mangini finally relented on his old school ways and named Pennington the starter for the upcoming season.  Kellen Clemens will take over as caddy which probably marks the end of Patrick Ramsey's stay with the Jets.

I could have gone either way with Mangini's decision to publicly name the starter.  We all KNEW it was going to be Pennington, but Mangini enjoyed using the "whoever gives us the best chance to win that week is who is going to play" mantra during the season.  He specifically employed it in the backfield and in the secondary, but the QB position is a little different.  Still, I wasn't worried when he didn't name Pennington as the starter after this last season.  I felt he wanted to show the team that although the 2006 campaign was successful, no player should rest on his laurels -- even the premier players.

I realize there are those who feel Pennington isn't the answer at QB, that he won't be able to bring the Jets to the Promised Land.  Hell, I wasn't sure if Pennington could survive the whole 2006 season, but he did and the Jets made the playoffs.  And yes, he can't throw the ball 70 yards down the field, but since when does arm strength guarantee wins?

And isn't that what really matters?