Chad Pennington On Board With Adam Gase in 2020: 'He Does an Excellent Job of Handling the Quarterback'
Firing Adam Gase would be a disastrous move, so says Chad Pennington about the desire of a segment of the fan base who want to can the current New York Jets head coach. Pennington, a former Jets quarterback, is convinced the right thing for the organization to do is stay the course with Gase.
In recent weeks, fans have protested Gase, who is in his first year with the Jets (5-9). The most noticeable of these events was last month’s protest where an airplane flew over Manhattan with a banner that read “Fire Adam Gase!”
Jets owner Christopher Johnson, in talking to the media several weeks ago, endorsed Gase and said he will not be making a head coach change this offseason. In his defense of Gase, the owner pointed out his head coach’s resume of successfully developing quarterbacks.
Since the Jets drafted quarterback Sam Darnold third overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, the desire to keep continuity with Gase is very strong within the organization.
If the Jets were to fire Gase, it would likely lead to a third offensive coordinator and third offensive scheme in as many years for a quarterback set to enter his third year in the league. That likely could and would be disastrous to Darnold’s development.
“Without question, the last thing this team should do is part ways with Adam Gase. That’s not the answer. I think Adam brings a lot of value offensively. He also brings a lot of value from a relationship standpoint with his quarterbacks,” Pennington told SportsIllustrated.com’s Jets Maven.
“He does an excellent job of handling the quarterback position, making the quarterback position feel supported. He did a great job of that in Miami with Ryan [Tannehill]. The opportunity came along for Adam to throw Ryan under the bus and he never did that. I really respect that.”
In recent weeks, Darnold has shown significant progress. He’s cut back on turnovers and has led the Jets to a 4-2 record over the last six games.
And while he hasn’t been perfect during that stretch, he has very clearly taken a step forward in his development. Pennington thinks this is a primary reason to keep Gase for 2020.
“That coach-quarterback relationship is extremely important to the success of the quarterback and the success of the team,” Pennington said.
“I’ve really admired him for how he’s handled the quarterback.”
Pennington is currently working with the NFL on former player initiatives, helping the athletes transition once their careers on the field are over.
“We serve as an umbrella to help players and navigate becoming former players,” Pennington said.
“We inform them of all the resources and programs out there so they can make a successful transition.”
In addition, he is the head coach of Sayre School, a small private school in Kentucky that hasn’t had a football team in several decades. Getting into coaching, whether at the college or NFL level, is something that Pennington said interests him at some point.
