Howard Balzer's NFL Notebook: Injured Pennington lends a helping hand

Injured Miami quarterback Chad Pennington is doing all he can to help the Dolphins while he is injured. (Photo by Tomasso DeRosa)

 

Life is about making adjustments. Football is about making adjustments. Not everything goes according to the plan. It has been said that rules were meant to be broken. Or adjusted. Just not in the case of some NFL head coaches.

 

Consider the case of Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington. On injured reserve since Sept. 29 with a shoulder injury, Pennington is trying to stay involved with the team and help them win any way he possibly can.

 

But it’s been hard for Pennington to do, thanks to coach Tony Sparano’s rigid rule that prohibits injured players from being on the sideline during games.

 

Consider this: Pennington watches film each week of the Dolphins’ opponent in the game after the current one. Then, on the day after the game, Pennington first gets together with starter Chad Henne to go over what he saw the day before.

 

The next day, usually Tuesday, Pennington gathers his notes and thoughts and shares them with all the team’s quarterbacks as they get ready for the practice week.

 

Then, it’s persona non grata, save for some text messaging with Sparano before and after the game.

 

Said Pennington, "When you become injured you almost become like a ghost. You're not needed or wanted on the field. I'm definitely involved in an indirect way and making sure if I'm needed that I can help as much as I can."

 

It’s understandable that a head coach wants to limit injured players from the sideline, especially if there are numerous players hurt. But it’s difficult to imagine any player being upset if Sparano were to allow Pennington to be there when he can be of direct assistance to Henne.

 

Said Sparano, "It's something I've really wrestled with a little bit, to be honest with you. But no, I don't think so right now. Consistency is important in that decision. There have been some other injured players that I have not let down there (on the sideline). It's just part of my philosophy that it's not a good thing to do.

 

"In Chad's case, he's got great knowledge. Rather than ... have six different sets of rules here, there's really one rule. The players understand it. I think for the most part they respect it."

 

Even if it makes no logical sense? Six different sets of rules? How about one rule that says no injured players on the sideline unless they are directly involved in the game plan?

 

Nah. That might actually make sense.

 

JAURON HAD NO CHANCE

In a league that’s so ridiculously copycat, the latest trend some owners are apparently set to follow is that of the “football czar.”

 

That’s the view of how the Dolphins are structured with Bill Parcells as executive vice-president of football operations, so that must be the new way to do things, right?

 

Apparently, that’s what Browns owner Randy Lerner wants to do, and after the firing of coach Dick Jauron last week, there is talk Bills owner Ralph Wilson might also be looking in that direction.

 

Hey, how about this novel concept: Hire a general manager that knows what he’s doing, and let him implement his plan.

 

The Browns were doing that with general manager Phil Savage and coach Romeo Crennel, but when a 10-6 season in 2007 was followed by a 4-12 record last season, Savage and Crennel were fired. Lerner then hired Eric Mangini as coach prior to the hiring of a general manager (George Kokinis). Bad idea. Kokinis has already been canned, and the Browns are a rudderless ship.

 

In Buffalo, Wilson was answering questions about his desire to spend the money necessary to improve the team just days after Jauron was fired.

 

"Anybody that says I'm cheap is looking down the wrong side of the street," Wilson said. "It's not about money, it's about winning. If it was about money, we wouldn't have brought in and paid for somebody we know is a great player."

 

That was a reference to wide receiver Terrell Owens, who signed only a one-year contract, albeit one worth $6.5 million. It’s also highly questionable whether Owens is anywhere close to being a great player anymore. In addition, Wilson must have forgotten that left tackle Jason Peters missed all of training camp in 2008 mired in a contract dispute, and then was traded to Philadelphia in April.

 

Peters’ departure, along with other changes, left the Bills with an offensive line that entered training camp with no projected starters in the same position as the season before. And, the only starter returning, Langston Walker, switched from right tackle to left tackle, was released Sept. 8.

 

But, it must be the fault of the head coach that the line had seven different starting combinations in the first nine games of the season.

 

JUST WONDERING

Would Vikings coach Brad Childress have received a contract extension worth between $4 and $5 million a year nine games into the season if Brett Favre hadn’t joined the Vikings? Next question. Childress is believed to be the highest-paid coach in NFL history never to have won a playoff game.

 

CONDOLENCES

To the family of former NFL linebacker Chris Spielman, whose valiant wife Stefanie lost her 12-year battle with breast cancer Thursday at the age of 42.

 

Chris sat out the 1998 season to help Stefanie and their children deal with the situation, and the couple had two more children in the ensuing years. He tried to come back for the 1999 season, but a neck injury ended his career.

 

Chris has worked on radio and TV and his brother Rick is the vice president of player personnel for the Vikings. They are two of the sport’s good guys.

 

Man, life just doesn’t seem fair sometimes. Makes 4th-and-2 seem kinda trivial, huh?

 

THE QUOTEBOOK

* Bengals safety Chris Crocker on the signing of running back Larry Johnson: "The one thing about this team is we don't judge on past issues. There are enough guys that have had plenty of DUIs, guys who've served time and been in trouble, guys that have had all sorts of issues. We'll be able to help him by talking about those experiences and how you bounce back. That's been our whole thing this year. We've bounced back whether it has been from injuries or issues off the field."

 

* Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, asked about public criticism of PK Jeff Reed after he didn’t make tackles on two kickoff-return touchdowns: "Man, I am not going to go down to evaluating Jeff Reed as a tackler. When it comes down to that, we have failed as a coverage unit. I don't lose any sleep on the quality of Jeff Reed's tackles — or tackle attempts."

 

* Reed on the same subject: "I just look at those people like they don't know what they're talking about."