Throughout the season Pennington would go through combine testing every week to make sure his body could withstand the demands of the season.
“I would run a 40 on Tuesday, I would run a shuttle, I would do a vertical jump,” said Pennington who was successful at nearing his original combine numbers. “That let me know I’m not at peak condition because we’re into the season, however, about 90 percent, that’s pretty sweet. What I didn’t want to do is fall off the cliff and be 60 percent.”
In 2008, he was named the Comeback Player of the Year for the second time in his career. The only other player to win that award twice is Bengals QB Joe Burrow.
Pennington’s biggest strength throughout his career was his mind, which he called his “magic sauce.” He dedicated himself to fully learn the quarterback position and the intricacies of different situations.
“It’s not just about dropping back and letting it rip,” said Pennington, who believed his biggest advantages were understanding timing, being accurate and ball placement. “I took that part of the game with a great sense of pride of trying to learn that. I really wanted to be an extra coach or an extension of the coach on the field to where my teammates could just play.”
Now, Pennington is the head football coach at Sayre School in Lexington, KY. He recently turned 50 and was also inducted into the state’s Pro Football Hall of Fame along with a fellow former Jets player, Bilal Powell.