CNN reported last night that Chad Pennington, the beloved QB for our beloved Jets, is out for the season with a torn rotator cuff. The inference here is that he reinjured his shoulder the same way as last year. Base10 heard--but did not confirm--that backup QB Jay Fiedler is also out 4-6 weeks with a shoulder injury. There is much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments in Mudville tonight.

Is this the end of the season? Not so fast. The Jets defense proved they are for real this past Sunday. After being on the field most of the day they still showed to-the-ball aggressiveness right up until the end. Sure, kick returns need some work, but special teams should get some tweaks this week and be right on track. What about the offense? Can Brooks Bollinger do anything? Maybe. I remember watching him last year when Quincy Carter went down and he was a pleasant surprise. Is Brooks Bollinger the guy that brings you to the Superbowl? Maybe it's not likely, but go ask Trent Dilfer that question. Maybe I'm dopey, but I'm not ready to conceed the season after week three.

The real question, of course, is not whether Bollinger can play--I assume you have to demonstrate that ability if you are able to make an NFL roster--but whether Pennington is still the long term solution at quarterback. You wanted to believe when he was injured and came back '03 and you wanted to believe again when he was injured and came back in '04. We're not so sure any more. Maybe he can rebound from this next season, but Chad no longer gets the benefit of the doubt. He's going to have to prove it.

And who will backup Bollinger? There are pretty slim picken's at free agent QB's right now, but if Fiedler is going to be out for any length of time, they need to sign a backup--preferably an experienced one who can help Bollinger develop or take over if it's too much for old Brooksie. The name that was immediately floated was Vinny Testaverde. Sentimental reasons aside, Base10 doesn't think this is a bad idea since the guy is capable of running any offense out there although his mobility is clearly a question.

UPDATE: The NY Post reports Fiedler is also out for the season. Woe is us!

- posted by Base10 @ 11:28 AM