NFL Insider Magazine

by Chad Pennington as told to Brian Peterson

‘JUDGEMENT DAY IS COMING SOON’

April 2000 issue

The Extra Yard

One of the most sought-after quarterbacks in the 2000 NFL Draft, Chad Pennington isn’t sitting back and taking things easy as his workout routine attests.

Chad Pennington Looks Ahead to a Career in the NFL

On January 6, 2000, everything changed for quarterback Chad Pennington. The carefree days of his college life vanished. For six weeks, he embarked on an unrelenting regimen of physical conditioning, rehabilitation, weight training, and flexibility exercises, interrupted only by meals and sleep.

The place was the International Performance Institute (IPI), a no-nonsense training center in Bradenton, Florida. The mission: to enhance his abilities and refine his skills, in preparation for the NFL scouting combine February 24-28.

For Pennington, one of the top quarterbacks in the 2000 NFL draft, it was the next step toward a professional football career.

Pennington, the son of a high school football coach, grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee.  He dreamed of playing in the NFL, but some dreams take time.

In high school, he spread 175 pounds on a 6-foot 2-inch frame, and he didn’t receive a single scholarship offer to an NCAA Division I-A university. So he accepted a scholarship to Division I-AA Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, where his parents, Elwood and Denise, had gone to school.

The scrawny quarterback added 2 inches and 50 pounds – and blossomed into one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. As a senior, he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

In Marshall’s third season since moving up to Division I-A, Pennington led the Thundering Herd to a 13-0 record and a number-10 ranking in the final 1999 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. In the Mid-America Conference Championship Game, he passed for 284 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 34-30 come-from-behind victory over Western Michigan.

But there were questions about the level of competition he faced, and Pennington is not one to rest on his laurels. That is why he enrolled at IPI, which has helped shape the careers of many prominent athletes.

At the camp, he trained with other star college players such as Virginia running back Thomas Jones, Jackson State wide receiver Sylvester Morris, Boston College defensive tackle Chris Hovan, West Virginia linebacker Barrett Green, and Mississippi tackle Todd Wade.

The only time Pennington left camp was to play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, where he passed for a touchdown in the North’s 24-21 victory and was selected as the game’s most valuable player.

My senior year at Marshall couldn’t have been any better if I had planned it on paper. We finished undefeated and in the top 10. we gained more recognition for the school and the football program. It was personally gratifying to experience the Heisman presentation, the college football awards show, and the other student-athlete awards banquets. My challenge the whole year was to downplay the individual attention and stay focused on my teammates. I tried to make sure I always let them know that I appreciated all they did. Sometimes people change when they get a lot of attention. I just tried to be myself.

Two of my favorite moments were our comeback victory against Western Michigan in the MAC Championship Game and getting together with all the seniors and bowing to the Marshall fans after we beat BYU in the Motor City Bowl. That was pretty neat.

The banquet circuit after the season was fun, but rough. I don’t know if I’d do it again. In a week’s span I went from New York to Orlando and back to New York. It was fun meeting all the famous players and coaches from colleges and in the pros. I was in awe sitting in the room where former Heisman winners had been announced. It was really special being a small-school player up with the big dogs.

When you play for a smaller school, you always have your doubters. You feel like you’re under an electron microscope. The media is always looking for one little thing that you will mess up.

I’ve always been an underdog. I’ve always had to prove myself., and I don’t expect that to change. Just like I’ve always done, I plan on earning everything I get in life.

I decided to come to IPI mainly on the recommendation of my agency IMG. But I also knew how beneficial it would be to my draft status and NFL career as a whole. Judgement day is coming soon, and I am going to be prepared.

Being at IPI has allowed me to concentrate totally on football. Nobody knows who you are here. Nobody cares who you are. For example, [baseball pitcher] Doc Gooden is training right next to me and we’re focused on our training. We both have our goals. There are no distractions.

I can focus on fundamentals. It’s hard when you’re by yourself to remember all the little things and put them together in a plan. With the help of people like IPI trainer Scott E. Pucek, it makes things much easier. Being closely evaluated as I try to achieve my goals in invaluable.

My IPI experience has been better than I expected. Charles Petrone is my personal trainer back in Knoxville, and he does a tremendous job with me. We’re almost like brothers. But even he said that this would be a good time to get my body rejuvenated and improve my skills. Once the combine is over, I’ll go back to [Petrone] and go from there.

At IPI, I’ve got Morris and Jones to throw to. I’ve got Green to work against. I’ve got former pro coach Larry Kennan to bounce questions off and pick his brain. Those things, hopefully, will give me an edge.

Football is a business now. My goals here were to get on a good nutrition program, to trim some body fat, to regenerate my body, and to work on the fundamentals of lifting, running, and throwing.

At first I didn’t know what to expect. I thought this was a place where people came to do a little cardio work. But I found out that we are here to get some real work done. The trainers job is to make us better, and if they don’t make us better, then they won’t be here long.

For me, the toughest part of the training has been the flexibility exercises. The movement sessions we do everyday aren’t impossible, but they offer great challenges. I came down here thinking that it would be difficult to stay on a rigid schedule every day, but it hasn’t been.

I always have been confident in my abilities, but I really didn’t know everything about being a professional athlete. Being down here has taught me a lot about what’s normally expected to get prepared for each NFL season.

When you go over the Wonderlic test and other psychological tests, you start wondering where the questions come from. But you have to realize that teams are making an investment. As dumb as the questions may sound, they may help scouts and coaches find out what type of person you are.

As far as playing ability, I want to be as certain as possible that I have no significant weaknesses. If scouts question my mobility, I want to show them I can move. If they question my arm strength, then I want to show them I can make the throws. My favorite part of the game – and probably my best part – is the mental and leadership areas. I take a lot of pride in being a student of the game, but I also take a lot of pride in proving people wrong.

Getting ready for the NFL has simplified my life. It’s almost like the outside world doesn’t exist as I go through this four-month long interview process in order to get drafted finally.

My dad has taken a leave of absence from his teaching job to come with me to IPI and help me train. He’s a typical coach who also wants to learn more. He gives me a lot of support and wisdom. We always have had a very close relationship.

I still don’t look at playing in the NFL as a reality. I still think it’s a dream. One thing is that I have a lot of respect for the players in the NFL. I haven’t gone through the things they have. Slowly, I realize I’m getting closer to becoming an NFL player, but I’m not there yet.

I would like to play for a team that would have enough faith in me to let me make decisions on the field. I want to be a true quarterback, not just a robot. I want some freedom and responsibility. I want to show my leadership abilities.

It’s mind boggling to think of the opportunities that I’m going to have. I’m not used to having the type of money professional athletes make. People have negative perceptions of rich people, and I’ll try hard not to fit those perceptions.

I’m a level-headed guy who doesn’t go to extremes. I enjoy meeting people, yes, but I have times when I enjoy just being by myself.

My family and friends know this, but no matter how much fame and money I get, I’m still going to be the same old Chad. Someone you can call, talk to, or hang out with. I’m still going to go fishing and enjoy the simple things in life.

Right now, I just want the draft to come. I’ve had enough anticipation. I’m tired of listening to what others have to say – the projections of where I will go or if I am good enough.

Once I get drafted, I want that playbook. Once I get it, I guarantee you that I’m going to learn it.