Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington, who acknowledges that he’ll have a “different role” in 2010 as the backup to Chad Henne, has a somewhat different aspiration than most former NFL players who aspire to get into coaching.
Pennington won’t be aiming for the highest levels of the sport. Instead, he wants to coach at the high school level.
“To me, Friday night football is what it’s all about,” Pennington said Monday, per WVLT-TV. “That’s the most exciting part of being a football player. I’ve played on all three levels and Friday night football there is nothing better. Number two, I think at the high school level you can really help a young man set a foundation not only as a football player, but as a person.”
Pennington currently is conducting his annual football camp in his home state of Tennessee, at the high school he attended.
“I get to see mountains, hills, rolling hills, green trees, no palm trees,” Pennington said.
Pennington, a first-round pick of the Jets in 2000, was cut abruptly in 2008 after the team traded for Brett Favre. Pennington quickly signed with the Dolphins, and he became the NFL’s comeback player of the year for the second time in his career.
If Henne gets hurt early in 2010 and Pennington steps in effectively, he could win the award for a third time.