fishwrapper said:
Having a bunch of Pennington stuff is fine ... if you're writing solely for New York or West Virginia.
I disagree. If your NFL coverage is myopic and singularly focused, I can see your beef. But, no one, and I mean no one, is going to remember the result of the Jets/Bucs preseason game in a month. But, the progression (or lack-there-of) of a prominent national athlete is an important story.
Chad Pennington is a prominent national athlete? Be serious for a minute.
Other than being the starting QB for the East Rutherford Jets (when he's healthy), what is there that puts him on the same level as Peyton Manning, Brett Favre or Ben Roethlisberger in terms of deserving the public spotlight more than the home team? I'd put the trio I just named, Matt Hasselbeck, Steve McNair and many other NFL players --- including several that are retired, like Doug Flutie --- ahead of Pennington on that list. For that matter, Pennington isn't even the most prominent QB in his hometown (that'd be, well, that Manning guy), nor is he the most prominent QB in the area he plays football (that'd be, well, the other Manning guy).
Outside of the New York metro area, eastern Tennessee and West Virginia, the progress of Chad Pennington is the third or fourth item in the NFL roundup.