Remembering Chad Pennington's 'East Tennessee Dead Leg' on its anniversary

These are sad times in NY Jets land, but that doesn't mean we can't look back on slightly happier times. This past Sunday was the 22-year anniversary of one of the more memorable and comical Jets moments of the 21st century.

Chad Pennington, the 18th selection in the 2000 NFL Draft, was always a solid QB. He didn't have the world's strongest arm, but boy could he thread the needle. His accuracy was elite — his running ability was not.

But on one faithful Sunday at Giants Stadium against the Bills, Pennington looked more like a prime Lamar Jackson than a Brock Purdy. After Buffalo cut a 24-3 lead to 24-13, the Jets faced a 4th-and-goal situation.

Head coach Herm Edwards, of "you play to win the game" fame, decided to go for it, and instead of trusting his Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin, he had other ideas.

With less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation, Pennington dropped back and appeared to be ready to hand it off to running back LaMont Jordan. From there, he proceeded to pull the ball back to his chest, take a long winding turn to the left side of the field, and sprint full speed (as full as his speed got to) toward the end zone.

He was moving with incredible lethargy and linebacker Eddie Robinson was gaining on him quickly. It didn't seem that Pennington had the angle until he came almost to a full stop.

He planted his right foot in the grass, faked like he might go inside, and miraculously bounced back outside. Robinson's legs seemingly gave out on him as a result.

Pennington then easily trotted into the end zone, leaving everyone watching completely baffled. Robinson finished the play on the ground, confused and likely embarrassed. The Jets would go on to win. They would finish the season 9-7, with an AFC East division title and a beat-down of Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card round.

How did Chad Pennington's 'East Tennessee Dead Leg' get its name?

The post-game quotes did not disappoint. They included offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott saying, "I'm surprised they bit for it, but it was really Barry Sanders-ish," and wide receiver Laveranues Coles saying, "I thought it was me out there."

But never to be outdone in the sound-bite game, Edwards had the best line of them all. When asked about the play, all Edwards could say was, "He looked like Elvis Presley."

It was a fun play and one we would likely remember anyway, but the true reason that the play lives on in Jets lore is the name it was given after the game. Many think that Pennington was the one who coined the phrase, but he didn't come up with it on his own.

Pennington said after the game that a "Jets official" suggested a name for the move. He dubbed it, the "East Tennessee Dead Leg." It stuck forever.

While we sit and bask in the misery of a historically depressing Jets season, we can take a lesson from Chad Pennington. As he said after the game, "It wasn't pretty. I think it reflects upon our team and the type of mentality we have, and that mentality is 'whatever it takes.' Pretty, ugly, it doesn't matter. We have to get wins."

The Jets have to get wins, whatever it takes. If the current Jets locker room had more of this spirit, maybe we would be looking forward to the playoffs instead of the draft.

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