And not one seemed unhappy about it.

Pennington won't be made available to the New York media this week (he will talk today to the Miami media), but plenty of the quarterback's former teammates spoke at length about him yesterday.

Those players made something very clear: They badly want to beat Pennington and the Dolphins on Sunday, but they don't begrudge their former leader's success, either. "He's playing Chad Pennington Football," said Kellen Clemens, who was locked in a fierce battle with Pennington for the starter's job before the Jets traded for Brett Favre on Aug. 6. "He's doing really, really well. With the exception of this week, I'm happy for him."

Defensive end Shaun Ellis, in his ninth season, became the longest-tenured Jet when Pennington was released Aug. 7.

"I'm not surprised. I think you all are more surprised than anything," Ellis told reporters. "Chad's always been a hard worker. He's always been a guy that's going to come in and give it his all in everything. Even with his injuries, he worked his butt off to get back. He's just been real persistent at getting his body right and getting back stronger."

At this time last week, Sunday's Dolphins game already had almost too many delicious story lines to digest.

Leading the way, of course, was the prospect of a winner-take-all contest, with Pennington knocking the Jets out of playoff contention and leading his new team, which was 1-15 last season, to an improbable postseason berth.

The Jets, of course, likely caused irrevocable damage to their playoff hopes with Sunday's loss to Seattle. In doing so, they created another story line: the job security of their coach. The Jets now need a win and a loss by the Patriots or the Ravens to make the playoffs.

But the Dolphins' situation hasn't changed, and Jets tight end Chris Baker said that regardless of what Pennington says publicly, Sunday will be extra meaningful.

"The way things went down for him here, I know he's going to be on a whole 'nother level this week," Baker said.

Baker said a part of him has been pulling for the quarterback this season.

"I'm very happy for him, the things that he's done," Baker said. "With the way things went down here and everything, obviously, that was tough for him. He put his heart and soul into the organization for so long, and even in the offseason, he put his heart and soul into recouping his starting job and leading this team back and things like that, so it was obviously a tough situation when he was let go. So I'm happy for him that he's been able to bounce back and have such a good year."

Pennington enters Sunday's game as the NFL's second-rated passer (96.4), having completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,453 yards with 17 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions.

Favre - and this won't be the first time this week you see the two compared - also has completed 67 percent of his passes, but he is rated 18th in the NFL. Favre has thrown for more TDs (21), but far more INTs (19) and fewer yards (3,239). Favre was brought in ostensibly to stretch the field in ways Pennington couldn't, but Pennington has the lead in yards per attempt, 7.7 to 6.7.

"It couldn't have happened to a better guy, the success that he's having this year," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "Like I said, for every other game, I'd be rooting for him, except for this one."

Sunday

Dolphins

at Jets

4:15 p.m.

TV: Ch. 2

Radio: WEPN (1050)