Chad Pennington Nominated for Player of the Week Award

The NFL announced today that Chad Pennington has been nominated for this week’s FedEx Air Player of the Week Award. Fans can vote for Pennington here until Friday at 11:00 a.m. EST at NFL.com/FedEx. This marks Pennington second nomination for the FedEx Air Player of the week, Pennington has yet to win.

If Pennington wins, a $1,000 donation will go to the local Safe Kids coalition in Miami. In particular, the donation could go towards painting crosswalks, installing signs, landscaping near sidewalks and playgrounds, installing bike racks, and developing educational programs and events to teach kids about pedestrian safety.

Official NFL Release…
DOLPHINS QB CHAD PENNINGTON, PACKERS QB AARON RODGERS & TEXANS QB MATT SCHAUB; RAIDERS RB MICHAEL BUSH, CHARGERS RB
LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON & FALCONS RB MICHAEL TURNER CANDIDATES FOR
FEDEX AIR & GROUND® NFL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK HONORS

Fans To Vote For Winners On NFL.com
FedEx To Deliver Funding For Safe Kids Organizations On Behalf of Winning Players In Their Teams’ Markets

Quarterbacks CHAD PENNINGTON of the Miami Dolphins, AARON RODGERS of the Green Bay Packers and MATT SCHAUB of the Houston Texans are the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week honors for games played on December 28, while running backs MICHAEL BUSH of the Oakland Raiders, LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON of the San Diego Chargers and MICHAEL TURNER of the Atlanta Falcons are the finalists for the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week honors, the NFL announced today.

Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com/FedEx from Monday morning through 6:00 pm ET on Wednesday to determine the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Week. The winners will be announced Wednesday evening on NFL.com.

Fans will be voting for more than their favorite player. As part of the Air & Ground program for the first time, FedEx is teaming up with Safe Kids USA – a national non-profit organization that works to prevent accidental injury among children – to deliver safer kids by making weekly $1,000 donations in the winning players’ names. The funding directly benefits local Safe Kids coalitions in that team’s city, to fund pedestrian safety improvements throughout the year. This year, FedEx celebrates its fifth year of the program and will surpass the $1 million mark in funding to create safer communities for children.

New this season, fans can tune into the “FedEx Air & Ground Lowdown” posted only on NFL.com/FedEx starting Wednesday mornings. The show examines the nominees in the Air & Ground categories through exclusive video highlights and expert analysis. NFL Network’s MARSHALL FAULK and TERRELL DAVIS host the weekly five-minute show.

A closer look at the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week finalists:

• Miami’s CHAD PENNINGTON completed 22 of 30 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns and threw no interceptions to lead Miami into the playoffs in the Dolphins’ 24 – 17 win over the New York Jets.

• Green Bay’s AARON RODGERS completed 21 of 31 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns in the Packers’ 31 – 21 win over the NFC North rival Detroit Lions.

• Houston’s MATT SCHAUB completed 27 of 36 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns in the Texans’ 31 – 24 win over the Chicago Bears.

A closer look at the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week finalists:

• Oakland’s MICHAEL BUSH rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns over 27 carries in the Raiders’ 31 – 24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

• San Diego’s LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON scored three touchdowns and rushed for 96 yards over 14 carries as the Chargers beat the division rival Denver Broncos 52 – 21 to win the AFC West.

• Atlanta’s MICHAEL TURNER totaled 208 yards and one touchdown over 25 carries in the Falcons’ 31 – 27 win over the St. Louis Rams.

FedEx, the premier global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply-chain management services, is the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl. Through the weekly FedEx Air & Ground Awards, FedEx recognizes those NFL players who represent the same speed, precision and teamwork that their customers have come to expect from the full range of FedEx air, ground, freight and international shipping services, delivering safer kids in the process. With thousands of trucks out on the roads each day, FedEx is committed to improving pedestrian safety for children, by funding education programs and environmental improvements, from signage and crosswalks to pedestrian walkways near schools and playgrounds.

(Submitted by Shannon M.)

Miami Dolphins Win AFC East

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Chad Pennington was in the opposing locker room at the stadium where he spent the first eight years of his career, a big smile peeking out from a gray Miami Dolphins “Division Champions” cap.

“It’s always a sweet feeling to be a champion,” the Dolphins quarterback said after beating the New York Jets 24-17 on Sunday. “That’s what we are: AFC East champions. It’s a great feeling. This organization has been unbelievable. They accepted me from the get-go. This has been an unbelievable ride.”

And an improbable one at that.

Pennington, cut in the offseason by the Jets to make room for an aging Brett Favre, threw two touchdown passes against his former team and helped the Dolphins (11-5) complete a remarkable turnaround.

“It’s not a revenge factor,” Pennington said. “This week, being the 17th week, it was strictly focused on winning the championship, knowing that we controlled our own destiny. It just so happened that it had to come through New York. That’s the only way fate would have it.”

A year after going 1-15, the Dolphins joined the 1999 Indianapolis Colts as the only teams in NFL history to make 10-game improvements. Miami, under first-year coach Tony Sparano, has won five straight and nine of 10 in making the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons and winning its first AFC East title since 2000.

“I don’t think words can describe it,” running back Ronnie Brown said. “Earlier in the season, we could only imagine being in this situation.”

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And now, Miami (11-5) will host Baltimore (11-5) in the first round next Sunday.

“Around this time last year, we were going home with no return,” receiver Ted Ginn Jr. said.

Meanwhile, Favre and the Jets (9-7) were left to wonder what happened to them — and what’s to come.

After an 8-3 start and being mentioned as possible Super Bowl contenders with an NFL-high seven Pro Bowl selections, New York went into a tailspin by losing four of its last five — with Favre looking every bit a 39-year-old quarterback.

“The hardest part is the finality of it,” Favre said, “especially when you expect to go on.”

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Miami wins coldest game in franchise history

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The coldest conditions any Miami team has played in couldn’t stop these history-making Dolphins.

Thriving in mind-numbing frigidity, Chad Pennington threw three touchdown passes Sunday in a 38-31 victory over Kansas City that continued one of the most remarkable comeback seasons in NFL history.

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