AFC PLAYOFFS Jets' luck changed when QB Pennington took over

The team believes it has earned its playoff spot.
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- No tricks, no magic and no miracles.
The New York Jets claim that what they did this season was built on diligence, perseverance and faith.
Still, when a team needs for all the stars to align just so, and for one of its most-hated rivals to knock off another of its least-favorite teams -- and then it all happens -- well, are there other forces at work?
"It kind of gives you a feeling of what hope really is," star running back Curtis Martin said. "It's like you can almost touch what hope is."
While the Jets never lost hope, they still needed New England to rally and beat Miami on Sunday to open an avenue to the AFC East title. And then they had to knock off Green Bay, which was playing for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, a very meaningful edge for the Packers, who never have lost a home playoff game.
Even before that, in Game 15, the Jets had to travel to Foxboro and beat the defending Super Bowl champions.
Still, none of them believe they lucked into anything.
"As we won games, our confidence got better," said Herman Edwards, who has gotten the Jets into the postseason in both of his seasons as coach. "A lot of people will say we were lucky, but it wasn't lucky for us to win nine games. Circumstances worked out for us, but that is what I look at: We won nine."
Benching Testaverde
They won one with Vinny Testaverde at quarterback, and lost three. Then Edwards switched to Chad Pennington, an untested third-year player who learned behind Testaverde ever since the Jets selected him in the first round of the 2000 draft. It was a gutsy -- some would say desperate -- move. But it worked.
Pennington went on to lead the league in passer rating at 104.2, and was tops with a 68.9 completion percentage. He was 8-4 as a starter and the Jets surged from a candidate for the first overall draft pick to a Super Bowl contender.
"You know, I wasn't a big fan of sitting Vinny down, personally," Martin said. "But that's not my job. And Chad has worked out."
So has Martin, who got over an opening-game sprained ankle that hindered him for weeks. So has Laveranues Coles, who emerged as a big-play receiver. So have all the defensive changes -- six new starters -- that at first led to weak tackling, poor positioning and general ineptitude.