HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (Aug. 4, 2005) -- New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington responded well to a day off, throwing a few sharp passes during the team's night practice.

Pennington threw in five consecutive afternoon practices before coach Herman Edwards gave him off Aug. 3 to rest his surgically repaired right shoulder.

"It feels much better," Pennington said. "I'm trying to work through some things and it's just a work in progress. It's a matter of time. You can't be frustrated. You have to keep working and feel comfortable with making the right reads and eventually the throws will come and you'll get all the kinks worked out."

Pennington was 9-for-17 during the practice, including 6 of 11 in 11-on-11 drills. He threw one deep pass to Laveranues Coles that could've been a touchdown, but cornerback Ray Mickens knocked it away.

"That was surprising -- it felt better," Pennington said. "I just missed it to the right a little bit to where Ray could come back in and make the play, but at least I got it out there and made him run. That's the biggest thing."

Pennington injured his shoulder Nov. 7 against Buffalo and played the final seven games of last season with a tear in his rotator cuff. He had surgery Feb. 8 and missed minicamps and offseason training activities while rehabbing.

"I'm getting there," he said. "I'm not satisfied by no means. Sometimes I have what I want and sometimes I don't. It's just a matter of timing, and I'm not going to get frustrated. I could've gotten frustrated a long time ago when I could barely move my arm, so I think it's a matter of time."

Pennington has thrown mostly short passes so far while working on his velocity and accuracy.

"Mentally he can do it, but he needs the reps on the field," Edwards said.

Edwards said he would talk to Pennington to decide whether the quarterback would participate in practice Aug. 5. Edwards added that Pennington would definitely take reps in the Jets' scrimmage against the Giants on Aug. 6 in Albany, N.Y.

"You know that that's going to be full-go -- linebackers and people flying around, so you want to be ready for that," Pennington said. "When you're able to hit somebody other than your own team, you want to be there. You don't want to have to sit out because you're sore or fatigued, so (Aug. 3) was a good call by Coach Edwards."

GAME NOTES:

• Running back Curtis Martin was given the practice off to rest, and linebacker Victor Hobson was held out with what Edwards called "a little bit of a tight hamstring."

• The representatives for free-agent cornerback Ty Law met with Jets officials Aug. 3, but Edwards had nothing further to report.

• The team didn't practice during the day because it held its annual fund-raiser luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria.

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