But everything that happened yesterday at Giants Stadium said it for him:

Yo, Jets (and Jets fans), this is what you're missing.

From his relentless efficiency on the field to his relentless politeness off it, this was Pennington at his best, just in time to make a mockery of the decision to depose him in favor of Brett Favre.

And just in time to secure a division title on his old home field. Naturally, he declined to gloat.

"It's not a revenge factor, it's really not," he said, wearing a smile and an AFC East champions hat, then repeating the take he first used last week, before Dolphins Football boss Bill Parcells limited his availability to reporters. "The first week was extremely emotional because the situation was so fresh. But this week, being the 17th week of the season, it was a different week. It was strictly focused on winning a championship."

Pennington technically did not eliminate the Jets, who were through even before the Dolphins' 24-17 victory was secured. But his performance made their downfall all the more painful.

His 22-for-30, 200-yard, two-touchdown effort yielded a 113.2 passer rating and gave him 11 TD passes and two interceptions in his past six games - one fewer interception than Favre had yesterday.

"I don't know what he was doing," Dolphins cornerback Will Allen said of Favre. "He was just tossing the ball up."

Contrast that with Pennington's Dolphins, who after the quarterback's lost fumble yesterday finished the regular season with an NFL-record-low 13 turnovers. (The 2008 Giants also finished with 13, one fewer than the previous record held by Parcells' 1990 Giants.)

"In big games like this, you have to be patient," Pennington said. "You have to make the plays when they're there and avoid the disasters."

The Dolphins' rise from 1-15 to 11-5 was a team effort, surely, but players and fans knew one man was more responsible than most.

"There's your MVP!" linebacker Joey Porter shouted in the raucous winning locker room after Pennington was awarded the game ball. "Chad is your MVP!"

That echoed what Dolphins fans chanted as Pennington left the field. Earlier, Jets fans had greeted their former quarterback warmly. "It was a great reaction," he said. "I had eight great years here, and Jets fans are passionate and very loyal and I think they respect people who try to do things right. It was a good reception."

Friend and former teammate Laveranues Coles said of Pennington: "I am proud of him. I am happy for him. The people in New York booed him, bashed him and doubted him when he was here."

The Dolphins unloaded all the tricks in their playbook, one on which Pennington lined up wide, came around to take the ball and threw a long pass to Ricky Williams, who dropped it.

Mostly, though, his receivers helped his cause. On a key third down in the second quarter, he escaped a severe rush, then threw back to his left for a completion after Anthony Fasano smartly kept the play alive.

In the third, Pennington underthrew a double-covered Ginn on a flea-flicker, but the receiver adjusted for a 44-yard gain. That set up a 20-yard scoring pass to Fasano on which the tight end had to turn completely around as the ball was in the air.

Pennington clinched the game with a sneak on fourth-and-1 at the Jets' 40 as the two-minute warning neared.

"I wanted that; I wanted it," he said. "I just felt like it's fourth down, and I wanted the quarterback sneak."

He said he isn't sure whether the change of scenery fueled his success, but he did have a "funny feeling" the season would come down to a game amid familiar scenery at the Meadowlands.

Said Pennington, "It shouldn't, and couldn't, be any other way."