Quarterback Chad Pennington underwent Thursday surgery to repair a small tear in his right rotator cuff, and the Jets announced Friday that they "remain optimistic" that he will be ready for the 2006 season. The surgery, performed by noted Birmingham, Ala.-based orthopedist Dr. James Andrews, was an arthroscopic procedure. Andrews performed a far more invasive surgery in February to repair the torn rotator cuff. In the Thursday procedure, Andrews repaired rotator cuff damage, which sources said was far less severe than the original tear, and the anterior capsule and labrum. Pennington will immediately begin a rehabilitation program, the Jets said in a news release, under the supervision of the team medical staff and Andrews. According to the team's statement, the Jets "remain optimistic that with proper rehabilitation and time for healing, Pennington will be ready for the 2006 season." "I think he thinks in his mind that whatever it takes to come back, he is going to do," coach Herman Edwards said. "So, that's his mind-set. It has always been his mind-set. That's what makes him so special."