Dolphins could change Chads soon
Coach Tony Sparano confirmed Tuesday at the Owners' Meetings that the Dolphins consider Chad Henne their quarterback of the future and plan to play him extensively this preseason. Chad Pennington will start Week 1, barring injury, but Henne seems all but sure to see the field as a sophomore.
The No. 57 overall pick in 2008, Henne played in Lloyd Carr's pro-style offense at Michigan and was expected to adjust to the NFL game quickly. He beat out John Beck for primary backup duty, although Pennington was too steady for an in-season switch.
Miami has made no attempt to extend Pennington's contract, which runs only through 2009, and is not expected to do so this offseason. Pennington, 33 in June, posted a solid 19:7 TD to INT ratio last year. He was the runner-up for MVP voting in a decidedly poor year for MVP candidates. (FWIW, my pick would've been Adrian Peterson over Peyton Manning.)
Henne possesses far better arm strength and upside, and the Dolphins will want him on the field soon, especially if Pennington struggles. Pennington's Saberhagen-esque track record shows that he's never strung together back-to-back strong campaigns, and the Dolphins still lack the receiver corps to make up for any drop off in play. Worse, Miami's schedule projects to be the NFL's toughest in 2009.
Pennington's 2008 rebirth was a nice story, but he'll be one of the league's poorest bets at quarterback to start 16 games. The Dolphins intend to have a more explosive offense in Sparano's second year. Assuming Henne performs well in exhibition games, it'd be no surprise if he's starting by Week 5.
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Posted by: Huxmqvms | July 15, 2009 08:01 AM
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Posted by: Huxmqvms | July 15, 2009 08:01 AM