Filed under: Dolphins, AFC East
Chad Henne has no doubt received more hate mail from Miami Dolphins fans than anybody in recent memory -- except maybe Nick Saban. Whether or not it's fair is still up for debate as the third-year starting quarterback out of Michigan has joined a very long list of Dan Marino successors not living up to the Hall-of-Famer's reputation and expectations.However, at least one rival coach -- New England's Bill Belichick -- saw fit to remind fans not to be so quick with their vitriol for a developing quarterback and he based that on his own personal experience when he was an up-and-coming assistant coach with the New York Giants under Bill Parcells.
"I don't think there is any set answer for a quarterback or any other position; it can vary," said Belichick when asked during his conference call with the South Florida media how long in estimation it typically takes for a quarterback to develop. "I know when we were at the Giants and had Phil Simms, he was a real high pick -- sixth, seventh pick in the draft, whatever it was -- in '79. He had three or four years when the fans and the media and all were talking about him being a bust and wasted draft pick and all that.
"He's one of the best players that ever played for the Giants. So you look at guys like Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady in their first year or two (and) Phil Simms. There are a lot of examples of guys that didn't go out and be rookie of the year, but they are some of the best quarterbacks in the league, too."
Simms, the seventh overall draft pick in 1979, threw 39 touchdowns against 42 interceptions in his first three seasons, while posting quarterback ratings of 66.0, 58.9 and 74.0. He of course went on to win one Super Bowl in 1986 with a record-setting performance (22-of-25 for 268 yards and three touchdowns) and set the Giants up for their second Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl XXV.
Belichick has faced Henne three times and will see him again this Sunday at Gillette Stadium in the regular-season finale when the Patriots host the Dolphins. Last year in the second meeting between the two teams in Miami, Henne led his team to a 22-21 come-from-behind victory by completing 29-of-52 passes for 335 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He engineered a 10-play, 51-yards scoring drive in the closing minutes to set up Dan Carpenter's game-winning field goal.
When the 2010 season began there was a positive buzz surrounding Henne as the Dolphins added a big-play wide receiver in Brandon Marshall to their arsenal. Having gone 7-3 in his first 10 starts with the big win over New England and a comeback victory over the New York Jets on Monday Night Football during which he was 20-of-26 for 241 yards, two touchdowns and a career-high passer rating of 130.4, Henne was poised to take the next step.
Through the first three games Henne looked decent in wins at Buffalo and Minnesota and a tough loss at home to the Jets in which his comeback attempt late in the game fell a few yards short. He had back-to-back 300-yard games against the Jets and the Patriots, but by the midway point of the season he had thrown 10 interceptions to just eight touchdowns. So Dolphins coach Tony Sparano made the decision to bench Henne and start veteran Chad Pennington against Tennessee.
A shoulder injury suffered by Pennington on the first play forced Henne into action after just two plays and he played well until injuring his knee in the fourth quarter. He finished 19-of-28 for 240 yards, a touchdown and an interception, then sat out four days later against the Chicago Bears as the emergency third quarterback before taking back the starting job at Oakland.
That was his last solid outing of the season against the Raiders as he went 17-of-30 for 307 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 33-17 win, then he struggled mightily down the stretch against Cleveland, at the Jets and against the Buffalo Bills. Last week Henne was looking good again through three quarters, going 19-of-26 for 192 yards and a touchdown, but collapsed in the fourth quarter with two interceptions, one that was returned for a game-winning touchdown in a 34-27 loss to the Detroit Lions.
For the season, Henne has completed 295-of-474 passes (62.2 percent) for 3,230 yards, 15 touchdowns and 18 interceptions for a 77.1 passer rating. His career passer rating is 76.1 and he has now made 26 starts, with 27 touchdown passes and 32 interceptions. All of that has led to fans and local talk radio hosts demanding that Henne be jettisoned for a new quarterback, with the low point coming last Sunday when a section of the stadium began chanting "Henne Sucks."
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