This week the Miami Dolphins made some noise by announcing that they have decided to bench 3rd year QB Chad Henne, and veteran Chad Pennington will be the starter from here on out. This brings up many questions. Henne certainly hasn't been awful this season. He's led the Dolphins to a 4-4 record, and those 4 losses are against the teams that are currently ranked 1-4 in the ESPN NFL Power Rankings (Jets, Patriots, Steelers, Ravens - and if it weren't for a horrendously bad call at the end of the Dolphins/Steelers game a few weeks ago that essentially handed a free win to the Steelers, the Dolphins would be 5-3 right now.).
Henne's 2010 stats: 176/277 (63.5%) for 1,900 yards, 8 TD, 10 INT and a 78.2 QB Rating.
The move was made to bench Henne despite the fact that Dolphins Offensive Coordinator Dan Henning never really let Henne loose. Word is that Henning didn't allow Henne to call audibles at the line of scrimmage. I don't care WHO you are, you are going to lose a lot of games if you can't an audible at the line of scrimmage when you need to adjust for how the defense is lined up. Peyton Manning audibles on almost every play. Henne is forced to run the play, as called, no matter what. Kind of hard to outsmart a defense that way. Not to mention, the style of offense that Henning is calling forces Henne to paly within a 10-15 yard window. Henne has a cannon for an arm, and a top 5 wide receiver in Brandon Marshall, yet the Dolphins have thrown passes over 20 yards less than any other team this year.
Not to mention, the running game has become almost non-existent. The Dolphins are averaging around 35 passes and 20 runs per game. Against the Ravens, Ronnie Brown had 6 carries for 45 yards and a TD on the Phins FIRST drive (that included 3 runs of over 12 yards). After that drive, Brown was only give 3 more carries the ENTIRE GAME. You can't put your young QB on the field asking him to throw the ball 35 times without the ability to adjust or audible, give him no run support, and expect great results.
So, Henne is (a)forced to play in a system that doesn't suit his talent and abilities and (b)not allowed to adjust plays or call audibles at the line of scrimmage, and (c)is being given almost no support from the running game - and STILL has his team 4-4, still alive (albeit just barely) for the playoffs, in the top 12 in many passing statistical categories.
Given that information, the logical thing (one would think) would be to open up the playbook for Henne. Give him a 30-40 yard window instead of a 10-15 yard window. Allow him to audible when the defense lines up unfavorably to the play that's called. Give him a consistent running game to fall back on. See how he performs with the cuffs off.
Instead, this regime has decided to bench him, and bring in 34 year old Chad Pennington. Don't get me wrong, Chad Pennington is a great QB, and in 2008 he led the Dolphins from 1-15 to 11-5 and a playoff birth. That said, regardless of how he performs this season, he won't be back next year. And then we are just left with more questions. Do we put Henne back in next season? Do we draft another QB? Do we try to trade for an established veteran QB?
I just can't figure out why the coaches aren't being questioned here. Clearly they are being stubborn, and saying that their gameplans are more important than the actual players on the field. This benching could ruin Henne's psyche for the rest of his career. (To be fair, on the flip side, it could light a fire in him that gets more good play from him). The problem is, they're trading him in before they really know what they have in him.
Obviously after a somewhat disappointing 4-4 start that includes an 0-3 record at home for the Dolphins, the coaching staff is feeling some heat from ownership. They were supposed to have a playoff team this year, and things don't look so good. They think that putting in Pennington will generate more positive plays, and more wins RIGHT NOW, in an effort to save their jobs. The same day they made the announcement that Pennington was the new starting QB, they also picked up 35 year old veteran Defensive Back Al Harris, who had just been cut from the Packers, and the Dolphins also cut 2006 1st round pick DB Jason Allen. Allen had FINALLY earned a starting job at the beginning of this season, and was leading the team in interceptions. He lost his starting job in week 7 to Shaun Smith because he kept getting beat deep. However, Allen has ALWAYS been a great special teams player, and the decision to simply cut him is questionable. Not to mention, if they are suddenly in a WIN NOW mentality, why would they not have put in a waiver claim for Randy Moss a week earlier when he was available? The best receiver in the game can't help you win now?
Things aren't looking so good for coach Tony Sparano and crew. I'd be willing to bet money that if the Dolphins don't make the playoffs, Sparano and Henning will be out of a job. In fact, they might be even if they do make the playoffs.
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