Ross said that Henne has the potential to become the best Miami Dolphins QB ever. Many people think he over exaggerated how good Henne was, and that may be the case. But even though he may have gone a little too far, his claim still has some backing.
Henne is a great quarterback who does show a lot of potential like Ross said. He has what he needs to succeed now, which is why I believe this year he will be primed for a breakout. Here are 5 reasons why:
His Arm Strength
Henne has a really, really strong arm.
He can throw the ball as far as he needs to. Last year that was not really necessary because the Dolphins didn't have a deep threat for Henne to throw it to. Now, they do have a deep threat for Henne (which I will get to in a later slide).
A strong arm is the key to success in the NFL. The NFL is fast paced and quarterbacks need to be able to quickly fit the football into the receivers hands. If a passer is unable to throw the ball quick enough, then the defense will get in the way and either knock down the ball or intercept it.
He Is A Great Leader
Whenever you hear a player from the Miami Dolphins talking about Henne, you will always hear about how he is a leader.
Leadership is a must for any professional quarterback. A quarterback must be able to control his teammates in the huddle. He must be the person who keeps everyone in the huddle calm and focused.
A leader is confident in his abilities and, therefore, his teammates will also be confident in his abilities. They can trust him and know he will do everything he can to pull them through.
All of those attributes describe Chad Henne. Henne is a controller of the team. If you ask anyone who has been in the huddle with him, they will say the same thing.
A quarterback can be pretty successful even if he isn't the best passer if he is a good leader. Every team needs leadership from their quarterback to be successful, and the Dolphins are no different.
The Beast
The Beast is a real game changer.
Brandon Marshall aka "The Beast" is what will make this year so special for Henne. Chad Henne was great before, and he didn't have a deep threat to help him play even better. Brandon Marshall is that deep threat that I mentioned earlier.
Marshall is one of the top receivers in the NFL, and he gets a lot of receptions. He is a play-maker that can catch big passes. He can turn what would have normally been a 10+ play drive for the Miami Dolphins last year into a 2 or 3 play drive this year with a big catch or two.
Brandon Marshall is by far the biggest offensive addition for the Dolphins so far. He will help Chad Henne get big plays and put up big statistics.
The Rest Of The Receiving Corps
Whenever one's first plan doesn't work out, one should always have a back-up plan.
The same goes for Chad Henne passing the ball. Of course, Brandon Marshall will be his primary target, and he should look to pass the ball to him because you know he can make a play.
But, Marshall won't always be open. That is when Henne can look to his other receivers. The rest of the Miami Dolphins receivers are extremely good at catching the football. They do not necessarily make big plays for big gains, but they sure can make big catches. If you throw the ball to them you know they will catch it.
Whenever Henne needs to, he can know that whoever he passes to will catch anything he throws at them.
Whether it is Brian Hartline, Greg Camarillo, or Davone Bess, Henne will always have a great receiver to catch his passes and help him do even better.
The Miami Dolphins Running Game
A good way to assure a successful passing offense is to have a successful rushing offense.
The Dolphins have a great running game. When the passing game was unable to carry the team the last few years, the running game was definitely able to.
The great thing about having such a good running game is that opposing defenses have to be just as ready for the Dolphins to run the ball as they have to be for Henne to pass the ball.
This will make things a little bit easier for Henne. All he will have to do is fake a hand-off to one of the numerous Dolphin running backs and he will make the defense think Miami is running the ball. Then, one of his receivers is bound to be open for him to rocket the ball to.
One of the reasons I believe Minnesota Vikings QB Brett Favre did so well last year was the fact that opposing defenses absolutely had to account for RB Adrian Peterson. Peterson was capable of breaking a big play at any time, so defenses had to make sure they covered him. That made things easier for Favre, who could catch defenses off guard and throw to a receiver past them.
Now, Henne can do the same thing. Other teams know that the Dolphins have multiple threats at the running back position that they have to prepare for, so they will focus a lot on the Dolphins rushing attack.
This will be a huge year for Chad Henne. I guarantee it.
Everything looks good for him, and I don't see any reason why he won't break out. He has all of the tools he needs at his disposal. This year is going to be the year that he uses his tools to become a star.
And, maybe, some day Stephen Ross will look like a genius. Maybe Henne will be the best Dolphin quarterback ever. We will just have to see, though.
So Dolphins fans, grab your popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride.
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