"It’s huge," Ryan Tannehill said. "We’ve had a couple situations this year where we had a chance to do it and we weren’t able to do it. To finally go out and execute it and come away with a win, it feels great." Tannehill completed 7 of 9 passes for 156 yards and the Dolphins scored 17 points, overcoming 14-7 and 21-14 deficits, in a 4th quarter barrage that left Miami fans wondering where this team was hiding for almost 4 weeks.
Joe Philbin said it best, "You need to win some games like this. I think it's important for a quarterback to do this, any quarterback. Ryan Tannehill certainly, but any quarterback in this league, I think has to demonstrate an ability to do this." As Riverdog pointed out in a comment earlier, it was the first time the Dolphins won in 49 opportunities when trailing by seven points or more entering the fourth quarter.
This has been the missing link in Miami since 12/18/2005… The starting QB in that game against the Jets was Gus Frerotte, but Sage Rosenfels stepped in for the injured Frerotte and threw a 50-yard TD pass to Marty Booker to clinch the victory. Sage Rosefels, not Gus Frerotte, Joey Harrington, Daunte Culpepper, Trent Green, John Beck, Cleo Lemon, Chad Pennington, Chad Henne, Tyler Thigpen or Matt Moore, ten QBs and none could pull off the illusive come-from-behind victory.
All elite quarterbacks in the NFL are judged on the ability to bring a team from behind in the fourth quarter and win. This trait separates all ten wannabe QBs listed above from names like Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Payton Manning and Tom Brady. The first and foremost stat defining a great quarterback is wins. At the end of a game when a crucial plays are the difference between winning and losing, the great ones find a way.
One come-from-behind victory does not place Ryan Tannehill in the elite status, but it does bring hope the rookie has what it takes to carry a team when the pressure is on. For the entire season, fans in Miami have been waiting for a sign that Tannehill has the special something missing since 2005 and more realistically since Dan Marino retired in 1998. Sage Rosenfels is never going to be associated with the word "elite" but perhaps Ryan Tannehill will.
There were many other reasons for the Dolphins victory, the running game finally got on track with 189 yards and a 6.8 average. Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas finally developed continuity as a tandem gaining 147 yards. The defense held Marshawn Lynch to only 46 yards on 19 carries for a season low 2.4 yards per carry.
The Seahawks had every opportunity to beat Tannehill and Miami. Russell Wilson went 21 for 27 for 224 yards and two scores, increasing his season total to 17 TD passes. He also ran for 38 yards. Old Dolphin nemesis Leon Washington took a kickoff untouched for a 98-yard touchdown. The return came after Tannehill threw an awful interception across his body in the endzone that was fortuitously nullified by a roughing the passer penalty on Seattle safety Earl Thomas leading to a Miami score.
The Dolphins and Tannehill could have thrown in the towel, but the 4th quarter showing was the rise from the ashes Phoenix game Tannehill and Miami needed after losing twice in overtime and once by 4 points. These are the defining games that set great quarterbacks apart.
Seattle entered the game with a defense ranked No. 2 in points allowed and No. 3 in total yardage. It was not a victory against a lowly defense and once Miami reverted to the fast paced, no huddle offense that served the Dolphins so well early in the season, the Seahawks quickly wore down and had no answer.
There is talk of playoffs still alive in Miami, but those words mean nothing with the Patriots looming on Sunday. The Dolphins and Tannehill have won one game under come-from-behind 4th quarter pressure, the real test is when Tom Brady is slinging the rock on the other sideline. Great QBs do not shy away from these games, they seek them out, the great ones know, to be the best, they must beat the best.
The Dolphins will know Ryan Tannehill has arrived when games against the Tom Brady’s of the NFL are no longer viewed as easy Patriot victories. It will come, when Tannehill and his Miami Dolphin 4th quarter comebacks are feared in a league where seven points or less is most often the margin of victory.
The first step came Sunday, the next step will be huge…
Forget Seattle, bring on the Patriots!
Showing posts with label Chad Pennington. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chad Pennington. Show all posts
How Will the Change in Leadership Affect the Miami Dolphins
Some of the off-season moves have brought a significant difference in the Miami Dolphin leadership and this change of the guard has flown under the radar of most fans and media. The Dolphins have not been near the top of the NFL since Dan Marino hung up his cleats but they may be closer now than at any point since. Tony Sparano did some soul searching this off-season and from that introspect he realized his team lacked explosion due to his conservative coaching; he also came to the conclusion his team leaders were not what he needed them to be.
Ricky and Ronnie may not inspire Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid like Czonka and Kick once did but Dan Henning’s offense was clearly centered around their talents. Channing Crowder never seemed to be in the right place at the right time to make big plays but he was the defensive play caller and the defense seemingly played better when he was in the game. Chad Pennington’s body never allowed him to play for consecutive seasons his entire NFL career, but his knowledge and presence loomed large on the sideline, in the locker room and in the meeting rooms.
Fans may notice of the absence of Henning, Williams, Brown, Crowder and Pennington because each had past moments of greatness but there will be no press conferences honoring their time in the Dolphin organization. There is probably a thought about where this is leading and the word “leading” would be the clue. What happens when a team has enigmatic leadership? What happens when a team has blasé leadership? What happens when a team has leadership that cannot stay healthy enough to remain on the field?
Dan Henning covers the enigmatic pretty well. He was a mysterious cantankerous dictator who was beyond reproach. If his offense was not performing it was not his system or his play calling, it was because the players were not good enough to make it work. How dare the media or even his boss insinuate he change something in his system, if ten offensive linemen cannot seem to make it work, bring in more. If Chad Henne’s strengths do not fall in line with this playbook, Chad Henne needs to be gone. Henning was an inflexible tyrant and that is exactly what a coach in the modern NFL cannot be. Many of the lowest paid players make more money than Henning but he could not see this polar shift from coach centric to player centric football. Removing this influence was pivotal for Sparano and it will show.
Ricky Williams never wanted to be a leader. Ricky Williams is a philosopher in a football player’s body. Thrust into the position of leadership under Dave Wannestedt, Ricky balked and worse, he quit. When a team deals two first round picks for a player there are bound to be expectations and if the player is not on board with those expectations, issues are soon to follow. Even though Ricky put that chapter behind him, the shadow of it lingered in the sense that Tony Sparano knew he could never place too much responsibility on Ricky’s shoulders. It is clear to see Ricky was not a leader but there was no way his presence and veteran wisdom could not be influential. Ricky was not a bad influence but he quit once and there was always the sense that if too much responsibility fell on Ricky’s shoulders he would just as soon live in a tent then get too caught up in leading a football team. On a veteran team Ricky would have been fine but on a young team Ricky’s presence drew players to him and he was not a person who would carry the banner into the fight.
Ronnie Brown is a prime example of why many NFL people view running backs as a dime a dozen. Ronnie was a good back who had moments of brilliance, but he was never worthy of the second pick in the draft. It is hard for players picked early in the draft to live up to their draft status. Being picked high is a guaranteed pocket full of jingle but the danger of the jingle is the incentive lost once the prize is won. One of the reasons Nick Saban thought Brown would be a good pick was because he had shared time in college with Cadillac Williams and did not have the wear on his body that a pure feature back would have had. It turned out not to matter as Brown spent as much time injured as he did on the field. Even when healthy Brown’s personality never was an inspiration to the players around him and hence he was never a leader. Being a veteran on the team Brown was looked up to by the younger players but his example was not one Sparano felt could provide the leadership his young team needed.
Dreadlocks, tattoos and his mouth moving a mile a minute are the lasting impressions Channing Crowder left on Dolphin fans. There are few who would argue the Miami defense played better when Crowder was on the field, but the oft injured Crowder exemplified a defense that never seemed to make big plays. Crowder was somewhat of an enigma, he could get his teammates properly lined up and had a good sense of what play the offense was about to run, but somehow he was never in position to make the play. Compared to a player like Zach Thomas who could line up the defense and fly to the ball, Crowder was missing half his game. Crowder was always willing to speak his mind and he was the center of attention in the locker room but big plays and nose for the football eluded him on the field. His off the field banter and on the field jawing were not backed up by big plays, which led to Crowder not being respected by his peers around the league. The leader of a team must not only be respected by his own team but by his opponents as well. Crowder was not and Sparano knew it was not going to change.
Whenever I think of Chad Pennington I think of Herdfan and it is hard to be too critical of a player who could bring such a great fan to the Miami Dolphin faithful. The truth is there is not much to be critical of; Pennington’s was a career of what could have been. He is one of the most accurate passers in NFL history. Every year he stayed healthy he led his team to the playoffs. Pennington was the consummate professional and a great leader, but he could not stay healthy. Pennington never completed back to back seasons without injury and because of that he could never guide an offense long enough to make it to the big show. He certainly had the tools and leadership to get there but his body would not allow it. If Pennington had a flaw during his final seasons in Miami it was the notion that he could be some form of a player-coach. Pennington wanted to play and being a leader in the locker room caused his teammates to follow him even though he could not take the field. Chad Henne could not take over the reins of leadership because of the respect everyone in the organization held for Pennington. If Pennington had remained healthy he would definitely be a part of this football team today, but he could not.
When Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland got together after the tumultuous beginning of the off-season that saw Steven Ross courting an unproven college coach, they knew the veteran presence on the team had to change. For Henning it was his inflexibility to modernize his offense in accordance with the changes taking root in the NFL. For Williams it was his lack of buying in to the coaching staff and his willingness to voice his opinion in his own subtle way. For Brown it was his natural timidity, injuries and poor practice habits born of those injuries. For Crowder it was simply about putting his play where his mouth was and staying healthy. For Pennington it was a matter of health. The team was desperately in need of a change in leadership.
Sparano knew he had to change, he knew he had to become less conservative and more explosive. He also knew it was essential his coaching staff spoke with one voice and for those reasons he replaced Dan Henning with Brian Daboll. Daboll was fresh, his ideas were explosive and he was not a renegade. Drafting Daniel Thomas and picking up Reggie Bush brought in fresh running backs with something to prove. Why Larry Johnson, because Larry Johnson has a chip on his shoulder a mile wide. Channing Crowder worked out with one team before deciding to retire. That’s because there were not many teams beating down his door and that should say a mouthful about what the rest of the league thinks about Crowder. Aside from his injuries, letting Pennington go would allow Chad Henne to finally step up without constantly looking over his shoulder.
The issue of loyalty cannot be understated… Williams, Brown and Crowder were not their guys. Draft picks have a natural allegiance to the coaches who drafted them, but even free agents feel a breath of new life when a team seeks them out and pays them for their services. The number of players left from previous regimes should be a good indicator of how important this is to Sparano and Ireland. Pennington is the exception but in his case injuries were his undoing. It is clear, if Sparano and Ireland were going down they were going down with players of their own choosing. Everyone on this team is now under the same onus... Win or else. Don’t be surprised to see a team with a little more sense of urgency and a lot more will to win.
My question to you is, who will emerge as the new leadership core of the Dolphins?
Ricky and Ronnie may not inspire Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid like Czonka and Kick once did but Dan Henning’s offense was clearly centered around their talents. Channing Crowder never seemed to be in the right place at the right time to make big plays but he was the defensive play caller and the defense seemingly played better when he was in the game. Chad Pennington’s body never allowed him to play for consecutive seasons his entire NFL career, but his knowledge and presence loomed large on the sideline, in the locker room and in the meeting rooms.
Fans may notice of the absence of Henning, Williams, Brown, Crowder and Pennington because each had past moments of greatness but there will be no press conferences honoring their time in the Dolphin organization. There is probably a thought about where this is leading and the word “leading” would be the clue. What happens when a team has enigmatic leadership? What happens when a team has blasé leadership? What happens when a team has leadership that cannot stay healthy enough to remain on the field?
Dan Henning covers the enigmatic pretty well. He was a mysterious cantankerous dictator who was beyond reproach. If his offense was not performing it was not his system or his play calling, it was because the players were not good enough to make it work. How dare the media or even his boss insinuate he change something in his system, if ten offensive linemen cannot seem to make it work, bring in more. If Chad Henne’s strengths do not fall in line with this playbook, Chad Henne needs to be gone. Henning was an inflexible tyrant and that is exactly what a coach in the modern NFL cannot be. Many of the lowest paid players make more money than Henning but he could not see this polar shift from coach centric to player centric football. Removing this influence was pivotal for Sparano and it will show.
Ricky Williams never wanted to be a leader. Ricky Williams is a philosopher in a football player’s body. Thrust into the position of leadership under Dave Wannestedt, Ricky balked and worse, he quit. When a team deals two first round picks for a player there are bound to be expectations and if the player is not on board with those expectations, issues are soon to follow. Even though Ricky put that chapter behind him, the shadow of it lingered in the sense that Tony Sparano knew he could never place too much responsibility on Ricky’s shoulders. It is clear to see Ricky was not a leader but there was no way his presence and veteran wisdom could not be influential. Ricky was not a bad influence but he quit once and there was always the sense that if too much responsibility fell on Ricky’s shoulders he would just as soon live in a tent then get too caught up in leading a football team. On a veteran team Ricky would have been fine but on a young team Ricky’s presence drew players to him and he was not a person who would carry the banner into the fight.
Ronnie Brown is a prime example of why many NFL people view running backs as a dime a dozen. Ronnie was a good back who had moments of brilliance, but he was never worthy of the second pick in the draft. It is hard for players picked early in the draft to live up to their draft status. Being picked high is a guaranteed pocket full of jingle but the danger of the jingle is the incentive lost once the prize is won. One of the reasons Nick Saban thought Brown would be a good pick was because he had shared time in college with Cadillac Williams and did not have the wear on his body that a pure feature back would have had. It turned out not to matter as Brown spent as much time injured as he did on the field. Even when healthy Brown’s personality never was an inspiration to the players around him and hence he was never a leader. Being a veteran on the team Brown was looked up to by the younger players but his example was not one Sparano felt could provide the leadership his young team needed.
Dreadlocks, tattoos and his mouth moving a mile a minute are the lasting impressions Channing Crowder left on Dolphin fans. There are few who would argue the Miami defense played better when Crowder was on the field, but the oft injured Crowder exemplified a defense that never seemed to make big plays. Crowder was somewhat of an enigma, he could get his teammates properly lined up and had a good sense of what play the offense was about to run, but somehow he was never in position to make the play. Compared to a player like Zach Thomas who could line up the defense and fly to the ball, Crowder was missing half his game. Crowder was always willing to speak his mind and he was the center of attention in the locker room but big plays and nose for the football eluded him on the field. His off the field banter and on the field jawing were not backed up by big plays, which led to Crowder not being respected by his peers around the league. The leader of a team must not only be respected by his own team but by his opponents as well. Crowder was not and Sparano knew it was not going to change.
Whenever I think of Chad Pennington I think of Herdfan and it is hard to be too critical of a player who could bring such a great fan to the Miami Dolphin faithful. The truth is there is not much to be critical of; Pennington’s was a career of what could have been. He is one of the most accurate passers in NFL history. Every year he stayed healthy he led his team to the playoffs. Pennington was the consummate professional and a great leader, but he could not stay healthy. Pennington never completed back to back seasons without injury and because of that he could never guide an offense long enough to make it to the big show. He certainly had the tools and leadership to get there but his body would not allow it. If Pennington had a flaw during his final seasons in Miami it was the notion that he could be some form of a player-coach. Pennington wanted to play and being a leader in the locker room caused his teammates to follow him even though he could not take the field. Chad Henne could not take over the reins of leadership because of the respect everyone in the organization held for Pennington. If Pennington had remained healthy he would definitely be a part of this football team today, but he could not.
When Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland got together after the tumultuous beginning of the off-season that saw Steven Ross courting an unproven college coach, they knew the veteran presence on the team had to change. For Henning it was his inflexibility to modernize his offense in accordance with the changes taking root in the NFL. For Williams it was his lack of buying in to the coaching staff and his willingness to voice his opinion in his own subtle way. For Brown it was his natural timidity, injuries and poor practice habits born of those injuries. For Crowder it was simply about putting his play where his mouth was and staying healthy. For Pennington it was a matter of health. The team was desperately in need of a change in leadership.
Sparano knew he had to change, he knew he had to become less conservative and more explosive. He also knew it was essential his coaching staff spoke with one voice and for those reasons he replaced Dan Henning with Brian Daboll. Daboll was fresh, his ideas were explosive and he was not a renegade. Drafting Daniel Thomas and picking up Reggie Bush brought in fresh running backs with something to prove. Why Larry Johnson, because Larry Johnson has a chip on his shoulder a mile wide. Channing Crowder worked out with one team before deciding to retire. That’s because there were not many teams beating down his door and that should say a mouthful about what the rest of the league thinks about Crowder. Aside from his injuries, letting Pennington go would allow Chad Henne to finally step up without constantly looking over his shoulder.
The issue of loyalty cannot be understated… Williams, Brown and Crowder were not their guys. Draft picks have a natural allegiance to the coaches who drafted them, but even free agents feel a breath of new life when a team seeks them out and pays them for their services. The number of players left from previous regimes should be a good indicator of how important this is to Sparano and Ireland. Pennington is the exception but in his case injuries were his undoing. It is clear, if Sparano and Ireland were going down they were going down with players of their own choosing. Everyone on this team is now under the same onus... Win or else. Don’t be surprised to see a team with a little more sense of urgency and a lot more will to win.
My question to you is, who will emerge as the new leadership core of the Dolphins?
Chad Pennington To Take Year Off And Work For FOX Sports
Chad Pennington, starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins three seasons ago has announced that he will be taking the year off and working for FOX Sports, according to a report by Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post.
Pennington left open the possibility of returning for the 2012-2013 season, but I hope for his sake that he doesn't actually try and return. Pennington has injured his shoulder four times and just recently tore his ACL this offseason. He just cannot avoid injuries, and I don't want him to subject his body to the beating it will take in the NFL again.
It is a shame to see him go to FOX, though. I really wanted him to take some sort of coaching job with the Dolphins. I think he would be a tremendous coach. It's basically what he did when Chad Henne was starting, so it would have been cool to see him actually get the official title as a coach.
I also want to make sure that we remember how he helped lead the Miami Dolphins to a 11-5 record during the 2008-2009 NFL season. He helped end that terrible playoff drought, and he gave us fans a lot of optimism.
I wish Chad the best, and hopefully he will have a very successful broadcasting career.
Thanks for reading, and let me know what you guys thought of Pennington and his career.
Pennington left open the possibility of returning for the 2012-2013 season, but I hope for his sake that he doesn't actually try and return. Pennington has injured his shoulder four times and just recently tore his ACL this offseason. He just cannot avoid injuries, and I don't want him to subject his body to the beating it will take in the NFL again.
It is a shame to see him go to FOX, though. I really wanted him to take some sort of coaching job with the Dolphins. I think he would be a tremendous coach. It's basically what he did when Chad Henne was starting, so it would have been cool to see him actually get the official title as a coach.
I also want to make sure that we remember how he helped lead the Miami Dolphins to a 11-5 record during the 2008-2009 NFL season. He helped end that terrible playoff drought, and he gave us fans a lot of optimism.
I wish Chad the best, and hopefully he will have a very successful broadcasting career.
Thanks for reading, and let me know what you guys thought of Pennington and his career.
Chad Pennington Needs ACL Surgery
Miami Dolphins veteran QB Chad Pennington has torn his ACL playing pickup basketball according to this tweet.
This is unfortunate news for Pennington who has had to overcome numerous season-ending shoulder injuries in his career. I am almost positive that Pennington won't ever be playing again in the NFL. He had announced a few months ago that he was hoping to play football again after his latest shoulder injury, but I highly doubt there is any chance of that anymore.
The fact that he was playing basketball is a strong reminder to other players who are working out on their own this offseason because they won't be covered by their teams. Pennington will likely have to pay for the surgery himself without any help from the Dolphins. It is unfortunate that it happened this way, but that was the risk he took when he decided to play basketball.
This injury could just force Pennington into becoming a coach, which he would be really good at. I would love to have him on the staff for the Dolphins, and I wouldn't be surprised if that happens. He seems to like Miami, so he would probably choose to stay and coach there.
Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think about this whole situation.
This is unfortunate news for Pennington who has had to overcome numerous season-ending shoulder injuries in his career. I am almost positive that Pennington won't ever be playing again in the NFL. He had announced a few months ago that he was hoping to play football again after his latest shoulder injury, but I highly doubt there is any chance of that anymore.
The fact that he was playing basketball is a strong reminder to other players who are working out on their own this offseason because they won't be covered by their teams. Pennington will likely have to pay for the surgery himself without any help from the Dolphins. It is unfortunate that it happened this way, but that was the risk he took when he decided to play basketball.
This injury could just force Pennington into becoming a coach, which he would be really good at. I would love to have him on the staff for the Dolphins, and I wouldn't be surprised if that happens. He seems to like Miami, so he would probably choose to stay and coach there.
Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think about this whole situation.
Miami Dolphins QB Chad Pennington Stands Behind Brian Daboll
There was a lot of doubt about whether Brian Daboll would be able to turn the Miami Dolphins offense around when he was hired as the Offensive Coordinator, and justly so.
Daboll had just been fired from a Cleveland offense that was ranked even worse than Miami's last year, and hiring him didn't really inspire much confidence in a turnaround. Daboll did just get a little boost in confidence from Dolphins veteran QB Chad Pennington. Pennington said this about Daboll courtesy of Mike Berardino of the Sun Sentinel:
Yes, Pennington has been playing for a while and should be able to tell pretty well if a new coach is good or not, but I'm not sure if he isn't doing anything more than just trying to build up Daboll's image in the eyes of us fans.
Pennington is very smart, and because of that I believe that he is just saying good things about Daboll to try and inspire some confidence by the fans. I'm not saying he is this deceiving athlete who is trying to manipulate the fans. I am just saying he is trying to paint as rosy a picture as possible of Brian Daboll in order to inspire confidence and take some of the weight off his shoulders.
There is also the possibility that Pennington really does have a lot of faith in Daboll's abilities. Pennington played under Daboll for a year with the Jets, so he has been around him before. I hope that he really does trust Daboll's abilities, but I don't think he does.
What do you guys think? Let me know below.
Thanks for reading.
Daboll had just been fired from a Cleveland offense that was ranked even worse than Miami's last year, and hiring him didn't really inspire much confidence in a turnaround. Daboll did just get a little boost in confidence from Dolphins veteran QB Chad Pennington. Pennington said this about Daboll courtesy of Mike Berardino of the Sun Sentinel:
"I think you have to understand he was also an integral part of a very successful offense in New England. He was really involved in the passing game, coordinating the passing game. He coached some really great pros with the receivers as far as Troy Brown and Deion Branch and those guys. When he came to New York, I really saw the wealth of knowledge that he had and how he could help build a game plan and really take advantage and attack the weaknesses of the defense. I don’t think you can look at the work that's happened in Cleveland. I think you have to look at the whole perspective and see that he is a young coach and he has a lot to offer and he will do a good job."Now, while I strongly respect Chad's opinion, I'm not really sure that what he said makes me feel any better about Daboll.
Yes, Pennington has been playing for a while and should be able to tell pretty well if a new coach is good or not, but I'm not sure if he isn't doing anything more than just trying to build up Daboll's image in the eyes of us fans.
Pennington is very smart, and because of that I believe that he is just saying good things about Daboll to try and inspire some confidence by the fans. I'm not saying he is this deceiving athlete who is trying to manipulate the fans. I am just saying he is trying to paint as rosy a picture as possible of Brian Daboll in order to inspire confidence and take some of the weight off his shoulders.
There is also the possibility that Pennington really does have a lot of faith in Daboll's abilities. Pennington played under Daboll for a year with the Jets, so he has been around him before. I hope that he really does trust Daboll's abilities, but I don't think he does.
What do you guys think? Let me know below.
Thanks for reading.
Is Anthony Fasano A Good Enough Tight End For The Miami Dolphins?
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| Fasano's Famous Fake-out |
At the time, most Dolphins fans supported the move because of Fasano's game against Tennessee. Now that we can look at his whole body of work from the year, the extension doesn't look as good. Fasano had 528 yards and four touchdowns, and while those may not be terrible numbers they don't really merit such a rich extension.
But, I still believe he deserves the extension. He is a very good blocker on top of being a consistent receiver, and his numbers don't look very good because of Chad Henne's inaccuracy more than his own fault.
So, to the main question, is Anthony Fasano a good enough TE for the Miami Dolphins?
Yes, I believe he is.
Despite low receiving yardage last season, he still has very high yards-per-catch at 13.5. If he had a better quarterback, he would be able to get more receptions, and, in turn, more yards.
When he had Chad Pennington throwing to him, he had a great season and was among the best in the league numbers-wise. In the last two seasons with Henne throwing to him, he has had much worse numbers and his combined touchdowns from both years aren't even equivalent to his one year with Pennington.
If we can get a new quarterback, Fasano should be able to return to his numbers of three years ago. It's as simple as that, and I hope the Dolphins staff realizes that Henne isn't the one anymore.
Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think about Fasano with a comment.
I apologize for talking about such a random topic, but the Miami Dolphins news has been extremely slow this week, and I didn't have anything to write about.
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Yes, It Can Get Worse: Miami Dolphins QB Chad Pennington Will Try To Return And Play In The NFL
I thought the hiring of Brian Daboll was pretty bad news, but this makes things even worse.
He is an impending free agent, but I am willing to bet that the Miami Dolphins will attempt to re-sign him.
Let me first say that this is not bad news because Chad Pennington is a bad quarterback. It is instead bad news because the Miami Dolphins may decide to rely on him as their starter for the 2011-2012 season, which is not something we want them to do.
Chad Pennington is a pretty good quarterback, but he isn't good enough to justify starting when there are so many other great quarterback candidates with great potential that will be available for Miami to get instead.
What makes Pennington coming to Miami even more likely is that he has a very good relationship with Miami's new Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll, which can only be bad news for us Dolphins fans that want a new quarterback.
Daboll may just elect to start Pennington this season because they know each other well and he trusts Pennington. Trust normally isn't a bad thing, but Daboll's trust in Pennington will not have a favorable result.
If Brian Daboll decides to start Pennington, not only will he not do well, but he also won't be able to last more than a few games without hurting his shoulder again.
We all saw how quickly Pennington re-injured his shoulder and how little it took. What will happen when he lands really hard on it?
If Pennington gets injured as the starter, then the Dolphins would have to put Chad Henne in because they wouldn't have pursued another quarterback after thinking that they would've been able to rely on Chad Pennington.
This also hurts Miami because now they won't be able to hire him as their quarterbacks coach. I don't know whether Pennington would have been willing to coach if he retired from playing, but I still think he would have been really good at coaching if he decided to. Now we know he won't be coaching, so the Dolphins will have to find a new candidate to coach their QBs.
All in all, Pennington coming back hurts Miami. Not only will he probably end up still playing for the Dolphins, but he also won't be able to coach for them.
Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think about Pennington's decision in the comments below.
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| Guess Who's Back |
Two-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year QB Chad Pennington has announced that he plans on returning to play another season in the NFL after having yet another season-ending shoulder injury in 2010.
He is an impending free agent, but I am willing to bet that the Miami Dolphins will attempt to re-sign him.
Let me first say that this is not bad news because Chad Pennington is a bad quarterback. It is instead bad news because the Miami Dolphins may decide to rely on him as their starter for the 2011-2012 season, which is not something we want them to do.
Chad Pennington is a pretty good quarterback, but he isn't good enough to justify starting when there are so many other great quarterback candidates with great potential that will be available for Miami to get instead.
What makes Pennington coming to Miami even more likely is that he has a very good relationship with Miami's new Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll, which can only be bad news for us Dolphins fans that want a new quarterback.
Daboll may just elect to start Pennington this season because they know each other well and he trusts Pennington. Trust normally isn't a bad thing, but Daboll's trust in Pennington will not have a favorable result.
If Brian Daboll decides to start Pennington, not only will he not do well, but he also won't be able to last more than a few games without hurting his shoulder again.
We all saw how quickly Pennington re-injured his shoulder and how little it took. What will happen when he lands really hard on it?
If Pennington gets injured as the starter, then the Dolphins would have to put Chad Henne in because they wouldn't have pursued another quarterback after thinking that they would've been able to rely on Chad Pennington.
This also hurts Miami because now they won't be able to hire him as their quarterbacks coach. I don't know whether Pennington would have been willing to coach if he retired from playing, but I still think he would have been really good at coaching if he decided to. Now we know he won't be coaching, so the Dolphins will have to find a new candidate to coach their QBs.
All in all, Pennington coming back hurts Miami. Not only will he probably end up still playing for the Dolphins, but he also won't be able to coach for them.
Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think about Pennington's decision in the comments below.
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Please Stephen Ross, Don't Hire Brad Childress As The Miami Dolphins Offensive Coordinator
The Miami Dolphins are going to interview Brad Childress as a potential candidate for their Offensive Coordinator position. That is a bad idea, and the Dolphins must not hire Childress to run their offense if they ever want to win in the near future.
Yes, Childress did take his Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship game last season, but that was more thanks to Brett Favre's arm than it was Childress' leadership.
In fact, Childress seems to be a very bad leader. He lost the respect of the majority of his players in Minnesota while he was there, and I am worried that something similar would happen with the Miami Dolphins players if he came to South Beach.
We already have a possible problem brewing after the whole debacle between Stephen Ross and Tony Sparano, and bringing Childress in would just make things worse.
I would much rather the Dolphins go after somebody like Mike Leach, the former Texas Tech coach, or Chad Pennington. Technically, Pennington is still a player, but I doubt that he will come back and ever play again because of how weak his shoulder is.
Miami should hire Chad as either their offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach before he gets a chance to coach for another team. He is a veteran with a lot of experience, and I really think he would be a great coach. He was basically a coach this year, so why not just promote him officially?
Please Stephen Ross, whatever you do, don't bring in Brad Childress. There are plenty of other candidates that you can look at instead of Childress. You talk about being committed to making a winning team, but then you go out and interview Brad Childress.
Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think about Childress, Pennington, and Leach with your comments.
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Yes, Childress did take his Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship game last season, but that was more thanks to Brett Favre's arm than it was Childress' leadership.
In fact, Childress seems to be a very bad leader. He lost the respect of the majority of his players in Minnesota while he was there, and I am worried that something similar would happen with the Miami Dolphins players if he came to South Beach.
We already have a possible problem brewing after the whole debacle between Stephen Ross and Tony Sparano, and bringing Childress in would just make things worse.
I would much rather the Dolphins go after somebody like Mike Leach, the former Texas Tech coach, or Chad Pennington. Technically, Pennington is still a player, but I doubt that he will come back and ever play again because of how weak his shoulder is.
Miami should hire Chad as either their offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach before he gets a chance to coach for another team. He is a veteran with a lot of experience, and I really think he would be a great coach. He was basically a coach this year, so why not just promote him officially?
Please Stephen Ross, whatever you do, don't bring in Brad Childress. There are plenty of other candidates that you can look at instead of Childress. You talk about being committed to making a winning team, but then you go out and interview Brad Childress.
Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think about Childress, Pennington, and Leach with your comments.
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Tony Sparano Is Receiving Support From A Lot Of Different Players In The Miami Dolphins Organization, But Is His Job Safe?
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Now, Chad Pennington has joined the list of players in Miami who have expressed their support for Sparano, and I believe that his approval is the most important by a player so far. Pennington is a veteran quarterback who has a lot of knowledge about the game, and I think he will influence owner Stephen Ross' decision greatly.
Thankfully, we won't have to wait long to find out what happens. Tony Sparano and Stephen Ross have a meeting scheduled in the near future, and I have a feeling we will know what comes out of that meeting pretty soon. I am not sure of the date and time of the meeting, but my impression is that it is within the next few days.
I still believe that Tony is the best fit for the Miami Dolphins. The players already love him, and they almost always play their hearts out for him. I'm not saying that they "always" play their hearts out because of Sunday's game against New England, but I'm not concerned about that happening in the future. That was just a bad game capping off a disappointing season, and we should forget about it now.
My guess is that Stephen Ross keeps Tony. He still has a winning record as a head coach, and it isn't like he has coached a terrible team. He has played a part in bringing in a lot of talent, and we shouldn't overlook that. If Chad Henne weren't such a bust, we would be looking at the huge amount of talent Miami has instead of trying to figure out what went wrong.
That's it for now. Stay tuned, because we will probably be hearing about the future of the Miami Dolphins Head Coach Position soon.
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Miami Dolphins Keys To The Game: Tyler Thigpen Must Create Plays
In order for the Miami Dolphins to be successful Thursday night against the Chicago Bears, Tyler Thigpen must perform similar to the way he did last Sunday against the Titans and create big plays.
This game is entirely upon Thigpen's shoulders, and if he can play well the Miami Dolphins should be able to win this game. People think the Dolphins are down and out because they are now down to their third-string quarterback. What they don't realize is that Thigpen is a better playmaker than his two predecessors.
Thigpen's is noticeably faster than Henne and Pennington ever were, and he is able to throw the ball well on the run. He is very similar to Michael Vick, and he will need to play similar to Vick against the Bears.
Chicago has an exceptional defense. Their only "weakness" is their 15th ranked passing yards allowed. They have allowed the second lowest amount of points this year, and the Dolphins have struggled to score points this year.
That was before they had Thigpen playing, though.
If we had Chad Henne or Chad Pennington playing in this game, then we would have had to be pretty concerned about the Miami Dolphins ability to make plays on offense. Thigpen changes the entire dynamic of the offense because he can use all of the weapons provided to him. Chad Henne seemed to struggle with using all of his weapons.
Tyler Thigpen will not.
Thigpen showed us he could use TE Anthony Fasano as well as star-receiver Brandon Marshall. He also gained a crucial first down near the end of the game last week to seal it and help Miami improve to above .500 for the year.
This game will be a huge step to catching up to the rest of the AFC, and Tyler Thigpen is going to need to show up in order to make that step. Brandon Marshall guaranteed the Miami Dolphins would make the playoffs, but he can't do it on his own. He needs a good quarterback throwing him the ball, and I think we have found that quarterback in Tyler Thigpen.
So, Dolphins fans, I hope you are ready for the game. Please feel free to leave your comments on your predictions for the game.
I am thinking 35-24, Miami wins. I am very confident in Thigpen, and I think he will have a huge performance against the Bears tough defense.
Thanks for reading everybody!
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This game is entirely upon Thigpen's shoulders, and if he can play well the Miami Dolphins should be able to win this game. People think the Dolphins are down and out because they are now down to their third-string quarterback. What they don't realize is that Thigpen is a better playmaker than his two predecessors.
Thigpen's is noticeably faster than Henne and Pennington ever were, and he is able to throw the ball well on the run. He is very similar to Michael Vick, and he will need to play similar to Vick against the Bears.
Chicago has an exceptional defense. Their only "weakness" is their 15th ranked passing yards allowed. They have allowed the second lowest amount of points this year, and the Dolphins have struggled to score points this year.
That was before they had Thigpen playing, though.
If we had Chad Henne or Chad Pennington playing in this game, then we would have had to be pretty concerned about the Miami Dolphins ability to make plays on offense. Thigpen changes the entire dynamic of the offense because he can use all of the weapons provided to him. Chad Henne seemed to struggle with using all of his weapons.
Tyler Thigpen will not.
Thigpen showed us he could use TE Anthony Fasano as well as star-receiver Brandon Marshall. He also gained a crucial first down near the end of the game last week to seal it and help Miami improve to above .500 for the year.
This game will be a huge step to catching up to the rest of the AFC, and Tyler Thigpen is going to need to show up in order to make that step. Brandon Marshall guaranteed the Miami Dolphins would make the playoffs, but he can't do it on his own. He needs a good quarterback throwing him the ball, and I think we have found that quarterback in Tyler Thigpen.
So, Dolphins fans, I hope you are ready for the game. Please feel free to leave your comments on your predictions for the game.
I am thinking 35-24, Miami wins. I am very confident in Thigpen, and I think he will have a huge performance against the Bears tough defense.
Thanks for reading everybody!
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Big Time Game Will Show Us What Tyler Thigpen Is Made Of
Tyler Thigpen is expected to make his first start with the Miami Dolphins in front of a national audience Thursday night against the Bears.
This is going to be a huge game for Thigpen, and if he plays like he did at the end of the Tennessee game he may very well become the starting quarterback in Miami for a long time.
Last week when he came in for the injured Chad Pennington and Chad Henne, Thigpen was able to give the offense a big spark and lead a scoring drive.
With the exception of his very first pass, Thigpen was on the mark and pretty much perfect on every one of his throws. He was able to scramble and make plays when he needed to, and because of him the Dolphins were able to pretty much seal the game.
My guess is that the Bears (and the rest of the football community) won't be expecting Thigpen to do well. Chicago is probably just thinking about how lucky they are that Miami is going to be without their 1st or 2nd string quarterbacks. Not long form now they will find out, though, that Thigpen is a very dangerous quarterback.
What excites me so much about Thigpen is how well he can create plays with his feet. I was reading about him earlier, and someone called him the poor man's Michael Vick, which is actually a very good analogy. He may not have the speed of Vick, but he is very similar in style to Vick. Heck, I wouldn't mind him being similar to Vick after his performance on Monday night.
There is also a good chance that left tackle Jake Long will be able to play Thursday, so Thigpen should have the necessary protection to play his game. I have a good feeling about this game. Our offense won't be robotic any longer. We may actually see a couple big plays. The Dolphins let the offense loosen up a little bit, and that was evident with the long flea-flicker play from Henne to Brian Hartline.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you are ready for some early football.
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This is going to be a huge game for Thigpen, and if he plays like he did at the end of the Tennessee game he may very well become the starting quarterback in Miami for a long time.
Last week when he came in for the injured Chad Pennington and Chad Henne, Thigpen was able to give the offense a big spark and lead a scoring drive.
With the exception of his very first pass, Thigpen was on the mark and pretty much perfect on every one of his throws. He was able to scramble and make plays when he needed to, and because of him the Dolphins were able to pretty much seal the game.
My guess is that the Bears (and the rest of the football community) won't be expecting Thigpen to do well. Chicago is probably just thinking about how lucky they are that Miami is going to be without their 1st or 2nd string quarterbacks. Not long form now they will find out, though, that Thigpen is a very dangerous quarterback.
What excites me so much about Thigpen is how well he can create plays with his feet. I was reading about him earlier, and someone called him the poor man's Michael Vick, which is actually a very good analogy. He may not have the speed of Vick, but he is very similar in style to Vick. Heck, I wouldn't mind him being similar to Vick after his performance on Monday night.
There is also a good chance that left tackle Jake Long will be able to play Thursday, so Thigpen should have the necessary protection to play his game. I have a good feeling about this game. Our offense won't be robotic any longer. We may actually see a couple big plays. The Dolphins let the offense loosen up a little bit, and that was evident with the long flea-flicker play from Henne to Brian Hartline.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you are ready for some early football.
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Injuries Plague Miami Dolphins Before Short Week Of Preparation
In one game the Dolphins saw injuries sideline quarterbacks Chad Pennington and Chad Henne, left tackle Jake Long, and linebacker Cameron Wake.
The injury to Pennington is almost certainly career-ending.
The injury to Henne is possibly season-ending
The injuries to Jake Long and Cameron Wake do not appear to be really serious, but I have a feeling that Long could be out for a month and Wake will miss this Thursday's game.
On top of that, right tackle Vernon Carey was shaken up against Tennessee but returned, cornerback Vontae Davis is playing with a right-knee injury, and free safety Chris Clemon's groin forced him to be replaced by Reshad Jones during Sunday's game because he didn't get enough time to practice during the week.
Yes, the Dolphins are, all of the sudden, forced to deal with a bunch of injuries in a short period of time. Almost any other week would have been better because they would have had more time to prepare, but that's not the case here. We can at least be thankful that we are playing the Bears instead of a division rival like the Patriots or Jets. Not that Chicago is a bad team, because they are actually pretty good, but they are not as good as New England or New York.
Despite all of the problems Miami is having with injuries, I am actually pretty excited about this game. We have found a great, young quarterback in Tyler Thigpen, and our offense appears to finally be able to make big plays with some consistency.
Thigpen's mobility will also be helpful because he may feel some extra pressure with Jake Long out for a little while. He will be able to avoid sacks that neither Chad would have been able to avoid themselves. Jake Long is probably the most irreplaceable player that the Dolphins lost due to injury against the Titans, but Miami should be able to come out alright because of Thigpen.
So, don't lose faith in Thursday's game just yet Dolphins fans. We still have a good shot at winning this game with Thigpen in.
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Miami Dolphins Win Incredibly Important Game Against Tennessee Titans In A Crazy Way
I don't even know where to start with this one.
Let me begin by saying that the short time period between now and Thursday is going to be an incredibly eventful and interesting one.
In that time we will find out who will be starting at QB, and I honestly don't know who they will pick. I can only say what I think
Chad Pennington gives the Dolphins a lot of experience, but he would be my last preference at starter. Chad Henne gives them a strong arm and is the youngest option, but he isn't even my first preference. No, my first preference would by Tyler Thigpen.
I know that Henne is supposed to be the future of the Miami Dolphins, and he may still be. The Dolphins may still choose to run with him and keep him as the starter, but I couldn't help but feel the added energy on offense when Thigpen was playing.
Thigpen was able to elude defenders that Henne and Pennington would have never been able to elude, and his elusiveness was very evident with his big scrambling pass to Anthony Fasano late in the game.
I don't know if you guys noticed it, but when Thigpen threw his only completion to Brandon Marshall he threw the ball with incredible accuracy. The ball was placed just above the Titans defender's hands, but not too far above to where it sailed past Marshall's, too.
I really think Thigpen would be a great player to jump in as the starter, and why not? He is only one year older than Henne at 26. He could be the franchise quarterback we have been looking for.
I would really hate it for Henne if he lost the job to Thigpen because I think he has been coming along pretty well, but Thigpen is just the more explosive quarterback with the ability to make things happen.
We will have to see how it plays out, so stay tuned, but now to other aspects of the game:
Brian Hartline had a game that we all knew he was capable of and RB Patrick Cobbs had a surprisingly good receiving game, but the best receiving performance came from TE Anthony Fasano. Fasano had 107 yards and a touchdown, and he showed us that he might have finally returned to producing the same numbers that he was able to put up two years ago.
Fasano is another reason that I want Thigpen in. Henne never really used Fasano to his full ability, but it appears to me that Thigpen will be able to.
Rookie FS Reshad Jones also did really well late in the game. He was filling in for the injured Chris Clemons, and he did really well with 1 sack, 1 interception, and 3 tackles. I remember at the beginning of the season we were worried about the free safety position, but it appears now that we are set at FS with two talented players competing for the same spot.
Now, to a touchy situation: Brandon Marshall. He was visibly frustrated multiple times during the game, and I have a feeling the combination of a few poorly thrown passes by Henne with the extra coverage he was receiving caused him to be so mad. He is used to putting up big numbers, and 3 receptions for only 34 yards is not what he wants to put up. If he wants to reach 100 receptions for this year he will need 6.4 receptions a game, so hopefully the resurgence of a bunch of other receivers on the Dolphins will help take away some of the coverage on Brandon.
That is all of my analysis for today. Thank you for reading, and enjoy the short week we have before Thursday's game. I haven't felt this great after a Dolphins game in a while.
Update: I have just found out that Chad Pennington is likely out for the season, so it looks like the battle will be between just Henne and Thigpen. Let us hope Pennington's shoulder is able to fully heal.
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Let me begin by saying that the short time period between now and Thursday is going to be an incredibly eventful and interesting one.
In that time we will find out who will be starting at QB, and I honestly don't know who they will pick. I can only say what I think
Chad Pennington gives the Dolphins a lot of experience, but he would be my last preference at starter. Chad Henne gives them a strong arm and is the youngest option, but he isn't even my first preference. No, my first preference would by Tyler Thigpen.
I know that Henne is supposed to be the future of the Miami Dolphins, and he may still be. The Dolphins may still choose to run with him and keep him as the starter, but I couldn't help but feel the added energy on offense when Thigpen was playing.
Thigpen was able to elude defenders that Henne and Pennington would have never been able to elude, and his elusiveness was very evident with his big scrambling pass to Anthony Fasano late in the game.
I don't know if you guys noticed it, but when Thigpen threw his only completion to Brandon Marshall he threw the ball with incredible accuracy. The ball was placed just above the Titans defender's hands, but not too far above to where it sailed past Marshall's, too.
I really think Thigpen would be a great player to jump in as the starter, and why not? He is only one year older than Henne at 26. He could be the franchise quarterback we have been looking for.
I would really hate it for Henne if he lost the job to Thigpen because I think he has been coming along pretty well, but Thigpen is just the more explosive quarterback with the ability to make things happen.
We will have to see how it plays out, so stay tuned, but now to other aspects of the game:
Brian Hartline had a game that we all knew he was capable of and RB Patrick Cobbs had a surprisingly good receiving game, but the best receiving performance came from TE Anthony Fasano. Fasano had 107 yards and a touchdown, and he showed us that he might have finally returned to producing the same numbers that he was able to put up two years ago.
Fasano is another reason that I want Thigpen in. Henne never really used Fasano to his full ability, but it appears to me that Thigpen will be able to.
Rookie FS Reshad Jones also did really well late in the game. He was filling in for the injured Chris Clemons, and he did really well with 1 sack, 1 interception, and 3 tackles. I remember at the beginning of the season we were worried about the free safety position, but it appears now that we are set at FS with two talented players competing for the same spot.
Now, to a touchy situation: Brandon Marshall. He was visibly frustrated multiple times during the game, and I have a feeling the combination of a few poorly thrown passes by Henne with the extra coverage he was receiving caused him to be so mad. He is used to putting up big numbers, and 3 receptions for only 34 yards is not what he wants to put up. If he wants to reach 100 receptions for this year he will need 6.4 receptions a game, so hopefully the resurgence of a bunch of other receivers on the Dolphins will help take away some of the coverage on Brandon.
That is all of my analysis for today. Thank you for reading, and enjoy the short week we have before Thursday's game. I haven't felt this great after a Dolphins game in a while.
Update: I have just found out that Chad Pennington is likely out for the season, so it looks like the battle will be between just Henne and Thigpen. Let us hope Pennington's shoulder is able to fully heal.
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Dan Henning Announces That Miami's Offense Is Still Going To Be The Same Despite The Quarterback Switch
But, before I elaborate on my point let me ask you a few questions:
1. Would you agree that Chad Henne and Chad Pennington have completely different strength's and weaknesses as a quarterback?
2. Would you agree, then, that they require different styles of offense and offensive play calling?
3. If you were the offensive coordinator, would you not cater your offense around your quarterback by calling plays that utilize his strengths instead of his weaknesses?
Hopefully you answered yes to all three of those questions, because they are all obvious answers. The only problem is that, apparently, Dan Henning thinks all three of those answers are no.
Henning has completely ignored the fact that Henne and Pennington play with different quarterback styles, he has ignored the fact that they require different play calling, and he apparently doesn't believe that the plays he calls should work well with the quarterback who is throwing the ball.
No, instead of doing the above he has decided to force Chad Henne to play like Chad Pennington, and it has resulted in a 28th-worst scoring offense and the benching of Henne, who I believe is a young quarterback with huge potential.
All because Henning is too stubborn to change things around.
You may be wondering, "Paul, what makes you say he hasn't catered the offense to Henne's skills? Henne has still thrown the ball deep periodically."
First, Henning obviously hasn't let Henne throw the ball deep enough this year. The Dolphins passing offense has only had two plays of 40 or more yards in the entire season. Only four other teams have thrown for less, and it is embarrassing for the Miami Dolphins offense to not have thrown the ball that far more often with a quarterback who's arm is as strong as Henne's.
That is only the proof that I could come up with through my own research about him not changing the offense around for Henne. Here is proof coming from the man himself. Dan Henning said the following during his press conference:
This question was asked:
"Does Chad Pennington have greater freedom to call audibles than Chad Henne and does the list of plays change based on the quarterback change?
His answer:
Same. Same. The list of plays are based on who we're playing. I don't think we'll have a different scope of things. You obviously know different people see things differently. They read things differently. When it comes down to the quarterback you have judgment that takes place so you might see him do something that you didn't see Henne do. You also might see him do something that Chad did do that might not be as good. That's what you live with whenever you make that type of change.
Henning said a lot in that quote, but the thing that I want you to pay attention to is the beginning of his quote. He said that the list of plays would not change, and they depend on whom Miami plays.
Basically, he is saying that he has the same plays for Henne that he did for Pennington, and he does not recognize the need to change the plays around.
I really hope that the Dolphins do fire Henning at the end of this season. He works better with Pennington, so I think that we have a better chance to win this year, but after this season I want him gone so we can bring Henne back in. Henning doesn't call the right plays for Henne, so we will need a different offensive coordinator that is actually willing to cater to Henne's strengths.
It is time we stop accepting mediocrity on offense, and that is why we need someone new to actually use Chad Henne correctly.
Thanks for reading, and I'm sure you have opinions on the Dolphins "situation" on offense, so please be sure to leave your comment.
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Putting In Chad Pennington Is Not What The Miami Dolphins Need As A Franchise
Anyone who is in favor of the Miami Dolphins putting in Chad Pennington as the starter needs to take another look at the situation.
Instead of getting to the root of the Dolphins problem, Tony Sparano is just temporarily covering the problem up.
The root of the problem for the Miami Dolphins inability to score points is Dan Henning and his terrible play calling. So, instead of replacing Henning, the Dolphins replaced Chad Henne who isn't the problem.
If Chad Henne had an offensive coordinator who was willing to let him throw the ball longer than 10 yards on a play, then he would be a successful quarterback right now, but instead he is on the bench with an uncertain future.
Don't get me wrong, I believe the Dolphins will be better this year with Pennington in, but they won't be as good as they could have if they replaced Henning instead of Henne. If we can give Chad Henne an offensive coordinator that works the offense around his skill set, then our offense would be ranked in the top 5 right now, guaranteed.
Instead we had Dan Henning trying to change Henne into another Chad Pennington, but that didn't work so they just put Chad Pennington in. It is ridiculous that all of the blame falls on Henne when the offense doesn't perform well even if it isn't his fault.
How would you feel if you signed up for a job with a certain talent and your employer expects you to do something that doesn't even use that talent? Instead, your employer forces you to do work that you are weak at, and you are fired because you can't perform well enough.
That's pretty much what happens to Henne. Instead of Dan Henning using his arm strength with longer passes to stretch out the field, he forces Henne to constantly throw shorter passes that require consistent pinpoint accuracy Henne hasn't developed yet.
I know I say it over and over, but the Miami Dolphins need Chad Henne in to help him develop into the quarterback we all want him to become, even if it means losing this season. Chad Pennington is just a band-aid on a gaping wound. He may help for a short amount of time, but when next season rolls around he won't be enough to cover up the Dolphins offensive problem. He is not a long-term answer for the Dolphins.
Chad Henne is.
If we want to be a successful franchise capable of winning year after year we need a top-tier quarterback, and Chad Henne can become top-tier with practice. The problem is that he won't get that practice on the bench.
Fans who want Pennington in are just looking for short-term success. We want a franchise that is a consistent Super Bowl contender every year, not just a one-hit wonder.
We will see how it turns out, but I have a bad feeling about the next few years.
Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment with your argument.
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Instead of getting to the root of the Dolphins problem, Tony Sparano is just temporarily covering the problem up.
The root of the problem for the Miami Dolphins inability to score points is Dan Henning and his terrible play calling. So, instead of replacing Henning, the Dolphins replaced Chad Henne who isn't the problem.
If Chad Henne had an offensive coordinator who was willing to let him throw the ball longer than 10 yards on a play, then he would be a successful quarterback right now, but instead he is on the bench with an uncertain future.
Don't get me wrong, I believe the Dolphins will be better this year with Pennington in, but they won't be as good as they could have if they replaced Henning instead of Henne. If we can give Chad Henne an offensive coordinator that works the offense around his skill set, then our offense would be ranked in the top 5 right now, guaranteed.
Instead we had Dan Henning trying to change Henne into another Chad Pennington, but that didn't work so they just put Chad Pennington in. It is ridiculous that all of the blame falls on Henne when the offense doesn't perform well even if it isn't his fault.
How would you feel if you signed up for a job with a certain talent and your employer expects you to do something that doesn't even use that talent? Instead, your employer forces you to do work that you are weak at, and you are fired because you can't perform well enough.
That's pretty much what happens to Henne. Instead of Dan Henning using his arm strength with longer passes to stretch out the field, he forces Henne to constantly throw shorter passes that require consistent pinpoint accuracy Henne hasn't developed yet.
I know I say it over and over, but the Miami Dolphins need Chad Henne in to help him develop into the quarterback we all want him to become, even if it means losing this season. Chad Pennington is just a band-aid on a gaping wound. He may help for a short amount of time, but when next season rolls around he won't be enough to cover up the Dolphins offensive problem. He is not a long-term answer for the Dolphins.
Chad Henne is.
If we want to be a successful franchise capable of winning year after year we need a top-tier quarterback, and Chad Henne can become top-tier with practice. The problem is that he won't get that practice on the bench.
Fans who want Pennington in are just looking for short-term success. We want a franchise that is a consistent Super Bowl contender every year, not just a one-hit wonder.
We will see how it turns out, but I have a bad feeling about the next few years.
Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment with your argument.
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Tony Sparano Announces That Chad Pennington Will Start At QB For The Dolphins Against Tennessee
If you have not heard by now, Tony Sparano has announced that Chad Henne will be benched in favor of Chad Pennington this Sunday.
This is a preliminary post for what I will have up tomorrow. I just wanted to let you guys know that I am not dead, and have heard about the move.
As you can probably guess, I am pretty mad about this move, so be sure to check back. I am sure there are a bunch of you who support Pennington instead of Henne, so I want you to be sure to check back so we can argue the point.
Stay tuned.
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This is a preliminary post for what I will have up tomorrow. I just wanted to let you guys know that I am not dead, and have heard about the move.
As you can probably guess, I am pretty mad about this move, so be sure to check back. I am sure there are a bunch of you who support Pennington instead of Henne, so I want you to be sure to check back so we can argue the point.
Stay tuned.
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"Experts" Weigh In On The Miami Dolphins Quarterback Situation
Ok, so maybe we're not completely experts on the Miami Dolphins, but we have got to be pretty close.
Gary and I both like to think we know a good bit about the Dolphins, but you probably won't agree with us all of the time. So, I implore you to leave a comment any time that you disagree. We love starting discussion, and that is what we write for.
So any time that you have a reaction to something either of us says just post it in the comments.
And now, here is each of our opinions on the Dolphins QB situation. I will start with Gary's:
(Written by Gary)
There has been a ton of debate on who the QB should be down here in Miami, but I think the debate is over. Chad Henne is the QB of the Miami Dolphins for now, and for the future. He has settled in very nicely, and I can't help but feel that the search for a QB is over.
I'm sure he is going to have days we wish he were back playing for Michigan, but that is true for nearly every young QB in the league. Would you rather see us with Mark Sanchez, Vince Young, Alex Smith, Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, Matthew Stafford, or Sam Bradford? I do like Stafford, so let's take him off the list, and Bradford is doing as well as Henne so he shouldn't be on the list either.
Not convinced yet? Well, in Henne's 2nd year take a look at who is rated below him according to ESPN. Click on this link:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/passing
We have Tom Brady, Joe Flacco, Tony Romo, Matt Schaub, Jay Cutler, Brett Farve, and a few other big names. Plus, of those above him whom would you want in his place? Carson Palmer, Donovan McNabb, or Kyle Orton? You're kidding right?
As much as Chad Pennington has done for the Dolphins, he is NOT better than Chad Henne. The Miami Dolphins have found their QB, and no he is not a Dan Marino, but who is? He is getting better every week, and I can see him growing into the leader on offense.
I don't know how this year is going to work out, but we have found our QB.
My Opinion (Paul)
I agree with Gary that Chad Henne is our man. Henne gives us an arm that throws the ball farther than 30 yards, and he is still young. Pennington really doesn't throw the ball deep ever, and he will retire soon.
I have said it time and time again. Chad Henne is the quarterback of the future for the Miami Dolphins, and to those of you who argue that Chad Pennington will give the Dolphins a better chance to win you are wrong. Henne has the ability to make a big throw and put points on the board quickly. Pennington doesn't.
He is also a great game manager. He may not be as good at managing the game as Chad Pennington just yet, but he is getting there.
And, for the sake of the argument, let's pretend like Pennington does give the Dolphins a better chance to win. Starting him will not benefit Miami in the future. They may have a good season this year, but what happens when Pennington retires?
You are back to square one with Henne, and then it is rebuilding time again. And while rebuilding is necessary sometimes, it isn't always fun to watch.
Thanks for reading, and please feel free to leave a comment responding to either of us.
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Gary and I both like to think we know a good bit about the Dolphins, but you probably won't agree with us all of the time. So, I implore you to leave a comment any time that you disagree. We love starting discussion, and that is what we write for.
So any time that you have a reaction to something either of us says just post it in the comments.
And now, here is each of our opinions on the Dolphins QB situation. I will start with Gary's:
(Written by Gary)
There has been a ton of debate on who the QB should be down here in Miami, but I think the debate is over. Chad Henne is the QB of the Miami Dolphins for now, and for the future. He has settled in very nicely, and I can't help but feel that the search for a QB is over.
I'm sure he is going to have days we wish he were back playing for Michigan, but that is true for nearly every young QB in the league. Would you rather see us with Mark Sanchez, Vince Young, Alex Smith, Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, Matthew Stafford, or Sam Bradford? I do like Stafford, so let's take him off the list, and Bradford is doing as well as Henne so he shouldn't be on the list either.
Not convinced yet? Well, in Henne's 2nd year take a look at who is rated below him according to ESPN. Click on this link:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/passing
We have Tom Brady, Joe Flacco, Tony Romo, Matt Schaub, Jay Cutler, Brett Farve, and a few other big names. Plus, of those above him whom would you want in his place? Carson Palmer, Donovan McNabb, or Kyle Orton? You're kidding right?
As much as Chad Pennington has done for the Dolphins, he is NOT better than Chad Henne. The Miami Dolphins have found their QB, and no he is not a Dan Marino, but who is? He is getting better every week, and I can see him growing into the leader on offense.
I don't know how this year is going to work out, but we have found our QB.
My Opinion (Paul)
I agree with Gary that Chad Henne is our man. Henne gives us an arm that throws the ball farther than 30 yards, and he is still young. Pennington really doesn't throw the ball deep ever, and he will retire soon.
I have said it time and time again. Chad Henne is the quarterback of the future for the Miami Dolphins, and to those of you who argue that Chad Pennington will give the Dolphins a better chance to win you are wrong. Henne has the ability to make a big throw and put points on the board quickly. Pennington doesn't.
He is also a great game manager. He may not be as good at managing the game as Chad Pennington just yet, but he is getting there.
And, for the sake of the argument, let's pretend like Pennington does give the Dolphins a better chance to win. Starting him will not benefit Miami in the future. They may have a good season this year, but what happens when Pennington retires?
You are back to square one with Henne, and then it is rebuilding time again. And while rebuilding is necessary sometimes, it isn't always fun to watch.
Thanks for reading, and please feel free to leave a comment responding to either of us.
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We May Have Finally Heard The Last From Miami Dolphins Fans Calling For Chad Pennington To Start
It is incredible how short of a leash some fans of the Miami Dolphins had on Henne. All he had to do was throw a couple of interceptions in a game and a surprising number of fans called for his benching. Some fans just didn’t seem to understand that young quarterbacks need time to develop. They can’t just step in and play like Peyton Manning. Young quarterbacks need to get acclimated to the game and be comfortable when playing, and comfort like that just requires time.
I do believe, though, that we have heard pretty much the last of fans calling for Pennington to step in. I think that most Dolphins fans are finally comfortable enough with Henne in the game to allow him a bad game or two.
Henne is a great quarterback, and he gives the Dolphins the best chance to win in later seasons. He is Miami’s quarterback of the future, and taking him out would “stunt his growth” as a quarterback. Pennington may be the best option as a short-term starter, but starting Henne would be the best thing for the Miami Dolphins in the long-term.
Honestly though, I would even argue that he gives Miami the best chance to win now. Pennington is a good quarterback, but he has never been a winner. Last season Pennington went 0-3 before he was injured and Henne was forced to step in. When he played for the Jets for the first 9 years of his career New York’s record was 62-66. Sure, he didn’t play in every single game during all 9 of those years, but he played for the majority of them.
He has never been a huge winner. He does have a lot of experience, which is invaluable, but he has never won much of anything in the NFL.
Trust me, you want Chad Henne to be the Miami Dolphins quarterback for the next 10-15 years. He may make some frustrating plays every once in a while, but he is still the best option for the long run.
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Why Is There Even Discussion About Miami Dolphins QB Chad Henne?
I thought I was the person who read too much into the preseason games, but there are apparently people who read a lot closer into it than me.
An article was written recently by the Miami Herald that told Miami Dolphins fans not to "write Miami Dolphins' Chad Henne off too quickly." I am just curious as to why there is even talk about writing him off.
The article was fine, and it was also correct. Fans are writing him off way too quickly. Just read the comments on the article for proof. A lot of the fans are commenting by saying that we should have Pennington starting. Here is a link to the article so you can read it and the comments:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/28/1796113/dont-write-henne-off-too-quickly.html
Before Friday's game I hadn't heard one complaint about Henne. There was not anybody calling to bench him for Chad Pennington. I didn't hear a single person say that Pennington should be the starter.
But, after what should have been a meaningless game that means nothing, fans are calling for Pennington, all of the sudden. News flash for some of you fans out there:
THE PRESEASON MEANS NOTHING
There is no reason to write Henne off already. If I recall, Pennington lost all three games he played in last year, and it was Henne's job to clean up the mess. AND, he did a pretty good job of cleaning it up too. Henne had a winning record in his first season as the starting QB.
I understand that a lot of you out there are not calling for Pennington to replace Henne, and I am right there with you. Henne was our guy before, and one PRESEASON game won't change that.
Also, don't get me wrong, I like Pennington a lot. He is a great leader and QB. I am glad that we have him in case something happens to Henne. BUT, I do not want him to be our starter. Henne should be.
People are overreacting to something that they should hardly have any reaction to. Henne was our man before Friday. Why is he no longer our man after a preseason game?
That's all I've got. I know I promised not to talk about that preseason game anymore, but I had to because of everyone's reaction.
Let me know what you all think, and please let me hear your comments because I want to know what my readers actually think. I will not criticize you, I promise.
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An article was written recently by the Miami Herald that told Miami Dolphins fans not to "write Miami Dolphins' Chad Henne off too quickly." I am just curious as to why there is even talk about writing him off.
The article was fine, and it was also correct. Fans are writing him off way too quickly. Just read the comments on the article for proof. A lot of the fans are commenting by saying that we should have Pennington starting. Here is a link to the article so you can read it and the comments:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/28/1796113/dont-write-henne-off-too-quickly.html
Before Friday's game I hadn't heard one complaint about Henne. There was not anybody calling to bench him for Chad Pennington. I didn't hear a single person say that Pennington should be the starter.
But, after what should have been a meaningless game that means nothing, fans are calling for Pennington, all of the sudden. News flash for some of you fans out there:
THE PRESEASON MEANS NOTHING
There is no reason to write Henne off already. If I recall, Pennington lost all three games he played in last year, and it was Henne's job to clean up the mess. AND, he did a pretty good job of cleaning it up too. Henne had a winning record in his first season as the starting QB.
I understand that a lot of you out there are not calling for Pennington to replace Henne, and I am right there with you. Henne was our guy before, and one PRESEASON game won't change that.
Also, don't get me wrong, I like Pennington a lot. He is a great leader and QB. I am glad that we have him in case something happens to Henne. BUT, I do not want him to be our starter. Henne should be.
People are overreacting to something that they should hardly have any reaction to. Henne was our man before Friday. Why is he no longer our man after a preseason game?
That's all I've got. I know I promised not to talk about that preseason game anymore, but I had to because of everyone's reaction.
Let me know what you all think, and please let me hear your comments because I want to know what my readers actually think. I will not criticize you, I promise.
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Will Anthony Fasano Perform Like He Did Two Seasons Ago For The Miami Dolphins?
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| Anthony Fasano |
Two seasons ago he did extremely well and was an instrumental part of the Miami Dolphins successful turnaround. He was also one of the top performing tight ends in the league. But, last season wasn't nearly as good of a season for Fasano. He didn't perform nearly as well and was not among the top tight ends in the league.
One reason for Fasano's dip in performance could be because Chad Henne became the QB and didn't use him as much, or as well, as Chad Pennington did. Henne is still young, and the Dolphins were forced to run the ball even more than they would normally to take some of the load off of Henne.
Now, that isn't so much of a problem. Henne has more experience, and he also has better weapons. The addition of Brandon Marshall helps Fasano more than it hurts him.
Yes, Marshall will take away some receptions from Fasano, but he will also require double coverage a lot. That extra man will have to come from somewhere, and he may be the person that normally covers Fasano. I know it normally isn't that simple, but double coverage will help Fasano at least a little bit.
My reason for talking about Fasano is because of how well he performed in the most recent preseason game against the Jaguars. He had two touchdowns and 66 receiving yards. While that doesn't indicate exactly how he will do this year, it does give me a little bit of hope.
Those are some of the reasons why I do believe Fasano will return to his form from two years ago. He has all of the help he needs, and now he just needs to use it to his advantage. I really believe he has the potential to do very, very well this year.
Fasano is a very talented TE, and we need him to do well this year. Tight Ends are becoming increasingly important in the pass-first offenses of today. The Miami Dolphins should be no exception. And, I think he will be a Top 10 TE this year.
He was two years ago, so why wouldn't he be again?
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