Moving On After Kyle Orton: Chad Henne Is The Miami Dolphins Quarterback

It is pretty much official now that Chad Henne will be the Quarterback for the Miami Dolphins this year, whether you guys like it or not.

Kyle Orton is now the top QB in Denver, and they aren't going to be trading him anymore. The pool of quarterbacks has basically run dry, and Miami already has two backups behind Henne on their roster. So, they more than likely won't be adding anyone unless they are the favorite to start for the Dolphins like Orton would have been.

The Dolphins brass has decided to stick with Henne with their jobs are on the line, and all they can do is put the best possible team around him and hope that he is as good as they need him to be. If he isn't then you can expect Tony Sparano to get the axe, and likely Jeff Ireland as well.

The Miami Dolphins really are a Super Bowl team with a good quarterback. Think about it. They've got one of the best defenses in the NFL, they've got one of the best receiving corps (I challenge you guys to name five WR groups in the NFL better than Miami's), they have a great offensive line group (as long as they stay healthy), and they've got a better than average backfield with Reggie Bush, Daniel Tomas, Lousaka Polite (one of the best in the NFL at getting the first down), and a lot of other young backs with promise.

Say what you will, but Miami is a quarterback away from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland know how to build a team, which is why it will be a shame if they are fired because of Chad Henne. I'm not saying it will happen. I'm saying that it is a possibility.

Now, for the big question: can Chad Henne be that quarterback that makes us a contender?

There will be people on both sides who say absolutely yes and absolutely no. It is incredible how one player can cause so many people to disagree on what he is really capable of. Honestly, when was the last time you saw a quarterback that 50% of fans thought was garbage and the other 50% thought was definitely starter-caliber?

Chad Henne, quite possibly the most boring starting quarterback in the history of the NFL, is at the center of this very emotional debate, and the pressure on him must be immense, but I think he can handle it.

I think that Henne will be a strong NFL starting quarterback. He won't be elite, but he doesn't need to be. Miami is a really good team. They just need an above average quarterback to lead them to the promise land, and I think that Henne is that quarterback.

I've done my research on Henne. His poor play was a result of an awful offensive gameplan. He can do much better than last year, and I think that we will see that this season. He just needs to show some progression.

All that I personally want to see out of him that I didn't see last year is him playing with some passion and learning to anticipate better. He can't afford to wait until his receiver has been open for an entire second before throwing the ball. He needs to anticipate when his receiver is about to be open and then throw the ball so that it gets there as soon as the wideout is open. If he can learn to do that, then he will be dangerous, and Miami will finally be the team that we know they can be.

Just imagine what we could be if we had Orton instead.

Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think. I would also like your feedback on the new design of Dolphin Shout. I made the change in an attempt to make everything easier to read. Please let me know your honest opinion of the logo.

Miami Dolphins Season Outlook - 2011 Edition

Hello Dol-Fans!

Let’s take a look at what Miami Dolphins fans really want to know: can Miami challenge for the AFC East title in 2011?

Predictions this early in the season are often inaccurate however, so I will objectively analyze several main factors (i.e. schedule, roster, coaching, and schemes) and realistically project Miami’s chances. I will annotate this by using a simple “plus and minus” format.

Schedule - Miami is tied for the tenth toughest schedule in the NFL this season, and will face four Playoff teams from 2010 (two are from within the Division), resulting in a combined six out of sixteen games vs. Playoff opponents. Last year’s AFC “Road Warriors” will face a difficult road schedule as well, including games at San Diego, New York(Giants), New York again (Jets), Kansas City, Dallas, and of course the Christmas Eve game in Foxboro. MINUS

Players - The Dolphins Front Office has shrewdly adopted the “Draft and Develop” philosophy, and thankfully avoided overspending amongst the FA frenzy. With that being said, they’ve added some integral pieces (i.e. C Mike Pouncey {Florida}, RB/WR/PR Reggie Bush {New Orleans}, RB Daniel Thomas {Kansas State}, ILB Kevin Burnett {San Diego}, DE/OLB Jason Taylor {New York Jets}, and LB Jason Trusnik {Cleveland}), which will only upgrade all three facets of the game. Plus, we should see the highly anticipated return of powerful DE/DT Jared Odrick from injured reserve. The only foreseeable concern here is the failure to upgrade the QB position. PUSH (EVEN)
*Note – Adding Jason Taylor, Kevin Burnett, and Jason Trusnik were ingenious moves. All of these players can easily provide insider information (“Intel”) on 2011 opposition.

Coaches – While many predicted and speculated that Tony Sparano would be ousted after last year’s meltdown, the Front Office decided to grant him another opportunity to prove his worthiness. Thankfully, the Dolphins parted ways with OC Dan Henning and hired OC Brian Daboll to implement his version of the West Coast Offense. Additionally, DC Mike Nolan is in his second consecutive year masterfully crafting his Defense, which ranked sixth in the NFL in 2010. Continuity and upgrades on Defense will likely result in a top five ranking this season. PLUS

Scheme – As stated previously, the new Offensive System will be the game changer for Miami this year, especially early on. Opposing Defenses will no longer have the luxury of loading the box and forcing multiple punts and field goal attempts. They’ll have to spread out and respect Miami’s passing and play-action game, or face costly consequences. While Miami doesn’t possess a top flight QB, the upgrades along the O-Line, RB, WR, and TE/H-Back will aid our average passers like Chad Henne and Matt Moore. Having more Offensive and Special Teams firepower, as well as bigger play makers on Defense, will be huge factors this season. PLUS.

All things considered, I sincerely believe Miami has a legitimate chance to challenge for the AFC East this year, and I predict no worse than 10 – 6 season, with the possibility of going 11-5. Will that be enough to win the Division? Only time will tell, but with either of these records Miami will likely qualify for a Wild Card berth at a minimum, and as we all know once you’re in the Playoffs it’s a whole new season. Just ask the 2010 Green Bay Packers what their sixth seed meant to them last year.

Can you say Super Bowl?

Go 'Fins, Go!

Would You Chant "We Want Orton" At Miami Dolphins Training Camp?

Two days ago during the Miami Dolphins evening practice, some of the over 10,000 fans in attendance started booing and chanting "We Want Orton" after Chad Henne started playing poorly.

What I want to know is, would you guys join in if you were at the practice or not?

I'm going to be honest on this one for my answer. I think that I would join in. You guys already know that I want Kyle Orton more than I want Chad Henne, and I don't think that I would have been able to resist chanting along with everyone else.

Some may call it a classless act from the fans, but I disagree. It is fans showing their passion and expressing their disgust for how the Miami Dolphins have handled their quarterback situation. They have a right to be frustrated. Now, I do hate that Henne had to go through that because he is much better than the numbers he put up last year (Dan Henning really was an impossible coordinator to be successful under), but I still don't mind the chanting.

The Dolphins should have Kyle Orton right now, but they don't have him or another comparable QB, so they will get boos. Matt Moore and Pat Devlin may be underrated, but they aren't at the level that Orton is.

Also, did anyone else notice that the Jason Taylor signing came conveniently the day after the booing at the practice? I'm not much into conspiracies, but it seems to me like the Jason Taylor signing became the top news and pushed other news topics, like fans booing and chanting that they want another QB, into the background. It is very possible that Miami pushed Jason to make the announcement when he did, just so the Dolphins would have "good" news instead of having to hear about Kyle Orton all day. It is very possible, and it is also more likely than you may think.

Thanks for reading, and let me know your reactions below.

I had intended to talk about this yesterday, but I wanted to make sure that you guys saw the post about the salary cap under the new CBA. If you didn't be sure to check it out here, because it is really important.