Rookie QB Henne has sharp showing

[DolFan619]

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/football/story/519241.html

Rookie QB Henne has sharp showing

BY JEFF DARLINGTON
Miami Herald

He played through the pain. No question about that.

When a knee injury cost quarterback Chad Henne to miss two games last year, and when a dislocated shoulder sidelined him for another, the Dolphins' rookie wouldn't let the setbacks stifle his senior season at Michigan in its entirety.

So he came back. Again. And again.

''For five games, I had to get injections [in the right shoulder] just to numb it up and try to play through it,'' Henne said Friday. ``I definitely didn't have the velocity on the ball or the accuracy that I'm used to.

``Hopefully, that toughness can carry on, and hopefully, I won't have an injury like that again.''

At this point, that could prove to be one of the most important questions for Henne to answer as he arrives in South Florida as the second quarterback in as many years taken by the Dolphins in the second round of the NFL Draft:

Did his ability to play through two significant injuries prove Henne has the toughness to succeed in a league that doesn't have sympathy for soft quarterbacks? Or will an injury-prone senior season simply foreshadow an injury-prone NFL career?

For now, it'd be far too premature to tag him as an injury risk. But his teammates are already willing to endorse Henne's toughness -- something they believe will make him an eventual success in the NFL.

''He went through a lot of adversity, and he handled it,'' said Dolphins offensive tackle Jake Long, who also blocked for Henne at Michigan. ``He'll go through adversity here, too. But he's smart, and he is going to do everything he can to play.''

Henne was able to manage his shoulder injury without surgery, noting he currently isn't having any problems with it. And during the first practice of this weekend's rookie minicamp, the quarterback certainly didn't show any lingering signs.

His hard-thrown passes had consistent zip with solid accuracy, which was especially impressive given his lack of a history with any of the team's rookie receivers. Jayson Foster, an undrafted free agent who played quarterback during his senior season at Georgia Southern but will try out as a wide receiver in the NFL, said he was impressed by Henne's ability.

''He moved the offense,'' Foster said. ``He knew the plays. He got us in and out of the huddle, no problem. He had a great tempo. So he did a really good job today.''

And what about his throws?

''Great to me,'' Foster said. ``[He] throws better than I can!''

A CHANCE TO START

That's nice. But it's going to take more than that if Henne plans to make a serious run at the starting job during his first season -- a spot that seems to belong to John Beck at this point in the offseason.

Still, it appears at this point Henne will at least get a chance. When asked Friday if Henne has a legitimate shot to attain the starting job this year, Sparano made it clear that each of the three quarterbacks (Beck, Henne and Josh McCown) will have their opportunities.

''We have a quarterback competition here,'' Sparano said. ``So from that standpoint, at the end of this, we're going to find out who the best quarterback is. If it's Chad, it's Chad. If it's Beck, it's Beck. If it's McCown, it's McCown.''

Beyond his ability on the field, Henne was able to make more of an impression with his presence in the huddle Friday, which is something that seemed to enthuse Sparano.

''I was pleasantly surprised and happy with what he did, especially from a mental standpoint,'' the coach said. ``With a quarterback, it's all about what he does in the huddle. It's how he takes control and how he does some of those things. Chad was very good that way today. He took control of the huddle.

``I felt he operated and managed the team fine at the line of scrimmage.''

PROVING HIS WORTH

Clearly possessing some characteristics worthy of building some hope, Henne still has far more to go before proving worthy of a second-round selection as the 57th overall pick in this year's draft.

And a run at the starting job? That's going to take even more, especially given Beck's continued progress during the offseason.

But for a quarterback participating in his first NFL practice, Henne at least seems prepared to show he has enough mental and physical toughness to make it in the league. Expecting to find out anything more, however, would simply be expecting too much.

''There is definitely confidence, but you can never determine the future,'' Henne said. ``So you just come in here, learn as much as you can and see what happens when get on the field.''

[fyo]

I think there's a good chance Henne will eventually become a better QB than Beck (assuming he can stay healthy), but I still hope Sparano and Co. give Beck the chance to start this year. If he does well, we can always trade him - or at least know that we have a solid young backup.

Throwing a rookie quarterback out there his first season is almost always a bad idea. Yes, there are exceptions, but as a rule, it's a bad idea and rookie quarterbacks that start in their first year wind up having worse careers than rookie quarterbacks (taken the same place in the draft) that sit their first season.

It was a bad idea to put Beck out there last year (and the timing was especially atrocious) and it would be a bad idea to put Henne out there this year.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

So he had a busted shoulder and that affected his accuracy and velocity.  That explains why he didn't have the good year he had hoped for as a senior at Michigan..... but after taking a month off and recovering, he tore up the Gators in the Capital One Bowl.   Something tell's me he's going to be a lot better than his senior year at Michigan showed.

[dolphins4life]

I think there's a good chance Henne will eventually become a better QB than Beck (assuming he can stay healthy), but I still hope Sparano and Co. give Beck the chance to start this year. If he does well, we can always trade him - or at least know that we have a solid young backup.

Throwing a rookie quarterback out there his first season is almost always a bad idea. Yes, there are exceptions, but as a rule, it's a bad idea and rookie quarterbacks that start in their first year wind up having worse careers than rookie quarterbacks (taken the same place in the draft) that sit their first season.

It was a bad idea to put Beck out there last year (and the timing was especially atrocious) and it would be a bad idea to put Henne out there this year.

I think maybe we should let McCown start the first few games to see how the team is.  If we aren't completely atrocious, the way we were last year, then I think we can afford to stick Beck or Henne in there.

[Sunstroke]

I think there's a good chance Henne will eventually become a better QB than Beck

I think there's a very good chance that Henne was a better QB than Beck before Chad ever got to the Dolphins...

I hope Henne has a legitimate chance to win the starting job in camp...I think our O-line will be better coming out of the gates, and Henne seems like he has the maturity to step in pretty quickly.

[DolFan619]

I think there's a very good chance that Henne was a better QB than Beck before Chad ever got to the Dolphins...

I hope Henne has a legitimate chance to win the starting job in camp...I think our O-line will be better coming out of the gates, and Henne seems like he has the maturity to step in pretty quickly.

  I believe that it will be a three man race for the starting quarterback job.  Henne has just as much of chance as either Beck or McCown.  If Henne is the better man, start him.  With a power-running game comprised of Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, and Jalen Parmele, that can alleviate some of the pressure on a rookie or second year quarterback.

[DZA]

Wonder if Jalen is related to Former Dolphin running back  Bernie Parmele?

[Philly Fin Fan]

Wonder if Jalen is related to Former Dolphin running back  Bernie Parmele?

Bernie spells his name Parmalee, not Parmele.

Oddly enough, on draft day, Rich Eisen from NFL Network said "So Bernie Parmalee played for the Dolphins, and now his son gets to also play for the team." I thought to myself- thats not how Bernie spelled his last name. I looked up Jalens bio just to be sure, and yup Eisen was wrong. There was never any other mention of this relation (or any correction) made on NFL Network.

[bsfins]

^ yeah Eisen came back a half an hour or so later (right after coming back from a commercial break) and mentioned it,He apologized to both families....

[CF DolFan]

I'm just curious .... has a rookie ever came in and beat out anyone to start the season? I'm guessing NO.  I mean ... I know some are handed the reigns to take their lumps ala Peyton and Ryan Leaf but I can't think of one that has actually won the job.  Most start on the bench and are not very successful once they come in later in the season.

I found this and thought it would shed some light to those people who think any rookie is going to come in and be a baller. IE Beck last year and Henne this year. It's old but still holds true.

"The best position for a rookie quarterback is ‘clipboard,’ " insists 49er head coach Steve Mariucci, who was the QB coach for Brett Favre when Favre first came to the Packers and now coaches Steve Young with the 49ers.

"The only quarterback I can think of who came in and starred as a rookie was Dan Marino," Mariucci said. "Everybody else needs time to learn. Favre got a ‘redshirt year.’ Steve Young took awhile to learn this offense. A rookie quarterback comes in and sees things he’s never seen before, and it takes him time to adjust. In the meantime, he’s getting knocked around. He’s always been the star, but now he’s being humbled. Sometimes, these quarterbacks get to thinking they’re just no good, and they never really recover."

You can now add Big Ben to the "OK" list but even he only became a decent game manager.  Dan was the only rookie to go to the Pro Bowl. I can't think of another guy who came in and did well.  Maybe Vince Young if we were discussing RBs but not as a passer pocket QB. 

I certainly undertand the "hype" but I keep getting hit in the head with images of last years headlines ... Dolphins rookie QB John Beck impresses as camp opens & Booker already has impressed veteran defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday and such. I understand that Long is not such a long shot but I am sooo in a wait and see mode this time with everyone from Parcells on down!!! I also get a good laugh every time I see how Henne might be our opening QB.   That is certainly not Parcells M.O. and even Dan didn't do that.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

I certainly undertand the "hype" but I keep getting hit in the head with images of last years headlines ... Dolphins rookie QB John Beck impresses as camp opens & Booker already has impressed veteran defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday and such.

Almost everyone supposedly "looks good" in practice. 

I'm just curious .... has a rookie ever came in and beat out anyone to start the season? I'm guessing NO.  I mean ... I know some are handed the reigns to take their lumps ala Peyton and Ryan Leaf but I can't think of one that has actually won the job.  Most start on the bench and are not very successful once they come in later in the season.

If you're referring to QBs, I can name one......  Gus Frerotte.  In 1994, he came in as a rookie drafted in the later rounds and beat out Heath Shuler (who was drafted in the first round) as the Reskins starting QB.

As for other positions, I can say that Randy McMichael wasn't exactly "handed the regins" the year he was drafted.  He was third string TE when camp opened in 2002.... but won the starting job by the end of the preseason.

[DolFan619]

  Bill Parcells started Drew Bledsoe as a rookie when he was in New England.  Just because Chad Henne is a rookie, that shouldn't disqualify him from a shot at the starting quarterback job.  If Chad winds up being the best guy, then he should start.

[bsfins]

What's Sprano gonna say...there isn't a chance in hell Henne's not gonna start? It's May,he's practicing in shorts,probably 6 make the team....

Again if Parcells has ANY say...Henne wont sniff the field this year....
Bill Parcells,had Simms already on the roster when Bill became the Coach....
Jeff Hostetler sat for 5 years before he really got his to start regularly
Drew Bledsoe,was the only guy Bill drafted and started right away...Number 1 overall...
Neil o Donnell had played for the Steelers before playing for Parcells and the Jets...
Glenn Foley ...well never got his shot at starting really...
Tony Romo sat for 2 years before sniffing the field...Sitting behind Quincy Carter,Drew Henson,Drew Bledsoe.....

Modified to add,because of Dolfan619's comment...Drew Bledsoe was number 1 overall pick in the draft....Henne isn't and he's got 2 guy's he can sit behind....

[YoFuggedaboutit]

  Bill Parcells started Drew Bledsoe as a rookie when he was in New England.  Just because Chad Henne is a rookie, that shouldn't disqualify him from a shot at the starting quarterback job.  If Chad winds up being the best guy, then he should start.

Not to say Chad Henne won't get a shot at starting, but like CF said, it's very rare that a rookie QB can come in and beat out someone for the starting job.  Most of the rookies that started pretty much had it handed to them, Bledsoe included. 

[fyo]

If Chad winds up being the best guy, then he should start.

I disagree. If Henne is only marginally better than Beck, the rookie should sit. Why? Again, the simple facts are that rookie quarterbacks who are thrown to the wolves have worse careers. It's not always the case that they just suck the whole time, see someone like Carr. He was absolutely destroyed and nobody thought it was his fault. He didn't really play poorly as such, but he just got whooped and it effectively destroyed his career.

OK, so it's always dubious to pick out examples when talking about a statistical fact - you can always argue single players one way or another - but unless there's a compelling reason to believe otherwise, I don't see why you would ignore the statistics: Rookie quarterbacks who start wind up with worse careers than those who don't. On average. Statistically significant.

So, my point is, to maximize value for the team, it might very well make sense to start Beck, even if Henne is slightly better in camp. Henne won't diminish in value if we let him hold the clipboard initially. In fact, there's every reason to believe that's the best position for him (see the Mariucci quote above). Beck, on the other hand, will lose quite a lot in value if he doesn't win the starting job. Even if Henne is the guy Sparano and Co want in the long run, starting Beck will give him a chance to build up some serious trade value for us - and if he turns out to be a star, well, I think we can live with that as well.