A training camp that started sunny in Miami has given way to an increasing number of dark clouds over the Dolphins franchise. Add this comment from NFL.com’s Vic Carucci to the mix:
“I will say, for whatever weight this carries, that Bill Parcells is very disappointed in [Chad Henne],” Carucci said on WEEI on Friday. “But that’s not what made Bill resign his position or anything.”
Unfortunately, the show’s hosts cut Carucci off with jokes before the listeners could learn more, but the point was made. Carucci is tight with Parcells, and you can be sure those concerns extend throughout the upper brass of the organization.
There have been other red flags for Miami over the last month. Parcells abruptly left. Much-hyped rookie linebacker Koa Misi lost his starting job. Cornerback Sean Smith lost his job to Jason Allen. The offensive line is unsettled.
None of these issues are backbreakers; it’s only the preseason. But they combine to make a team that should be on the rise enter the season with a lot of bad vibes.
Henne’s development is the key. He slogged through an inconsistent preseason and training camp, dimming some of my optimism that the Dolphins were going to be a playoff team this year.
I still think Henne can be a very good NFL starter. But Carucci’s statements make you wonder whether we’re going to hear more columns touting Chad Pennington for the starting job if the Dolphins start slowly.