Locker-room chatter points to possible Henne benching

When new Tennessee receiver Randy Moss plays his first game as a member of the Titans in Miami on Sunday, Moss could be getting an up-close look at one of his former college teammates. There’s talk in the locker room that Dolphins backup quarterback Chad Pennington could soon be replacing Chad Henne. Whispers have persisted throughout the season that Henne could be in hot water.  Last month, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen said there’s talk that Pennington could “bridge the gap” between Henne and Tyler Thigpen. With four losses and a shrinking margin for error, it could be that the move will come if the Dolphins under Henne struggle against the Titans.  Miami is 0-3 at home this year, a fact that surely doesn’t sit well with owner Stephen Ross, who’s trying to make the team into a high-profile attraction. In October, coach Tony Sparano bristled at talk of fans wanting Henne to be benched.  “I could care less what they think about the quarterback situation,” Sparano said, but he acknowledged that Pennington, the team’s former starter, is “the 1,000-pound elephant in the room sometimes.” That 1,000-pound elephant could be parading around the field on Sunday.  Hopefully, someone will bring a shovel.

45 responses to “Locker-room chatter points to possible Henne benching

  1. There’s “talk in the locker room”? From who? Any sources here? This would seem like a crazy move. I don’t think Henne is the future, but does it really do any good to pull him now?

  2. I may hate the dolphins, but Pennington is easily better than Henne and Thigpen combined. Arm strength aside, having the all-time highest completion % says something about your skills.

  3. 1000 Lb elephant?! Is he a baby elephant or is it just another case of sports people not really understanding metaphor?

  4. They should start one of their other second round picks from the last three years, John Beck and Pat White.
    Oh…wait…

  5. And this guy said Tebow wasn’t a “real” quarterback. I wonder where the two guys will be in 2-3 years? Henne sure is full of himself.

  6. i was a henne fan until i saw him laughing on the sidelines after missing a wide open fasano in the endzone last week. then i read ed reeds comments after the game about henne and i think back to his last drive vs the steelers and this guy has to go. 21 starts in NFL already. no excuses.

  7. Won’t be for long one hit on the noodle arm and his career is done. Nice guy but my mom can put more juice on the ball.

  8. This is easily one of the dumbest things I’ve read on here. The Ravens game showed that Miami is simply not talented enough to compete with the upper echelon teams in the AFC. Even if they managed to go 6-2 the rest of the way, I just can’t see this team making any noise in the playoffs.
    That said, you’ve got to let Henne play out the season and evaluate him at the end. Miami fans are simply spoiled by the early success Marino (followed by Roethlisberger, Ryan and now Bradford) had. But, as a whole QBs need to take their lumps and develop. Just off the top of my head… Aikman, both Mannings and Brees all sucked their first few years before it finally ‘clicked’.
    My point is, you don’t bench Henne. This team is still too young, has several holes (Center, TE), isn’t running the ball effectively, and the D can’t get off the field on 3rd downs. Last time I checked, these things are not the QB’s fault.

  9. wow, 1,000 lbs!!! That’s a pretty small elephant….I guess Pennington isn’t that big of a deal.

  10. If the offense is based on check-downs then Henne’s arm serves no purpose. If they play Henne then throw the ball down the damn field, otherwise Pennington is the smarter/better option. Henne needs to do two main things…stop staring at the intended receiver/scan the field and make quick decisions. Brandon is getting lots of catches but is not being properly used (kinda like Keyshawn in Tampa) The talent is there but it seems like they are playing not to lose rather than playing to win. There is a time for conservative play calling but there needs to be some risks taken as well. It is not all on Henne, the play calling could be much better as well. There is absolutely no way a single receiver pass route will be successful in the NFL…not even if Marino were throwing to Rice. Play smart football and take some calculated risks. The team needs leadership and that is what Pennington would bring. I like Henne but he needed to step up this year and he hasn’t. He has not played all that poorly, but he has not been spectacular either. STOP SETTLING FOR FIELD GOALS

  11. The growing sense seems to be that Henne has peaked, and this is as good as he’s going to get. He’s definitely improved over last year, but he does seem stagnant now.
    But with Pennington in, the big play capability goes to near zero. It’s true that Henne has had very few of them this season, but you can almost abandon 3rd and long situations with Pennington in. Henne can at least make those happen.
    Pennington would be a great fit if the running game was halfway decent this season, but it’s not. Fact is that the four wins have resulted from good defense. If the other team scores 20 or less, Miami wins.

  12. All it takes is one good shot and Pennington is in the same boat as Stafford again. He’s the original Glass Joe.

  13. Oh no. This is bad. Bad for my fantasy football team because I have the Titans D/ST and Pennington is actually competent and stuff.

  14. I’ve been a backer of Henne during his tenure as the starting QB. However, he seems to have regressed this year. He stares down his receiver too often, making things easier for the defense. Additionally, hes horrible in the pocket when it comes to facing pressure. If he sees a blitzer coming through, he’ll lay down or take the hit instead of throwing it away out of bounds. He seems very reluctant in throwing it downfield and has made some head scratching decisions with the football. Maybe its the sophmore slump, maybe not. Henne is better than Pennington at throwing the deep ball, but if he’s unwilling to throw it down field it only makes sense to start Pennington.

  15. This is just a FIRE lighting under Henne’s ass.
    If miami wants to look for pundit to get the boot, they should look upstairs. His name is none other than
    DAN HENNING!!!
    His conservative playcalling is what Henne is playing. His ‘i’d rather kick a field goal than to be risky’ isn’t henne’s fault. His abandon the run when its successful isn’t henne’s fault. His abandon the pass when its successful isn’t henne’s fault. His switch ronnie with ricky when ronnie is hot isn’t henne’s fault. His switch ricky with ronnie when ricky is hot isn’t his fault either.
    Need I say anymore?

  16. Chatter from who? Who is your source?
    The only chatter about benching Henne has come from media morons and ignorant fans.
    Pennington, while a great a leader, cannot even complete a 10 yard out, he is not going to be the quarterback of this team based on physical ability alone, not to mention the fact that his contract has a clause that would pay significantly more if he were to get on the field.
    This type of story is the reason why this site is ridiculed so much.

  17. Thought Thigpen played really well down the stretch for the Chiefs a few years ago. Surprised he is stuck as a third-stringer.

  18. Hey coach Sparano, you mean to say you couldn’t care less. Because if you could care less that means you do care!.

  19. I mean, i’m just saying, compared to the average of about 12,000 lbs this seems like a pretty small issue.

  20. Yep. They’re done.
    Fire the coach and start again.
    Carl Peterson stay by your phone.
    Dolphin fans get out on that ledge.
    It’s about to get worse.
    Brandon Marshall, ask for trade …..

  21. It won’t matter who is QB. This team will not make the playoffs. There are too many issues on this team with ST, the secondary and the running game. I am just looking forward to next year……AGAIN!

  22. Being it’s Wednsday already , dont you think if they were going to sit em , we’d know by now…
    Being a Jet fan I always loved Pennington,hated the fact the released him for Favre, But he’s now had 3 rotator cuff surgeries, I really dont see how he can throw anything over 15 yards with anything on it, teams were jumping his routes before not to mention he’s a statue back there,unlike Thigpen who can actually scramble very well and has a good arm ,not understanding why he doesn’t get a shot if a change is indeed made?

  23. That would be the absolute most stupidest thing they could possibly do. He’s basically a 2nd year QB. Give the guy a chance. He didn’t have Marshall for most of tranining camp due to hip issue and if Ronnie, Marshall, and Fasano could hold on to the ball we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Henne has the goods. They just need to let this thing play out. Dolphin fans have to be realistic. I know you’re hungry, I am too, but geez Saban, Dave, and Cam really screwed us up. Can’t mortgage the future.

  24. Coach Sparano doesn’t care what the fans think? Let me get this again….”Doesn’t care what the fans think?” If the fans stop coming to the games because they don’t care about the Dolphins, then where will Coach Sparano coach??? All I see on the sidelines is another Dolphins Cheerleader when I look at Coach Sparano….about as dumb as a cheerleader too!!!

  25. Sparano should just bench the whole team. They all suck! Then he should bench himself. What a poor excuse for a team.

  26. Yes, PFT is like TMZ for reporting this. Oh wait, the story is confirmed. Nevermind. It is called a Rumor Mill for a reason. Go read ESPN if you want stories that are a day old.

  27. Oh And this is not a rumor, it is a FACT Penny is starting the rest of the year.
    Henne is a good backup QB, but that all he is going to be.

  28. I don’t think Henne is the answer but you have to at least let him play out the year for analysis.
    Pennington isn’t the future; it’s a quick band-aid. We’re not winning the Superbowl this year, so why screw up our draft position by 10+ spots and still miss the playoffs by using a temporary better solution? Pennington > Henne but not by much.
    If Pennington finishes out the year and we finish 10-6 or 9-7, we’d feel better about ourselves because of the winning record but we learn nothing from this year. You’ll still have Henne apologists saying he needs more time and our regime probably won’t draft a QB.
    If you let Henne finish out this year, see what he gives you, then you can build a case for drafting a QB next year, and if we fall to 8-8 or 7-9 under Henne, at least we’d know what we have in him for a full season again.
    I see this move as lose-lose honestly. I’d rather have a better sense of our future over an extra win or two this year.

  29. Disreguard my lets wait and see comment from above , they actually pulled the trigger on benching him…Wow

  30. @LaBronx_James says:
    November 10, 2010 12:41 PM
    Hey coach Sparano, you mean to say you couldn’t care less. Because if you could care less that means you do care!.
    You are retarded, “I could care less” is the right expression”
    For you to say “I couldn’t care less” is a double negative which is frowned upon in English grammar.
    Now while Henne has done poor thus far this season, bare in mind his ceiling was never too high (hence late second round selection) and Dan Henning is our Offensive Coordinator. The only good play he ever called was to divert the blame of a weak offense to a young QB.
    Also bare in mind the 4 losses are too, BAL, PIT, NE, and NYJ… if you don’t want to consider those among the top defenses in the NFL, then be my guest.

  31. In October, coach Tony Sparano bristled at talk of fans wanting Henne to be benched. “I could care less what they think about the quarterback situation,” Sparano said, but he acknowledged that Pennington, the team’s former starter, is “the 1,000-pound elephant in the room sometimes.”
    ———————————-
    Here is my problem with all this: Isn’t it supposed to be, ” I could not care less”, or “I couldn’t care less”, i.e., meaning that you really don’t care about what the fans think. Sparano is stating above that he really does care somewhat what the fans think.
    Hmmmm, if he can’t get that straight….hmm….. maybe Henne is not the problem?

  32. The Bee’s Knees says:
    Dan Henning is our Offensive Coordinator. The only good play he ever called was to divert the blame of a weak offense to a young QB.
    ==================================
    Brilliant! 100% correct!

  33. The Bee’s Knees says:
    November 10, 2010 2:02 PM
    @LaBronx_James says:
    November 10, 2010 12:41 PM
    Hey coach Sparano, you mean to say you couldn’t care less. Because if you could care less that means you do care!.
    You are retarded, “I could care less” is the right expression”
    For you to say “I couldn’t care less” is a double negative which is frowned upon in English grammar.
    ————————————————
    No, YOU have it backward. LaBronx_James had it right initially.
    To say “I couldn’t care less” mean you cannot care less. (It is *not* a double negative. Where is the second negative??)
    To say “I could care less” means you COULD care less, and thus would be incorrect to say.
    This isn’t grammar, it’s reading comprehension, and apparently it’s > you.

  34. elementzo3 says:
    November 10, 2010 12:38 PM
    Chatter from who? Who is your source?
    The only chatter about benching Henne has come from media morons and ignorant fans.
    Pennington, while a great a leader, cannot even complete a 10 yard out, he is not going to be the quarterback of this team based on physical ability alone, not to mention the fact that his contract has a clause that would pay significantly more if he were to get on the field.
    This type of story is the reason why this site is ridiculed so much.
    ——————————————————————————
    Just 5 hours later it’s official. The Dolphins have named Pennington starter this week. Maybe you had it wrong. Maybe this type of story is why this site gets so much attention. Maybe stories like this is why PFT is so successful and you’re sitting at home right now feeling like a clown. Hopefully next time you pause before writing such a nasty comment. If you really felt that way, why even bother reading the site? Anyway, congratulations PFT on breaking this about 4 hours before anyone else.

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