A lot of things are falling in place nicely for Henne. First, he had a solid season as a starter after being thrown into the fray when Penny went down. And, IMO he got better as the season went along. Now, he has one of the best WR's in the game to throw to in Marshall (to go along with Hartline, Bess and Camarillo). He played half the season last year without one of our best offensive players in Ronnie Brown (who will presumably be healthy when the season begins in September). The O-line has been upgraded, or so it seems. He went into the off season knowing it's his job to lose. Add all that to his size, arm, and poise, and it's all right there for him to take his game to the next level. Question is...can he do it? I think so. And, I sure as hell hope so. I'm really pulling for the kid. For his sake, and ours.
The only tool that Henne does not have that would make his life easier is a dominant TE who can be his security blanket. He's got the OL, WRs, a RB stable that demands attention, and has studied behind a QB whose only drag is that he lacks physical abilities. So that being said, it can't be a better situation for him. If he's going to succeed as a Franchise QB, it's here and now. He's started to show some of that with a few games last season, but he also put us in that position occasionally, and made some bonehead moves.
If he keeps at it the rest of offseason and training camp we'll see atleast 3500 yards and also 20TDs from this kid this year.
Hes got the tools.....the weapons are being placed around him...and most importantly, the organization is strong.... Hell...you put Peyton Manning on the Oakland Raiders and hes no where near the quality of QB he is now....
We've seen him do it several times late in games as a first year starting quarterback without the help of a go-to target, and that is damn impressive. To me, the game that really stood out last year was the Bucs game. He made a huge mistake, a complete no-no and perhaps a high school freshman caliber mistake in throwing that errant pick late in the game, instead of checking down and allowing the defense to win it for him. He didn't hold his head down. He came right back and drove the team down to field goal range for the game winner. The jury is obviously still out but not only does he have the tools, but now, he can say he's done it before. It's all about perfecting his craft and becoming consistent now. Getting back a healthy Ronnie Brown, a healthy and more stable offensive line, along with the addition of a big go-to target in Brandon Marshall... should help that progress significantly.
I agree completely, while the TE can hurt, he has a couple of backs that he can out let to. And who knows, with our WR corp what it is now, the TE's may be more productive. It's not like they can't catch the ball. But the pieces for this offense are all there, now we have to see if they can pull it all together. He showed some great stuff last year, a season that I look on as a 13 game preseason, since he wasn't really schedule to take the starting job until now. Yes, he made some bone head plays last year, but that too I take as a part of the learning curve. Great strides forward can be made when errors are experienced.
I look forward to watching him light it up this season and can see him being one of the big stories of the NFL this year. Surpassing both of his draft mates, Ryan and Flacco... Starting TC as the starter and having a season under his belt, plus the addition of Marshall......equals it's going to be a lot of fun watching this offense.
These are actually NFL Network Analysts. Looks like Tim just added them to his blog. The direct link to the NFLN jump is below: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d8183d222/Is-Henne-a-franchise-QB
Well, since we're having this conversation at all, Henne must not quite be there yet. If he was, would there be a need for this thread ??
It takes time for almost anyone to really prove themselves as a franchise QB... by definition part of the criteria in my opinion is longevity, leading the team year after year. Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions and led his team to 3-13 in his first year... but it was still clear he had the tools to make things happen. One thing I'd like to see from Henne is more emotion, more fire, more outward verbal leadership. Seems like so many young QBs want to be the cool stoic type... what happened to guys like Marino and Dan Fouts yelling and swearing after every play? I think it's early to guarantee Henne is super duper legendary franchise QB, but it would be a big disappointment if he doesn't fulfill that destiny and lead this team for several years.
It takes time to develope into a true franchise QB even if you have all of the tools and abilities. Henne has shown he has a lot of what is needed but this team is growing around him and isn't quite there yet. Brees is a perfect example, he showed he had the tools and abilities but it took a few years and some hard times before he finally got to the level he is now. Some great quarterbacks aren't instant success's but take time and patience to reach that plateau.
