Chad is unlike any QB I have ever followed....U can be happy to have him 70% of the game, then the other 30% of the time it feels like AJ Feely is out there. IMO he needs to just fire it in there more instead of checking down or throwing it away. He needs more swag.
I agree with Sparano. I am very happy with Henne's completion % and his YPA (both are higher than I expected so far this year), but he does miss a couple throws each game that I don't think he should.
You know how this works.. Sparano is correct, Henne can throw to a spot really well, his touch throws that have to lead the Wr are not as polished, he is not terrible at them, but to get that RAC the Wr has to be hit in stride and heading down hill/up the field.
your right Fin-o, he is a tough QB to project his celing at...The lack of footwork, athletic ability, and backside pressure could be his downfall.
Something I hear coaches talk about a lot is, if a QB can just stay the course in their 2nd year, not necessarily have a big jump or something, just stay even with the first year, it's a sign of serious positive development..
What worries me is this guy was a 4 year starter at a major university, so him being "NFL ready" seemed to be one of the biggest upsides when he was drafted. Yet he seems like he still is a notch or two behind Ryan and Flacco in the mental aspect of the game.
Henne is still having a ton of passes tipped at the line of scrimmage, 9 so far, maybe more, and that is the worst performance in the NFL. Things such as that, and poor at play action passing, and rarely using pump fakes, those small things are what bother me about Chad Henne, 3 yrs with Pennington I'd hoped he would be better at those detail issues. Positives are he compares to Eli Manning really closely, I'd almost bet Henne's numbers in yr #3 or #2 compare closely to Eli's.
I'm pretty sure Ryan started as many games in college as Henne (and if he didn't, I think it was close). I disagree with him being mentally behind Flacco, but if he were, I would think it's simply because he has a season less of "live" reps. College starts are great, and they certainly give you a leg up on other college QBs, but they are no substitution for actual starts in the NFL. Edit: I'm surprised to find Ryan started like 10 less games in college. I know Henne was a 4 year starter, but I thought Ryan was close to that, and I knew Henne missed some games due to injury.
If you haven't seen today's presser, you should check it out. As we know, Sparano seldom singles out players. Today, he had some pretty strong words for a lot of his young players. Very encouraging. http://www.miamidolphins.com/video?bcpid=585645507001&bclid=260803762001&bctid=653293415001
That's not gonna change because of his release point, flat footed, low trajectory, and his shoulder drop's just a sminch on his release.
Well, it can change if Henne learns to see throwing lanes more clearly, currently he just winds up and throws and Dlinemen know when Henne pats the football it is about to come out of his hand.
I think he's shown improvement and has the ability to be a franchise quarterback. He's not Peyton Manning but he's capable of winning games in the playoffs on a good team IMO. If he hadn't shown any improvement from last year I'd be really worried but I think he's moved forward if he can improve some aspects of his game he'll be starting in the league for a very long time.
Peyton Manning? I expect all QBs to miss some, but I'm talking about passes that aren't even catcheable (ie bouncing off the ground, throwing well over a WRs head, etc). Or even putting a ball behind a WR that if in front of him would get good YAC. I really like Henne, and am not knocking him, but hitting more of those throws would help him get to that next step.
Being a starter at a 4 year university does not make you NFL ready. People can use that thought process all they want but it's simply folly. There are a number of adjustments a QB needs to make going from college to pro and I don't care what program he was at or how long he played. It all comes down to how fast a player can pick up the differences, adjust to the speed change, adjust to the difference of what constitutes an "open WR" in the NFL and adjust to more complicated schemes/reads. Henne isn't one of those that just come in the league and get it immediately. Not many do. He is progressing rather well and on a decent timeline IMO.
Can't have it all. For me, if he can slide around in the pocket and create passing lines while simultaneously avoiding tacklers, I am pleased.
He needs to get more patient, though. On Sunday, there were quite a couple of instances where he sidestepped the pressure, bought himself another 5 seconds and immediately checked it down. If you're not a particularly athletic QB, those are the instances were you have to wait for the play to blow wide open and potentially make a long connection. Roethlisberger does that very, very well.
His footwork is some of the best in the league. The guy is almost mechanical in how his dropbacks repeat themselves time after time. His balance is proper and when he completes his dropback he looks ready to throw every time. He has his issues but this isnt one of them. If youre referring to his flatfootedness, well Im not sure he will ever be able to help that. As long as he turns out like Drew Brees, aka Breesus Christ, I think we'll be fine
your right, his drop and plant look's good, as long as he can release on rhythm, but I think he still has some issues in the footwork dept..When he does set up squarely, he usually delivers a strike..When he doesn't, his feet aren't set, hence some inconsistencie we see in his game..I think his biggest problem so far this year has been his lack of footspeed, and that his mind is going too fast for his feet. What I liked about that steeler game is that I saw him not panic, reload, set his feet, and deliver...Those pauses should help his 3 second clock be a little slower.
consistency in the accuracy department is what will determine how high his ceiling is. everything else about his game is moving along fine for a 2nd year starter. accuracy is tough to coach though. he's accurate enough to be effective but if he wants to be top ten he needs to improve his consistency
I don't see a problem in wanting a player to improve... I see good things in Henne and I believe he'll be a good player. But there's absolutely no reason to be butthurt by what Sparano said.
