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What does Chad Henne do well, and where to go from there.

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by padre31, Aug 5, 2011.

  1. CaribPhin

    CaribPhin Guest

    I doubt Sparano and Henning would have coached a downfield throw in the face of a blitz. Regardless, who would have been down the field quick enough to hit a deep play on a blitz? Our blocking down the stretch wasn't the best. Teams normally play press at the line when they blitz in order to take away the hot read and confound the QB. As a defense, you expect him to hit the floor or at least be pressured in a certain amount of time, and press-man slows down route development. Hartline most likely would not be the best at beating press coverage. Bess either. Marshall would have been our only legitimate threat somewhat down the field on a blitz and by all accounts (his own) he had lost some explosion last year.

    Skip to 2:20

    [video=youtube;GuwtBMkVFeE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuwtBMkVFeE[/video]

    I don't know why that guy gave Moore that much space when they were blitzing, but you usually keep them tied down to the line.
     
    padre31 likes this.
  2. Bpk

    Bpk Premium Member Luxury Box

    Looked like Asomugha did it to bait Henne into throwing what Asomugha expected could be a pick 6. Very smart play, actually. He knows it's a hot read and by presenting the only very mouth-wateringly open-looking target, Henne will have to go there without thinking too much about it. Asomugha fully baited Henne. You see him break on it as if he expected that throw and expected to INT it... but he DIDN'T expect Chad's velcoity and the ball zips by before he can get to it. TD Dolphins.


    Thing is, when we face the Eagles this year, Asomugha will not make that mistake twice and may get Henne on a pick six this time.
     
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  3. mbmonk

    mbmonk I have no clue

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    I think that is a solid point; although I must say as Blitzing = Risk. Normally if you can play coverage and it is successful D coordinators will do that all day.
     
  4. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    I'd rather Henne throw at DRC. At least DRC gets lost in coverage and takes bad angles. I think DRC gets tied up by his own feet.
     
  5. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

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    I think that's a little more complicated than it actually was. I think Asomugha just got impatient because or Marlon's speed. He flipped his hips a hair too soon and couldn't recover.
     
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  6. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Well, I also think to improve Henne's success we need one of the COP guys to also be able to run routes like Wr's and here is a fantastic opportunity for Sparano and Co to earn their salt via coaching the non Reggie Bushes up.

    It is all fine that Grigsby or Sheets can break ankles, but can they line up at Wr and at least be competent? That would make Henne a far more dangerous Qb.
     
  7. NorFlaFin

    NorFlaFin Active Member

    nmb
     
  8. Third Man

    Third Man Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Pretty sure it was Bryant McFadden on that play, not Aso.
     
  9. ToddsPhins

    ToddsPhins Banned

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    From what I saw, his overall 2nd & 3rd down play was impaired due to the excessive amount of little to no gains rushing on 1st down.
    His 1st down play isn't impacted by anything (except penalties) which IMO is why we saw better first down numbers, but as soon as downs came up (2nd & 3rd) that were predicated on the previous down's success (or lack there of), we saw him struggle.

    I also take into account the fact that his QBR was lower by default for the simple fact he had fewer opportunities to attempt TD passes inside the 35 (where as Bradford had twice as many redzone attempts).

    I'm not saying he would've been all-world or anything, but I do feel he could've easily been in the 82-85 QBR range if we ran better on 1st down and didn't take the ball out of his hands so often when he was in a rhythm and driving us. I also don't like QBR regarding Henne b/c it doesn't take into account the amount of no fault INTs or having the least amount of INTs dropped. I'm hoping regression to the mean peaks his head in here.
     
  10. ToddsPhins

    ToddsPhins Banned

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    What else does he do well?
    When we allow him to get into a rhythm, he's shown the ability to pick a defense apart, displaying very good poise and accuracy...... and he does this at an impressive clip, going 17/17 at one point (tied for 1st in Dolphin history and 2 greater than Marino's best).



    Henne already ranks #2 in Dolphin history for 300+ passing games, #2 in completion percentage, #4 in passing yards.

    Bob Griese was 8-17-2 during his first 27 starts; imagine if Miami gave up on him after that. Griese had 22 TDs and 33 INTs in his 3rd & 4th years combined.
    I'm sorry Jake, but Chad's not the worst starting QB to ever come through these doors.

    Henne might be the first young one that we've had a chance to watch go through developmental woes in a very very long time, but he's certainly not the worst by a long shot.
     
  11. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    The need to pickup positive yds on 1st downs is one of the reasons why I'd like them to add a Vet running back as insurance for doing exactly that..cat I like is C Portis, but a power back would do just as well, the idea is to maximize Henne's chances for success and that would certainly help.
     
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  12. Onehondo

    Onehondo Senior Member Club Member

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    Improved Offensive Line play and a running game will go a long way in helping Henne to succeed in my opinion. You can say what you want about Henne's play last year because he certainly had his problems. But there is also plenty of blame to be passed around to some coaches and players alike for the offensive struggles.
     
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  13. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    I think we also need a Horse of a running back for Goaline duty, if I were Sparano I'd seriously pray that we had 8 plays down on the goaline after preseason gm #2 just to see what we have at the Rb position.
     
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  14. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

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    I don't know. My biggest complaint about Henne has been his inability to process the field quickly after the snap. I don't think he goes through progressions with good vision or timing. He's more like to execute IMO if he knows what he's doing before the snap.
     
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  15. vt_dolfan

    vt_dolfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    Against a blitz....is a dump off or a screen to the running back always considered a check down? Someone asked if he went down field against the blitz.....and most of the time...a QB isnt gonna have time to go deep unless the Blitz is picked up...by say a running back. Theres no way in those numbers to tell whether the blitz was indeed picked up....
     
  16. vt_dolfan

    vt_dolfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

    I agree....and thats where a good running game will assist him. Which I think he looked better in 2009...then in 2010.

    I also believe.....once a QB starts to be effective...once he starts putting together good starts in a string...the game will start to slow down for them. They get more confident in how the game unfolds for them. Last year was so herky jerky....
     
  17. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    That issue has arose because of his fast development. If they had done it from the beginning the right way, they wouldn't be having that issue.
     
  18. ckparrothead

    ckparrothead Draft Forum Moderator Luxury Box

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    I think if you were to lay out Chris Peterson's three steps on developing a quarterback, and ask Dan Henning why he may have skipped Step Two, he would tell you it's because of weaknesses in Chad Henne's game.
     
  19. Tin Indian

    Tin Indian Rockin' The Bottom End Club Member

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    Chad has an above average arm. He needs to learn how to use it and trust it a bit more. I really wish he would listen to Marino's advice to him, "when in doubt, let it fly". Last year he played to tentatively, was to willing to check down instead of stretching the field. I'm not sure if it's his nature or if the coaching staff put that in him, but you can't win like that.
     
  20. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    That doesn't make sense to me. You need to be able to do step two to get to three. The problem is, he went to step three so quickly and didd a crappy job teaching it in the process.

    He needs to be accurate with it though. He's really not.
     
  21. Tin Indian

    Tin Indian Rockin' The Bottom End Club Member

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    Agreed, One of his things that drive me crazy is his ball placement. Rarely hits his reciever in stride so his receivers don't generate much YAC.
     
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  22. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    I like Henne's ability to get the ball out quickly and accurately on the shorter passes. He did that a lot on 1st down and on those 3rd and 6 or less downs. Winning more on first down runs alone would probably get him above an 82 QBR. Henne struggled against cover-2 and his OC did nothing to help. There are simple pattern combinations that are difficult for cover-2 to defend and easy either/or reads for the QB. Using those would be putting your QB in a position to succeed rather than in a position to fail. Using more multiple receiver sets would also force the coverage and give Henne easier pre-snap reads. Also having weapons that are capable of attacking the whole area of the field. Finally, just having a few players that can take some short completions to the house would help maximize our offense.

    In summary:

    -better running game resulting in more 3rd and 6 or less situations.
    -use cover-2 busters that give the QB simple reads
    -use a higher percentage of multiple receiver sets
    -better weapons that force the defense to cover the whole field and can make big plays out of short completions.

    I think making those changes puts Henne in that 85 - 90 QBR range. And I'm encouraged b/c I see some of that being talked about and implemented. We certainly added pieces to help the running game in Pouncey and Thomas. And we added speed weapons in Gates, Bush and Grigsby. Clay may be added to the list if he can threaten the seam and the early reports are that that PSU TE is a natural seam buster as well. We've also heard several players say that we should expect more multiple receiver sets. Of course, those players have to be the right players, but at least there seems to be a focus on acquiring more complementary types of talent.
     
  23. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    Do you mean use MORE cover 2 beaters? Because they used them last year but not enough and it was often the same thing over and over and over again.
     
  24. gamblerx

    gamblerx New Member

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    Means the Dolphins should find another QB in the draft in the meanwhile.
     
  25. ToddsPhins

    ToddsPhins Banned

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    I agree with some of this, but I think the bold part is a case where there could be more to it than meets they eye.
     
  26. ToddsPhins

    ToddsPhins Banned

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    I'm not sure I would lay my full trust in Henning's assessment or rationalization. This is a guy who would rather run a Wildcat play (that at one point was averaging less than 3 YPC) instead of keeping the ball in the hands of his QB who just went 7/7 and 65 yards on the drive.
     
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  27. fin13

    fin13 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Well Padre, thanks for starting this thread, this is the most intelligent and enjoyable Thread about Henne in the last 6 months.
    If you look at your players strengths and weaknesses, it would be logical to adjust the offense to minimize the exposure, I don't believe Henning did that, I can only hope Daboll will.
    Thanks again.
     
  28. Jaj

    Jaj Registered

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    When the field is spread, he's under C, and there are a number of high quality athletes that can catch a slightly errant pass he's at his best. He's a limited QB basically. Run out of that formation.
     
  29. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    I'm sure they must have used some, but I found myself seeing the defense sitting back in cover-2 and not seeing the offense attack it far too many times.
     
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  30. ToddsPhins

    ToddsPhins Banned

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    He's definitely no Pennington, but I thought his short-intermediate accuracy & placement was as good or better than the other 1st-3rd year QBs. I hate having to keep comparing him to Ryan, but I think Matt takes a back seat to Henne in short to midrange placement. Doesn't make it ok, but at least it's a consolation.
     
  31. ToddsPhins

    ToddsPhins Banned

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    If his QBR is 88 on 1st down, 89 in the redzone, 88 on 3rd & non-long, then I don't see why he couldn't have an 87-92 QBR with an effective ground game, more weapons, and better play calling....... b/c, besides the 2nd down & 3rd & long stats improving, his 1st down, 3rd & non long, & redzone stats should improve, too.

    I know that still doesn't make him a franchise QB...... but like you say, those guys are extremely rare. If the Cowboys can win multiple SBs with a non franchise QB like Aikman and get him into the HOF, then Miami can win a SB or two with a seasoned Henne IMO. That doesn't mean I'm bypassing an supgrade to the position if it presents itself (and by upgrade I mean a young guy with major potential rather than someone who's a better QB solely due to experience).
     
  32. rafael

    rafael Well-Known Member

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    I agree with everything you said except the Aikman comment. IMO Aikman had elite accuracy. Yes, he was surrounded by great talent as well so he played as a distributor, but he had the ability to be a franchise QB.
     
  33. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    They used quite a bit but the issue was that they never developed those concepts (i.e. tag routes).
     

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