Chad Henne's Development As A QB Still On Track

Thanks Marine. I appreciate that. I was wrong about the stats. Looks like a few more completed TDs and he's right there.

I think things are magnified because they were easier throws and the scoring output is so glaring right now.

I agree with Padre still that he needs more touch and more patience, and awareness but that should come with time. We won't take that next step this year until he does--especially in the scoring zone.

You had it right when you said he looks great for 10-12 passes then falters. Problem is, it seems to be in the scoring zone. I think that is where running the ball better and big plays help out.

 

I very much disagree with the bolded. However, I do agree with the red.

 

Coming from behind to beat Brady as a rookie wasn't a signature win? How about beating Rodgers in Lambeau? Not a sig win either? How about beating on the field the #1 ranked team in the AFC (Steelers) despite the refs giving the game to Pitt? Shredding NY this year would've been a sig win and 3 for 3 against Rex Ryan if our Special Teams didn't give it away.

 

Henne needs some of his guys to come through for him as well, when was the last "great" individual effort on offense that led to a score?

Compare that to the number of key drops.

Ray Rice was making Flacco look like Jim Kelly, Henne has no one doing that for him, for a young Qb, if you look back, there is someone who makes them look better, Manning had Faulk and James, Brees had LT and Reggie Bush.

 

In 14 games (13 starts) last year Henne had 2,878 yards, a 60% completion percentage, 12 Td's 14 INT's

Through 8 games this year he has 1,900 yards, a 63% completion percentage, 8 TD's 10 INT's.

He's on pace for roughly the same stats as last year (although he'll likely end up with more of everything given the extra 3 starts) but by extrapolation they'll be very similar years.

And he has Brandon Marshall this year. Now I don't discount the uptick in completion percentage, etc., but overall I think a greater leap in numbers, particularly TD's was not out of the question or asking all that much.

 

There's that damn practice horn again.

 

A signature win, meaning HENNE was the reason we won. It means taking the team on your shoulders and making it your game. Can you say he has done that ? I can't off the top of my head. It seems as if this coaching staff is grooming him not to lose instead of taking the game on for himself, like Marino did 100 times in his career. Marino refused at times to lose, and I haven't seen that in Henne's eyes yet.

 

Good point. I will say 3 of those Tds were "great" efforts--the Marshall TD vs Jets, the Bess TD vs Steelers, and the Bess TD vs Patriots all TDs because of effort and YAC.

 

Well, you don't accept objective stats or facts. So I instead decided to give you my subjective answer. As you do.

 

I dunno that NYJ MNF game last year was pretty close although the running game was still very effective.

 

and the game winning TD was ?????

A wildcat play.

 

I don't think it was either, and if we were running better/more I'd completely expect less INTs and more TDs than what we have. I'm not discounting the lack of one and propensity for the other, as he is still responsible for the most part, but I can at least understand the current results (having benefited from watching each game).

However, I don't believe that the lack of a jump over the 1st 8 games (or even 16 honestly) is indicative of a lack of progress or some sort of ceiling. It could be, but I don't believe it is, as he is playing much better. This is not the same player who came in under poor circumstances in San Diego, this is a much better player, even if all the numbers don't currently reflect that.

 

Based on what we know about our coaching philosophy, he's probably so scared about not taking a sack & sacrificing field position that he's equally as conscious of that as he is the play itself.

 

Almost half of the TD's scored, but the thing is, where is Ronnie Brown?

I'd chalk up Ricky Williams' TD(?) off of a short screen in that mix as well, that was a 45 yd catch and run.

Not 100% Williams scored on that reception.

 

Well, that would be a problem TP, the Qb has their hands on the ball, sooner or later they have to tune the coaches out and just make the play the best way they know how to whether the coach is happy with it or not.

Sort of like your driving instructor cannot drive for you, they may have instructed you, they may have given you advice, at the end of it your hands are on the wheel not theirs.

 

Being a fully developed veteran and still performing at his current level.

Henne's also had far fewer pass attempts/opportunities inside the redzone..... and since he zero option of audibleing, he's handcuffed even further.

 

I don't know where you got your numbers from.
Henne 13/25 52% 5td 1int. 20% td, 4% Int
average of the top ten 22.9/41.3 9.1td .7int. 55% completion, 22.1td% 1.5int%

 

The more he passes, the worse his performance TP.

We are far better suited to Ground Sparano they really should commit to it.

 

Maybe they've lost confidence in the play calling itself.

 

And Henne has had FAR fewer pass attempts in the redzone which by default reduces his # of TDs and TD opportunities. Through the first 6 games Henne was actually the 2nd most efficient QB in the league at converting inside the redzone based on pass attempts.

 

Possible, but less likely imo, players normally love having their number called for a pass or run, so if it were the playcall why the drops?

 

That'd be good if we only played 6 games.

I agree that his attempts are far leas than that of the top ten. But again...he makes some throws that most QBs make--the ones I've mentioned earlier. Those nbers are different.

Also it's important to note that efficiency has nothing to do with numbers of attempts, but everything to do with what you do with those attempts. Those show he needs to be better.

 

I thought the placement on the two Bess TDs was PERFECT. Those were big-time throws - he threw to the outside shoulder but got it upfield enough that they led Bess towards the endzone and not the sidelines.

 

I agree with some of what you followed that with, but what I bolded is wrong.

 

Henne's td % is 20% inside the redzone compared to 22.1% of the qbs marinephinfan listed, henne's interception % is 4.0% compared to 1.5% of the other qbs.

 

That's completely understandable...... but at the same time we have to take into account that defenses had an offseason to pick his game apart and are throwing completely different schemes at him than he saw last year (hence the sophomore QB slump like Ryan experienced in 09). Our ground game is less effective. And it would be unfair to not take into account the brutal schedule he's had to face (the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th ranked scoring defenses with the 4th and 9th coming up) or the overall quality of the teams he's faced (the top 4 teams in the AFC and arguably the best team in the NFC with 6 games ahead vs teams in the playoff hunt. This isn't doing him any favors.

His improvement is apparent and he rarely makes the same mistakes twice, but this team isn't helping him out b/c it's playing sloppy as a whole all over the field. As a 2nd year starter, the game shouldn't lay on his shoulders. Our team should be winning games and helping him through this developmental stage, but we're not helping him one bit. We're dropping passes. We're falling down and giving up big plays from it. Giving up blocked punts for TDs, returns for TDs, and other huge special teams plays. We're not giving him good field position in our return game. And our defense isn't capitalizing on TO opportunities hence ranked 31st. We're leaving way too many plays on the field that would make his job much easier and less stressful. Baltimore, Atlanta, and NY play solid all around so that their QBs don't have to carry the load.

The Jets and Ravens made the playoffs in their QBs rookie years b/c they played well as a team, and the coaching staff eased the burden of Flacco and Sanchez by not forcing them to carry their respective team on their shoulders. Flacco and Sanchez had little to do with them making the playoffs. If Balt & NY can make the playoffs with their inexperienced rookie QBs, then we can surely make a run with a 2nd year Henne who is better than Flacco and Sanchez were during their rookie seasons.

If our special teams were at least average and didn't give up any of those huge plays, then we're 5-3 right now. If the refs didn't screw the pooch, then we're 6-2 WITH a developing Henne.... and we'd be 2-2 against the top 4 teams in the AFC, and 1-0 against a favorite to make the SB (Packers). If we play well as a team, we can win with Henne even while he's going through his lumps.

 

I agree with you on all counts, but that doesn't let Henne off the hook. He's got to play better. If he does, maybe we have a chance.

 

Orton has been in the NFL like 6 seasons. His first few years in Chicago(because thats what you would have to go off of)? Based on stats? You can't take Ortons 6th season in the NFL and compare it to Henne's first full year starting. Bad comparison. If you want to do comparisons, compare him to players drafted in 08, and qb's that have a similar number of starts.

 

I agree. He can't miss those wide open passes to Fasano and Marshall near the goal line, especially given how few the chances have been. The number of uncatchable balls needs to improve (not talking about throw aways obviously). He's also got to recognize that a 2 yd dump off to the FB isn't going to convert a 3rd and 8 when there is a defender 1 yd away (I'm not even disappointed in his 3rd down play in general, as we are doing great at converting 3rd and long, way better than with Penny), though I know plenty of QBs make the same throw.


This is not to say that others on offense (or the team in general) don't need to cut down on their mistakes for us to be significantly more successful.

 

Just as you point out that Henne looks scared to make mistakes, maybe the entire offense is scared to make mistakes that it actually causes them to make mistakes. I think they're secretly lashed by Sparano (or his hitman) after games when they make mistakes.

 

I don't know what it is after 8 games b/c I haven't looked it up....... it took me at least an hour to crunch the numbers the first time. But the point was that Henne doesn't get many passing opportunities in the redzone, but he's actually statistically made the most of them compared to the rest of the league. After 6 games his TD% in the redzone was 2nd in the league and ahead of Brees, Manning, Brady, Eli, Rodgers. IMO There's more to this lack of scoring than meets the eye.

 

He'd have a 0.0% INT if our special teams didn't screw the Jets game. He only has 1 redzone INT..... and that was on a 4th down last 2nd play where it was all or nothing. He shouldn't have been in that position in the first place b/c he did everything a QB could do to put us in a position to win that game.

 

Although the defender made a good play, it was still catchable too. Heck, if Fasano take one step towards the LOS the defender might not even be able to get a hand on it.

 

I completely agree. I've never felt that he doesn't need to play better. All I can hope for is that he's greatly improved by the time the season ends while showing that he's still ascending (which IMO he is). I'd like to be critical of him, but I just don't feel it's fair to judge him 1 game at a time b/c progress is much more gradual than that.

I think he's a top 16 QB right now IMO, but our overall team performance has him looking like a bottom 3rd. Sanchez was the worst QB in the league last year and NY made the AFC Championship game. Henne isn't what's holding us back IMO, although I do agree it would greatly help us if his developmental process could speed up a bit to help make up for the rest of our team's woes.

I really feel this regime/coaching staff is delaying his development by trying to control him too much. The only game where he seemed to be turned loose IMO (against the Jets this year), he appeared to seem so comfortable, unrobotic, and loose out there..... like he wasn't being forced to think so much, and rather could just PLAY. But that just could be me. I know I'm not always right by a long shot.

 

That's what I was yelling after the play too. He just sat in coverage instead of stepping up and putting himself in between it and the ball..... it's not like he didn't have room, AND he should've realized that we didn't HAVE to have a TD, that a 1st down would've kept the drive alive for a few more plays.

 

Come on dude. JaMarcus Russell says hi.

 

Good stuff. Thanks Todd.

 

Right track? Hell Henne you're on a gravy train with biscuit wheels!

 

I really hate you putting that bad karma on Henne. He needs his hand to throw the ball!