From Tim Graham's blog at ESPN.
Matthew in New York City writes into the AFC East mailbag with a hot-button question:
What's the deal with your seemingly constant disdain and skepticism for Chad Henne? I feel like anytime a report or give an analysis of him that comes out in a positive manner, you're the first to say "HOLD ON" and put everyone's expectations in check. What it is about Henne that causes your consistent negative response? Seriously!
There appears to be a perception among readers I'm some sort of Henne hater. I've received notes similar to Matthew's over the past few weeks. But those reactions aren't proper. Never once have I expressed skepticism about Henne's future. In fact, I believe he will be a franchise-caliber quarterback for the Miami Dolphins and hold down the position for many years to come.
Henne
Sanchez
Where I can understand Dolfans disagreeing with my opinion regarding Henne is that I think New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez will have a better second season as his team's starter.
That question has been debated on the AFC East blog a few times this spring, including in a podcast last month with Scouts Inc. analyst Matt Williamson and me.
Williamson preferred Henne. I preferred Sanchez -- for now because he's already played in three postseason games and has a better supporting cast. I agreed with Williamson that Henne might have the better career.
For a third opinion, I spoke with ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer to get the perspective of a 14-year veteran who won a Super Bowl.
"I like Chad Henne," Dilfer said. "I think he's good player. I think he's limited athletically. I don't think he's the same type of athlete as Mark Sanchez. He's not the same type of thrower. He's kind of a fastball thrower. He doesn't have the repertoire as a football player that Mark Sanchez has. That doesn't mean he can't develop it, but that's going to take longer.
"Sanchez is the unique talent of the last five or six draft classes because he has that Alpha male personality. He has that 'it factor.' Then physically he has the sudden feet, plenty of arm, is highly accurate, was mature beyond his years as a college player. He has a distinct advantage because of his makeup, the total package, and they're supporting him in such a great way.
"He's in as good a situation -- because of who he is and what they're doing as an organization -- as you can be in with a young quarterback."
http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast
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Trent Dilfer knows all about the "it factor"... that being a Superbowl caliber defense...
Pagan, calphin, DenverDolfan and 17 others like this. -
Dilfer is describing what he thinks Sanchez might become, not what he actually is. He's fantasizing.
MikeHoncho, calphin, gafinfan and 5 others like this. -
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I have to agree that Sanchez is better...........as a model .
calphin, DolfanJake, Frumundah Finnatic and 8 others like this. -
PS17 likes this.
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Dilfer said Sanchez is "highly accurate"?
:chuckle:
"alpha male"
:chuckle:
"they are supporting him in such a big way"
:chuckle:
That last point is funny as the Dolphins have Brown and Williams, and just added Brandon Marshall, and Hartline's numbers as a rookie were even with Braylon Edward's numbers, yet Henne has a weaker supporting cast?
Unless subtracting 1,200 yds and 10 td's and replacing it with a declining LT counts as a large upgrade, Dilfer is speaking off the cuff at best.GISH, Pagan, DolfanJake and 4 others like this. -
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C'mon Dilfer. What about decision making ability and ball security skills? Two areas where Sanchez was just about the worst in the entire league. Is M.S. more of an athlete, sure he is. But other than that, I think Henne has the upper hand on him right now.
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Trowa likes this.
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Sanchez had a rookie QB's dream- A terrific defense, great run blocking offensive line and a very good offensive coordinator who knew just when to strike. But really, where was this "it" factor on the few occasions they actually had to rely on him to come from behind late or win games himself?
Henne was a 4 year starter at Michigan. Sanchez, for all his "It" factor and maturity beyond his years in college, had all of 16 starts at USC and apparently didn't have enough "it" to start over John David Booty.
Athletically Sanchez may be more impressive, but let's not get carried away here. Henne need to improve his athleticism, and has taken steps towards doing so. But some of the greatest QB's to ever play this game (Brady, Manning, Marino) will never be confused with being athletically gifted.
Furthermore, while Sanchez did show the ability to make some very nice throws from time to time, I'm not sure I'd consider a 54% completion rate to be "highly accurate", especially when he was often put in a very good position to throw. Again, I think it comes from a perception born out of a playoff run where they reigned him in considerably and often had him throw at the most advantageous times.
This is not to say that Sanchez won't become a very good QB. But I do think he's being overhyped by a national media that doesn't particularly analyze to any great depth. I want to see that "it" factor carry his team on his back or lead them from behind on a number of occasions before I'm truly buying.GISH, calphin, DolfanJake and 7 others like this. -
Henne does need to work on his finesse. As far as his supporting cast IMO he is amongst some quality players which if enough of them stay healthy the Dolphins are in for a great season.
A sweep of the Jets this year would be nice but it's not going to be ez. I predict a hell of a battle. -
It's not Henne vs. Sanchez
It's the Dolphins vs. the Jets -
unluckyluciano, Killerphins and resnor like this.
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Trent Dilfer is projecting so hard because Mark Sanchez is the same kind of player and he feels a kinship.
MikeHoncho and resnor like this. -
Meh,
Dilfer is entitled to his opinion. For every "analyst" that thinks Sanchez is better there is one that thinks Henne is better. Or going to be better. Bottom line they are both good young QB's and we are going to have to wait for an answer to who is actually better.Jeff, Frumundah Finnatic and PS17 like this. -
In Henne's win over the NYJ in Miami Dilfer was very complimentary of him. Dilfer specifically highlighted touch plays that were supposed to be part of Henne's shortcomings. So the idea that someone who is higher on one player must then hate another is just more overreaction by fans.
This seems to be more of a flavor of the pre-season type hype fest than something based on actual production. There is nothing to hate about either of these players based on their performances last year. They both showed promise. They both helped their teams win though Henne was relied upon much more heavily to win at times.
We'll settle it on the field, not based on someones pre-season superbowl champion prediction.Frumundah Finnatic likes this. -
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I honestly thought that quote was a sales pitch from Jim. Saying the difference between Henne's 60% completion percentage with 19 dropped passes and Sanchez's 53% makes Sanchez highly accurate is like saying the difference between this bank and other banks is that other banks are banks.Frumundah Finnatic and Boik14 like this. -
got to play the game
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DOLPHAN1 Premium Member Luxury Box
"Marino likes Henne's upside, says new weapon will benefit Dolphins' starter"
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/...marino-on-henne-0613-20100612,0,6763628.story
I'll listen to what this man says before Dilfer.
"He gave them a chance to win a lot [in 2009], which for a young quarterback is the most important thing," Marino said Saturday at Levinson Jewelers' Watch Fair. "He's got a strong arm from what I've seen on film. ... Very strong arm. I think he's going to do nothing but get better."
Did Sanchez give the JESTs a "chance to win" or just an opportunity to not lose? Since both players are second year starters there is nothing to compare until the end of next season and a lot can happen in 16 games ...to either team/player. -
seriously, if anyone has an alpha male personality it is clearly henne.
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There is no debate that Sanchez has a severely lacking resume. That's the problem with drafting QBs who only start one season in college. Any projection at all, one way or the other, whittles down to nothing more than a guess... which will always be weighed down by bias. Jets fans think Sanchez is the next Tom Brady. Dolphins fans (like me) think they're delusional.
Whatever... -
GMJohnson and Larry Little like this.
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GMJohnson likes this.
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As I've said several times, I think both players have a great deal of potential, but they clearly have different strengths.
I agree with Dilfer that MS is a better athlete and is more accurate. Since I value accuracy very highly, I had MS rated as a better prospect coming out. And I don't care that he had a poor completion percentage and a too many interceptions as a rookie. Saying you can't see "it" in MS based on his rookie year stats is like saying you couldn't see "it" in Peyton Manning based on his rookie year stats. I'm not saying MS will be PM, but if you're using that as a basis then you really don't know what to look for.
What has surprised me most about Henne is his incredible mental toughness. He showed some of that at Michigan, but nowhere near what he's showed in Miami. IMO he has that in spades over MS. I don't know how much of that he had in him to begin with and how much was the Pennington influence (some combination of each, I'm sure), but wherever it comes from, it's impressive. In Henne, I see a guy with great composure during games and a guy with an incredible drive to succeed when he's off the field. I'm not saying MS doesn't have that, he does have some of that, but Henne's seems superlative. I don't think Henne has P. Manning's passing skill, but he may be developing a similar mental game.
Going forward, I think both guys have enough of every thing else to succeed. How much success they achieve will depend not just on their own development but also how the team around them develops. While the Jets clearly have the better defense right now, I think that the Dolphins have done a better job of positioning themselves to have the more complete team over the next few seasons. A lot will depend on how the player acquisitions from this off-season and future off-seasons develop so who knows what will happen, but I really like how the team around Henne is developing. And if I had to bet on which guy will win more championships, I'd go with Henne, but I recognize that some of that may be my own bias. -
Man I hope you are right BUT I just don't see it.. Rex for all his warts is a defensive master mind. We will see how it pans out for them this year. I think they are going to be in trouble next year when all these contracted players come up wanting their big pay checks. THey are not going to be able to keep up their spending and that IMO is going to be their down fall. -
LandShark13 likes this.
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That's why I think the Nolan acquisition was huge for us. I think he closes the gap between the Jets and us in regards to defensive coaching. I would probably still say Rex is better but it's close enough that the player talent will decide which D is better going forward. I think the Jets will still have the defensive edge in 2010, but that we're better positioned to have the edge after that.
I think on offense we'll have an edge at QB for one more year and after that it will depend on their development. I also expect that we'll have the better running game and receivers (I don't think much of a Braylon Edwards). And I think the OLs will be too close to call this year. So overall, I see us having a slightly better team in 2010, but it's close enough that the luck factor may be the difference. And as I said I like our chances to be a much better team after that. -
Trent Dilfer is an idiot. Last season he did a top 10 QB of all-time and decided Marino wasn't worthy of one spot on the list. The guy is a joke.
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The only edge I will grant the Jets have over the Dolphins is Dustin Keller and that is due to Fasano blocking more in 09.
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