Miami Dolphins: Fans Have a Right to Boo Henne, Even If It Makes Sparano "Sick"

On Monday night, the Miami Dolphins held a free workout at Sun Life Stadium. 

For many fans who have not attended training camp at the Dolphins Davie facility (which, judging by the attendance, is all of them), it was their first chance at seeing the Dolphins team expected to take the field this fall.

Now I'd love to say that Dolfans are optimistic, but we're not. That's the reason why so few fans have attended the free workouts during training camp, and also why the fans broke out in a "We Want Orton" chant during Monday night's workout and booed Chad Henne after a few check downs and incomplete passes.

Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano wasn't exactly happy over this, telling the press yesterday, "It makes me sick."

Sparano then added: "When people come to the stadium like that in one of those kind of events to support the Miami Dolphins, [fan support is] what we should be thinking about."

Of course, Tony, because fan support means you can never voice your displeasure towards the team.

One of the beauties about being a sports fan is that you can feel however you want. Nobody can tell you what you can and can't do. For example, would I love it if everyone stopped hating LeBron James? Of course I would, I've argued time and time again that the hate only adds to the hype (which of course is the reason for the hate) and also that he did nothing wrong. 

But fans won't ever see it that way, no matter how much I try to communicate that to them. That's their prerogative.

It's also our prerogative to want a better quarterback. Unlike with the LeBron example I mentioned, Dolphins fans want Orton because he's better than Henne, despite the fact that the deal is about 100 percent dead. Its not just a biased and subjective viewpoint, stats back that up.

Now I don't have a problem with Sparano. He's not a great coach on the same level as Bill Belichick or Sean Payton, but he's on about the same level as Lovie Smith of the Bears. That's not terrible, but not great. I understand that Sparano was only trying to stand by his starting quarterback, but Sparano has to realize this.

Even though Stephen Ross is signing your checks, at the end of the day, the fans are your bosses.

If Sparano has another 7-9 season, which no doubt will lead to less season ticket renewals for 2012, then the next time Ross decides to board a plane to meet with a head coach, he won't "realize that the Dolphins already had the best man for the job" to paraphrase Stephen Ross' quote about meeting with now 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh.

Instead, the coach Ross meets with will be joining him on the plane ride back to Miami.

I'm not saying Sparano should throw Henne under the bus either, but he shouldn't lash out at the fans for speaking their minds. 

In the end, they have every right too. While Ross signs the checks, it's Dolphins fans who pay everyone's salary.

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