"Chad Henne Could Be Great, But Let's Not Forget..."

             First off, I want to introduce myself as the lifelong Miami Dolphins fan that I am.  I was there for the team when they blew the 31-3 lead over the New York Jets in 2000, there for the 1-15 season in 2008, and there for the 11-5 AFC East championship season.  I defend them in every aspect of the franchise’s decisions, I’ve also stood by Jim Ireland for his comments about Dez Bryant’s mother.

            With all of that being said, I for the first time as a fan have truly been appalled and utterly disgusted.  For Stephen Ross to say that Chad Henne will be the best quarterback to ever play for the Miami Dolphins, is upsetting for lack of a better definition.  It is a complete slap in the face to Brian Griese and Dan Marino.  Marino is arguably the best pure passer in the history of the NFL. 

              Most importantly, the fact that he could be better than Dan Marino is so far-fetched of an idea that I almost don’t want to like Chad Henne anymore.  But, I realized that these comments aren’t from his own mouth, they are merely public opinions about his potential.  I love Stephen Ross as an owner, not so much as a football critic.

            Henne’s first year as a starter was decent, he went 7-6, throwing 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.  But, to resemble Dan Marino in the slightest, he will need a more than huge season this fall.  Marino’s rookie year he threw 20 touchdowns to only 6 picks in just 9 picks.  In his 2^nd season as starter, he threw 48 touchdowns and 17 picks as he lead the Dolphins to a Super Bowl appearance. 

           The 48 touchdowns and 5,084 yards became an NFL record.  All of this was accomplished at before Dan Marino was 24 years old, Chad Henne is now 24.  To be fair, I will only keep this comparison to the first two years as starter of their career, to keep it from becoming extremely lopsided.  After 2 seasons, Marino already has 56 more touchdowns and only 9 more interceptions than Chad Henne.

            Again, let me reiterate the fact that I am a Dolphins fan, and I believe Chad Henne has a bright future in the NFL.  I like his talent and effort, but I haven’t seen enough to prematurely proclaim his greatness.  I can only hope that Stephen Ross’s comments don’t harm his growth and development.