Midseason Shocker: Chad Pennington Named Dolphins Starter As Henne Gets Benched
In a very surprising move Wednesday afternoon, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano has named veteran Chad Pennington the starting quarterback for this Sundayโs game against the Titans.
Chad Henne has been as mediocre as Miamiโs 4-4 record and itโs apparent there needed to be some sort of shakeup for an offense that has struggled to put touchdowns on the board.
Henne has completed 63.5 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and ten interceptions in eight games this season. He has a quarterback rating of 78.2, good for 24th in the NFL.
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The 34-year-old Pennington hasnโt played in a regular season game since Weekย 3 of the 2009 season, when he was knocked out of the Chargers game with a shoulder injury.
Pennington has a career completion rate of 66.1 and is known for his accuracy in the short passing game.
Miami also signed veteran cornerback Al Harris, while cutting former first-round pick Jason Allen.
Analysis
I canโt say I agree with the move. Unless the Dolphins really think theyโre a championship caliber team and mediocre quarterback play is the only thing holding them back, why not see what you have in your young quarterback?
He has played just over a full season and I donโt think thatโs enough.
I would have liked to see Henne finish the season so we can get a really clear read on a guy that could be the quarterback of the future.ย He is not the only one not meeting expectations on this football team. A simple switch at quarterback isnโt going make every problemย disappear.
How about adjusting the offensive play calling? The plays have been much more of an issue than the quarterback play. Henne was not put in the best possible situation to succeed and for that I blame coaching.
However, it is apparent Penningtonโs skill set โ more specifically his short and intermediate accuracy โ is better suited for an offense with more possession receivers than speed guys.
Although Pennington is not known for his deep ball, this team doesnโt go deep so that shouldnโt be an issue.
This is a risk because Pennington is simply a band-aid at this point. Benching Henne midway through the season could have a huge negative impact on the quarterbackโs mental state moving forward.
If anything Iโd rather see third-string quarterback Tyler Thigpen get a chance. Heโs young, mobile and could be the playmaker under center the Dolphins need.
Maybe they win an extra game or two with Pennington at the helm, but is it really enough to propel this team into the playoffs?
Time will tell.
