Miami Dolphins: Why Chad Henne Isn't the Biggest Problem in Miami

By now, you will have undoubtedly heard of the "Suck for Luck" campaign.

Starting out life as an ironic Twitter hash tag, it has evolved into a beacon of hope for fans who feel they otherwise have none. Stanford's Andrew Luck is the most hyped college quarterback prospect since the days of Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf, and if scouting reports are accurate, you won't see him playing in your team's colors next season if they go 4-12 or 5-11.

You're going to need to suck way more than that.

In the half-empty Sun Life Stadium, a number of Miami Dolphins fans are already on board, waving their Andrew Luck posters in a mixture of defiance and gallows humour. The on-field product has betrayed their loyalty; they are the new Unknown Fans, minus the brown paper bag.

A similar sentiment is felt over in Indianapolis, too, but they are only half-joking; the Colts' faithful expect to see Peyton Manning again one day, which softens the blow of their toils with Kerry Collins and Curtis Painter under center.

The Dolphins, on the other hand, have no cause for optimism. Maligned starting quarterback Chad Henne was relentlessly booed during training camp by fans baying for a sea change. Matt Moore and Sage Rosenfels will not be what they had in mind.

The story of Henne's selection in the second round of the 2008 draft, like many stories in the NFL, starts with Bill Parcells. Ben Volin in the Palm Beach Post reminds us that Parcells saw value in drafting a left tackle with the first-overall pick and a quarterback later on; while the tackle ended up being a solid contributor (Jake Long), the decision to pass on Matt Ryan looks increasingly suspect—and a bit cheap.

In his three and a bit seasons before landing on IR with a separated left shoulder, Henne has rarely looked more than a game manager, and more damningly, he hasn't been an upgrade over the man he replaced, Chad Pennington.

However, despite a 7-9 season in 2010, there was signs of progress, particularly on defense. The addition of pass-rusher Cameron Wake complemented the acquisition of Karlos Dansby and the drafting of Koa Misi nicely. The team was in the top half of the league in both rush and pass defense. Miami was building themselves a reputation for being a hard-nosed, tough to beat team.

So where did it all go wrong?

It all starts with three men: Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, general manager Jeff Ireland and CEO Mike Dee. They have been responsible for fanning the flames of the over-worked rumor mill in Miami that has served to undermine the head coach and quarterback in equal measures, turning off fans in the process.

Let's start with the Jim Harbaugh flirtation. His attempted recruitment back in January remains unsubstantiated, in that Stephen Ross never confirmed a meeting, but when major media outlets pick up on an alleged job offer for a position that isn't vacant, the Dolphins front office was always going to struggle to emerge with much credit.

Meanwhile, the current head coach, Tony Sparano, kept his own counsel and carried himself with dignity throughout. Unfortunately, there are no prizes for strong character traits in head coaching; this is a results business, and an 0-4 start this season, combined with a career 27-29 record, puts Sparano firmly on the hot seat.

But if the players have mentally checked out on Sparano and his message, well, you can thank Ross for that. The roster lacks veteran leadership in the locker room, which would have been a prized commodity during the bye week.

As things stand, there is little to suggest that the team's fortunes have a chance of changing this Monday night in East Rutherford, when the Dolphins travel to the New York Jets. Sparano has to shoulder his portion of the blame for the malaise in Miami, but a failed offensive game plan and a defense in free-fall rest with coordinators Brian Daboll and Mike Nolan.

Not long after the lockout was lifted, rumors linking Denver Broncos' Kyle Orton with a trade to replace Chad Henne were rampant. You'd think that given Jeff Ireland's vocal support for Henne earlier in the year, he would move quickly to squash such murmurings. But talk of a deal persisted, yet nothing materialised.

I've never worked in the front office of an NFL franchise. But I would want to give my starting quarterback every chance to succeed; endorsing his status as a team leader and maintaining his confidence are essential ingredients in the overall picture.

I have no problem with a GM going after a replacement for a lackluster quarterback. Doing so under the glare of the media, however, is naive at best, disrespectful at worst, and embarrassing for all should it end in failure.

Put simply, the Dolphins have conveyed a message to the team and their fan base: We have no faith in our coach or quarterback. But for now, we're stuck with them. 

The fans have been quick to pick up on the vote of no-confidence and have stayed away in droves. The front office response to the swathes of empty seats has been ruthlessly business-like; if they can't sell the Dolphins to locals, why not rent the house to the opposition?

Charles Joel of Yahoo! Sports drew from an article in the Sun Sentinel, who reported that the 2009 BCS-winning Florida Gators will be commemorated during the Dolphins' clash with Tim Tebow's Denver Broncos on October 23 at Sun Life Stadium.

I can't see the home crowd—many of whom double-up as Miami Hurricanes followers—relishing a love-in between their pro opponents and their college rivals, and I wouldn't be surprised if the move backfires on Mike Dee in the long term.

If the Dolphins hope to draft Andrew Luck in next year's draft, they are definitely going the right way about it. They certainly suck enough. Just don't thank Chad Henne for the state they're in.