Henne No Stranger To Emergency Starts

Henne No Stranger To Emergency Starts

The Miami Dolphins planned to groom Chad Henne to become their starting quarterback in 2010. Instead, Henne got 20 minutes of a 23-13 loss to the Chargers and one week of practice to prepare for his first start after Chad Pennington dislocated his shoulder and tore his labrum.

Many football fans outside of Miami, Ann Arbor, Mich. (where Henne played college ball at UM) and West Lawn, Penn. (his hometown) had all but forgotten about the fourth QB taken in the 2008 NFL Draft. So when Henne turned in an energized 38-10 pasting of the Buffalo Bills in his first start last week, Miami’s first win of ’09, many were left wondering how Henne could lead such a charge with so little preparation.

Those who had followed him since his Michigan days already knew the answer to that question: this wasn’t the first time Chad Henne had to take an offense’s reins in an emergency. Heck, the last time he was a college true freshman given only 48 hours notice. Michigan entered the 2004 season ranked 8th in the country with Big Ten Conference and national title hopes within reach. However, starting quarterback Matt Gutierrez began feeling soreness in his throwing shoulder during the week leading up to the Wolverines’ season opener against Miami (OH). The diagnosis: a torn labrum. Gutierrez would be lost for the season. So, with just two days taking first-team reps, Chad Henne led Michigan to a 43-10 win over Miami (OH). And while the Wolverines finished the season with a disappointing three losses and ranked 12th in the nation, Henne enjoyed his best statistical season as a collegian.

Playing alongside star running back Mike Hart and wide receivers Braylon Edwards, Jason Avant and Steve Breaston, Henne tied Elvis Grbac’s UM single-season record for TD passes with 25, to go along with 2,743 yards passing.
Henne and the Wolverines struggled to handle expectations in his sophomore campaign. The team entered the season ranked 4th, only to finish unranked with a 7-5 record.

But in 2006, Henne led Michigan back to elite status through the first 11 games of the season. Starting with a preseason ranking of 15th, the Wolverines upset then-third-ranked Notre Dame in Week 3. In the game, Chad Henne completed 13 of 22 passes for 220 yards, threw three touchdown passes and one interception.The next eight games- all Michigan wins- set up a showdown between the #2 Wolverines and the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, played the day after legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler died.

Dubbed “The Game of the Century,” the contest lived up to its billing. Henne completed 21 of 35 passes for 267 yards and 2 TD passes.
However, Troy Smith and the Buckeyes got the better of the shootout, winning 42-39, earning Ohio State a national title shot against Florida. The Wolverines’ consolation prize was a trip to the Rose Bowl, where they lost to USC.
In that junior campaign, Henne earned Second Team All-Big Ten Conference honors, was named a Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist, and a Manning Award finalist.

The 2007 season, Henne’s last at UM, began with an historic loss to the hands of FCS (formerly Divison I-AA) two-time defending champion Appalachian St.

Ranked 5th, UM became the first ever team ranked in the AP Top 25 to lose to any FCS school.
In the Wolverines’ next game, a 39-7 loss to Oregon, Chad Henne hurt his knee, an injury that would cause him to miss the next two games.
After two wins in his absence, against Penn St. and Notre Dame, Henne returned and led Michigan to six consecutive wins, followed by losses to Wisconsin and Ohio St.
In his final game as a Wolverine, the 2008 Capital One Bowl, Henne bested ninth-ranked Florida and Tim Tebow, throwing for 373 yards, 3 TD and 2 INT. Henne was named the game’s MVP.

After the Capital One Bowl, Henne eyed the 2008 NFL draft, a draft widely considered thin of high-end quarterback prospects. Miami selected Henne with the 57th pick of the draft (2nd round), after QBs Matt Ryan (3rd pick), Joe Flacco (18th) and Brian Brohm (56th) were selected.
The Dolphins selected Henne because they liked his durability (he only missed 2 games with a knee injury in college) and his big arm. And with Miami’s offseason acquisition of Pennington, Henne would be given the chance to learn the professional ropes before being pressed into action.
Henne made his NFL regular season debut on Sept. 14, 2008 with 9:42 left in a 38-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Henne made an immediate impression, leading the Dolphins on their only touchdown of the game, a one-yard touchdown run by Ronnie Brown that capped an 18-play, 89-yard drive.

Henne would see no more action until the 2009 preseason, where he took the majority of the Dolphins’ snaps at QB.
Then Pennington went down against San Diego, and Henne became an NFL starting quarterback.
Henne subbed for Pennington in the final 20 minutes of that game, leading Miami to 10 points. Up next would be his first professional start, versus the Bills on Oct. 4. Completing 14 of 22 passes and throwing one touchdown, Henne absorbed six sacks and fumbled twice (losing neither), but managed to stay poised in victory.

Henne threw for just 115 yards, but he needed to do no more, as Ronnie Brown ran for 115 yards and 2 scores and Ricky Williams added 85 yards and another score.

Going forward, Henne will lead a team playing in the tough AFC East, where controlling the clock with solid ground game is a key to victory every week, as the Dolphins face a steady diet of tough defenses.

Dolphins fans should look for him to throw in the 175-225 yard range a week, while limiting mistakes.
In his next four games, Henne faces the Jets’ defense twice, the surprisingly tough Saints, and the Patriots. Against these defenses, a young quarterback should not take too many gambles.

However, Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano trusts his young quarterback and will let him be aggressive at times. So, if opposing defenses sleep on Henne, he may be able to pull out a few solid, 300-yard games with long TD passes. If you’re a Fantasy Football team owner, I wouldn’t advise jumping on the Chad Henne train just yet. But if you’re Dolphins Majority Owner Stephen M. Ross, then enjoy the ride.

Follow us on Twitter: @GridironExperts