Updated Nov 13, 2010 8:10 PM ET
DAVIE, FLA.
Tony Sparano let his team know Chad Henne wasn’t the only member of the Miami Dolphins who failed.
Although Henne was touted as the long-term answer at quarterback, Sparano had ample justification to start veteran Chad Pennington beginning with Sunday’s home game against Tennessee. Henne wouldn’t have gotten pulled if he saw the field better, connected on more deep passes (especially to wide receiver Brandon Marshall) or guided an offense that ranks 31st in touchdowns into the end zone more frequently.
With an 11-10 record after 21 career NFL starts, Henne is best described as average – just like the Dolphins (4-4).
When addressing the switch with his squad Wednesday, Sparano reminded players that Henne’s supporting cast didn’t do enough to help him keep the job.
“We are all responsible, myself included,” Sparano told FOXSports.com after Thursday’s practice. “Every player in that room is responsible when something like that happens.”
The comments reflect Sparano’s overall vibe about his club. If his entire roster doesn’t buy into more self-responsibility, the “spark” that Sparano hopes Pennington provides will fizzle before it ever gets lit.
“We don’t think it’s our opponents that are doing this to us. We’re killing ourselves before we even get an opportunity,” Dolphins wide receiver Davone Bess said. “We have to really look at ourselves and see which way we want to go. If we want to be great, be great. If we want to be mediocre, keep doing what we’re doing.”
What the Dolphins are doing is reflective of a .500 team. Miami has a 4-1 record on the road but lost all three of its home games to AFC foes with winning marks (Pittsburgh, New England and the New York Jets).The other loss came last Sunday to Baltimore (6-3). Falling to Tennessee (5-3) would put the Dolphins in a deeper hole when it comes to favorable playoff tiebreaker scenarios – provided Miami even gets into that mix.
The Dolphins had a good chance to win in all four of their losses, which Sparano admits is “driving me crazy.” They even led New England 7-6 at halftime of last month’s 41-14 loss before special-teams mistakes and a Henne interception returned for a touchdown led to Miami’s unraveling.
Sparano fired his special teams coach after the game. Henne lost his job five weeks later.
“It’s not just one guy,” Dolphins left tackle Jake Long said. “The whole offense played a part in that.”
The Ravens game serves as a microcosm of Miami’s overall issues. Henne threw three interceptions although two stemmed from receiver error. The Dolphins had a touchdown on their opening possession but were forced to settle for a field goal on a later drive that reached the Baltimore 1-yard line when Henne missed a wide-open Anthony Fasano in the end zone. Dan Carpenter’s string of 14 consecutive field goals – the biggest scoring punch Miami has provided in recent weeks – later ended with a missed 46-yarder.
The benefits Miami derived from running the Wildcat offense in 2008 have faded with opposing defenses having become wise to the scheme. The Dolphins are 16th overall in rushing, which put even more pressure on Henne to carry the load. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combined for a mere 11 carries against Baltimore.
The defense and special teams further compounded the problems. The Ravens were forced into just one punt attempt and turned that into a successful fourth-down conversion with a fake. The Dolphins failed to force a turnover – cornerback Sean Smith dropped an interception he easily could have returned for a touchdown -- and have only eight on the season. With the Dolphins also lacking a dangerous returner, Miami has started only two drives in opposing territory all year.
With the season slipping away, Sparano was desperate enough to make a move that severely undermines Henne’s chance to become the franchise quarterback Miami has sorely lacked since Dan Marino’s retirement 10 years ago.
“You can’t change the whole team,” said Dolphins offensive coordinator Dan Henning, who also is feeling heat for Henne’s failings. “I think (Henne’s benching) sends a message to the team that 4-4 is not what we want. You take on a guy (in Pennington) who might bring in a different spark and attitude.
“Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t. But obviously Tony thinks he can.”
In a best-case scenario, Pennington will deliver the same solid play that helped Miami rebound from a 1-15 record in 2007 to 11-5 in Sparano’s first year as head coach. Pennington lost his job last year after undergoing season-ending shoulder injury. He was re-signed as an insurance policy in case Henne was injured or didn’t pan out.
Pennington has tried to say all the right things this week about the situation. He is a team player and has a close friendship with Henne. Pennington, though, is undoubtedly juiced about the opportunity. The energy was palpable during Friday morning pre-practice stretching when Pennington performed his own dance moves to Eminem’s Lose Yourself that was blaring over the loud speakers.
Pennington has a better comfort level with Henning, who was his first NFL offensive coordinator with the New York Jets. He will probably try connecting more with Marshall, who has 52 catches but isn’t making the game-changing impact expected when acquired in an offseason trade with Denver. What Pennington lacks arm strength he compensates for with savvy and efficiency. He has thrown only nine interceptions in his past 372 attempts.
That being said, I consider Pennington the kind of quarterback who is good enough to get you beat in the first round of the playoffs. The fact Miami reverted to the 34-year-old also speaks poorly for its long-term prospects at football’s most important position. The Dolphins thought they finally had an answer in 2008 when selecting Henne in the second round and using the first overall pick on Long. Henne now looks more like Brian Brohm than Atlanta’s Matt Ryan, the quarterback Miami let slip away.
At this point, the Dolphins can only hope Henne rebounds from this benching in the same way that Sunday’s opposing starter – Tennessee’s Vince Young – did when he got yanked in favor of a veteran.
“There’s no reason why this guy can’t be a good quarterback in this league,” Henning said of Henne. “He’s got the tools, he’s got the work ethic to the nth degree and he’s a very tough guy. He’ll come back from this.”
We’ll soon know whether the 2010 Dolphins can do the same.
