Something I noticed about Henne's throwing motion

[Bumrush]

OK, I am not one to claim to be an expert on football mechanics, the last time I played a game was probably over a decade ago and it was flag football :D

With that being said, I noticed that Henne stares down his receivers quite often, which I can only assume is something the coaches can fix with proper training and guidance.. Now the reason for this post is something else I have noticed he does- Shuffle his feet a bit before throwing.. A few other QB's come to mind that did that a lot, one being the disaster AJ Feeley, and the second being the hall of famer in Peyton Manning.. But Manning does that a lot when he is rattled, if you noticed his games against NE during the playoffs, he looked like he was dancing out there.. Marino, from what I remember, was usually set when he threw, and avoided pressure by mastering the sidestep or quick release..

So my question is, what causes QB's to shuffle their feet? Is it a nervous tick? Is this something that can be coached out of a player or is inherent to their throwing motion?

 

[Frank B]

I'm no expert on QB play, but I think footwork is very different for each QB. It just depends on what works for the QB and what works for the offense. You'll notice that many west coast offense QBs tend to be very active with their feet. In that offense, being able to go through your progressions and shift from one target to the other using your feet is important. In timing oriented offenses like those of Mike Martz, he teaches QBs to plant their back foot on a 3-5-7 step drop and throw on time to a spot based on what he reads in the defense. Those QBs have no time to bounce and shuffle in the pocket.

With Henne, I don't know what they're teaching him. I'm not worried about it because shuffling his feet in the manner that he does might be how he gets his legs under him and his body in proper position...as Manning does.

 

[fishypete]

If you really look close you'll see that Henne has many qualites that Marino had as a QB. One of the most important is making quick decisions....another is having a quick release...and another a strong arm to make all the throws...I could care less at this time and I don't see having shuffling feet a problem....especially when he seems to hit his target more than not. When you remember he has only had 12 attempts so far...and lousy receivers to work with and against a team that knew he was going to throw...he did fine.

 

[Locke]

Both can be coached. What makes it difficult is that he has probably done them both for a pretty long time. Changing habit is among the most difficult things for someone to do. Personally, I don't think the feet shuffling is that big of a deal. In fact, I think if he did it on his pump fakes and delayed hand-offs, he could sell those pretty nicely.

Regardless, those are 2 examples of why Henne should not be starting this season. The raw talent is there, no doubt. He just isn't ready from the mental side of the game. Everyone is calling for Henne because he got a touchdown against Arizona. Big deal, he was playing a prevent defense that had not game-planned him. Any QB could have stepped in and succeeded there. A few minor tweaks, or major in the case of his staring down receivers, and he'll be ready to step in and have success much like Aaron Rodgers......

 

[kingjust30]

U Mention That Manning Does That When He Is Rattled, But I Think Manning Always Does That In Every Game. And I Like It Because It Enables Him 2 Change Direction Quick.if He Is Staring Right While Doing The Happy Feet And He Than Sees A Wide Open Wr All The Way On The Left It Is Real Easy 2 Just Jump Left And Than Gun The Ball .but What The Hell Do I Know I Played Wr My Whole Life.

 

[Mr. Magoo]

If you really look close you'll see that Henne has many qualites that Marino had as a QB. One of the most important is making quick decisions....another is having a quick release...and another a strong arm to make all the throws...I could care less at this time and I don't see having shuffling feet a problem....especially when he seems to hit his target more than not. When you remember he has only had 12 attempts so far...and lousy receivers to work with and against a team that knew he was going to throw...he did fine.

I like Henne, but you can hardly say he has a quick release. He definitely drops his wrist and drives it from his waist, much like Kerry Collins and Byron Leftwich (and Pennington, as well).

Now that isn't a fatal flaw. Indeed, it has it's advantages (more windup usually means more velocity). But in the NFL, where milliseconds matter, it's better to be able to throw it hard with minimal windup, typified by the releases of guys like Marino, Namath and, oh, John Beck.

But certainly, it's not everything, either. Vince Young has a quick release, too. So did Joe Gillis of the Steelers way back in the day. Being a good NFL quarterback is firstly about how your mind sees the field, and secondly how your body gets it there. There are a lot more guys out there who can do the second than can do the first. What you need is a guy that does both.

 

[gota]

Both can be coached. What makes it difficult is that he has probably done them both for a pretty long time. Changing habit is among the most difficult things for someone to do. Personally, I don't think the feet shuffling is that big of a deal. In fact, I think if he did it on his pump fakes and delayed hand-offs, he could sell those pretty nicely.

Regardless, those are 2 examples of why Henne should not be starting this season. The raw talent is there, no doubt. He just isn't ready from the mental side of the game. Everyone is calling for Henne because he got a touchdown against Arizona. Big deal, he was playing a prevent defense that had not game-planned him. Any QB could have stepped in and succeeded there. A few minor tweaks, or major in the case of his staring down receivers, and he'll be ready to step in and have success much like Aaron Rodgers......

I am pretty sure they weren't in prevent. They blitzed him quite a bit.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

I'm no expert on QB play, but I think footwork is very different for each QB. It just depends on what works for the QB and what works for the offense. You'll notice that many west coast offense QBs tend to be very active with their feet. In that offense, being able to go through your progressions and shift from one target to the other using your feet is important. In timing oriented offenses like those of Mike Martz, he teaches QBs to plant their back foot on a 3-5-7 step drop and throw on time to a spot based on what he reads in the defense. Those QBs have no time to bounce and shuffle in the pocket.

With Henne, I don't know what they're teaching him. I'm not worried about it because shuffling his feet in the manner that he does might be how he gets his legs under him and his body in proper position...as Manning does.

This is very accurate....

Manning shuffles his feet in the pocket (it's very annoying to watch) but he's moving TOWARDS the line of scrimmage when he's doing it. He does on just about every passing play, but it gets noticeably worse when he's rattled.

Eli even did it to the same magnitude when he came out of Ole Miss, and even his first few seasons in the NFL, but as he's calmed that down a bit, his quality of play has increased dramatically. He doesn't do it as much as Peyton does now.

Mike Martz offense requires the QB to drop 3,5,7 steps....hitch..and throw based on timing. You have to have a quality NFL caliber arm to do this. The ball has to come out immediately after the hitch...otherwise the timing is off.

Colt Brennan frustrated Martz to no end at the senior bowl because he had to double hitch to muster up enough arm strength to make the throw outside the hash marks on an out route....disrupting the timing.

I've never noticed Henne shuffling his feet....in fact, I thought he had the most polished footwork of any of the QB prospects in the 2008 draft from the standpoint of dropping back due to the pro style offense he played in....even better than Matt Ryan's footwork. But all things considered, Ryan was still the superior prospect....Ryan had improved his footwork dramatically from BC's bowl game at the end of the season to his pro day workout in front of scouts.....solidifying his position as a top 5 pick.

Henne's flaw is that he does tend to stare down receivers....but that can, and will be coached rather easily in the NFL once he developes a chemistry with his WR's and understands the offense better.