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Title: Henne looks like future starter Post by: DolFan619 on August 20, 2008, 12:54:06 am http://www.miamiherald.com/588/story/649004.html
Henne looks like future starter By JEFF DARLINGTON Miami Herald You can ask about the present, and Dolphins coach Tony Sparano will tell you rookie quarterback Chad Henne continues to challenge veteran Chad Pennington for the starting job. It is a matter of debate whether you choose to believe him. Bring up the future, though, and suddenly the idea of a competition no longer seems to exist. It is barely debatable. These days, it isn't a matter of whether Henne will become Miami's starter. It is only a matter of when. ''This guy has really shown me great poise, he really has,'' Sparano said about Henne on Tuesday. ``Seeing those signs for the future is tremendous, it really is. It makes me feel comfortable.'' Some might argue that Miami fans have heard this before. After all, former Dolphins coaches thought they also had this longtime quarterback quandary under control, just as Nick Saban thought Daunte Culpepper was the answer and Cam Cameron felt comfortable with Trent Green. A rookie, though? Four months into his NFL career? This, no doubt, has a different feel. Coaches have privately endorsed Henne as the future leader of this team. Wide receivers see his poise in the huddle. Even the defensive backfield has taken notice of Henne's rapid progress, saying he isn't far from being ready to start. ''Very soon,'' cornerback Andre' Goodman said without a moment of thought Tuesday. ``As a secondary, we've been talking about him all camp. He looks ready. He looks confident and poised. You can be confident and fiery and loose, but he's also very poised. ``I don't think it's going to take long.'' CONFIDENT Even ask Henne, and the confidence that has impressed teammates and coaches can't help but bleed from him. He doesn't blink or stutter or toy with rookie clichés about being happy to be here. It is not even close. Henne, calm and cool, said he knows he can eventually start for this team. ''Yeah, I definitely think so,'' he said. ``Just the way I'm playing right now, just understanding the playbook and knowing where to go with the ball, I don't think there's any doubt.'' But even beyond the growing inevitability that Henne will eventually start, Sparano continues to say that future could come as soon as this season. It might seem tough to imagine why the Dolphins would pay nearly $8 million over two years to Pennington when they don't plan to start him, but Sparano still said he isn't afraid to play a rookie instead, noting ``if he's the best guy, I'll play him.'' When posed with a question Tuesday about whether Henne is now officially the No. 2 quarterback, Sparano didn't respond quite as some might have expected. He didn't suggest that Henne was competing with Josh McCown or John Beck for the backup job. Instead, he noted that Henne was competing with Pennington for the starting job. ''Two [or] one,'' Sparano said casually. ``I'm not sure where they [Pennington and Henne] are right now.'' Elaborating about the same subject later, Sparano said he likes having a veteran like Pennington in camp because he has a presence and a leadership in the huddle -- then adding ``but so has Henne, he really has.'' As Sparano continues to keep this competition open -- even though it still seems likely that Pennington will be the opening-day starter -- it's also important to realize that even if Pennington starts, it doesn't mean he'll finish the season. The team is aware that Pennington, in eight previous seasons, has only completed a 16-game schedule once -- in 2006. So whether Henne wins a competition now, whether he is called to replace Pennington later or whether he is groomed into the role, the signs for the future of Miami's most troubling position finally look good. For as much as Pennington seems primed to run this team today, Henne is looking more and more like the answer for tomorrow. ''I'm a humble person, but I'm very confident in what I do and how I play,'' Henne said. ``There's not one person who is going to run away with this job without me giving them a challenge first.'' Swagger? Yes, Henne has that, too. PORTER SITS OUT Linebacker Joey Porter missed practice Tuesday because of nagging injuries to his back and knee. Asked whether he would be able to return this preseason, Porter said it wasn't his decision and he would leave that up to the medical staff. . . . Cornerback Michael Lehan (ankle) returned to practice Tuesday. |