Training Camp Showdown - QB - Miami Dolphins
Chad Henne vs Chad Pennington
Chad Henne
Chad Henne is ready to become the starter for the Miami Dolphins. He has sat one year behind Chad "Noodle Arm" Pennington and has been able to learn from the veteran. He played at the end of one game last year when Pennington couldn't get it done. He mopped up the field and had a decent outing 7/12 for 67 yards. The next week they unleashed wildcat offense, which made Pennington better by proxy. Pennington also had a favorable schedule, which included teams such as Buffalo (2x), Oakland, Seattle, St Louis, San Fran, KC, and Denver. I can count 8 wins based just on a favorable schedule; any decent QB could win with just a strong running game and good defense. The future is now, Henne has all the parts around him to start a great career in the NFL. In order for a rookie QB to suceed in the NFL he need a strong running game, and a great defense. Henne has that, and he has the benefit of having one year of experience.
Chad Pennington
Penning delivered the ultimate f- you to Jets fans last year guiding the Dolphins to an 11-5 record, a season in which they set the record for fewest turnovers by a team. Pennington was not spectacular but he never put the team in position to lose games and if not for his name being Chad Pennington would have won the MVP award of Peyton Manning. Pennington has developed a connection with the receivers in the Dolphins offense and even after Ronnie Brown and Greg Camarillo were out for significant time he go the ball to whoever was on the field.
Conclusion
The battle of the Chads is a tough battle, but only one Chad came out on top. Chad Pennington should remain the starter in Miami. He had great numbers last year, and hopefully he can transfer his success into this season. You really don't want to mess with a good thing, and until Pennington screws things up considerably, I don't see Henne starting until next year. Unfortunately for Henne he'll most likely find himself as the #3 QB on game days this season unless the Dolphins choose to keep 3 quarterbacks on the roster. If the Dolphins plan to use Pat White in the wildcat role, Henne will need to be listed as the 3rd QB on game days otherwise if they run the Wildcat offense White would need to stay in the rest of the game according to the emergency QB rules.
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