I was listening to WFAN, as I usually do - mainly because no other sports radio network comes close to the job that WFAN does, even if it is a NY station.

Mike Francesa, as some may or may not know, is very close to Bill Parcells from Bill's days in New York with the Giants.  And Francesa, in the past, has been right on when sharing with his listeners some of the thoughts that Parcells has on certain players and things like that.

Well just a few moments ago, a Dolphins fan called into Francesa to ask him what he knows about Parcells' feelings towards Chad Henne.  And Francesa, at first, said that he doesn't ask Bill to comment on his players like that.  But then Francesa offered up this nugget:

Do they like him?  Yes, they do like him.  They think he’s going to be a very good quarterback.  Very good.  Do they think they found their future quarterback?  Yes they do.  They’re in no rush to put him in, but they do think he will be a very good quarterback in the league.

Nothing earth-shattering here.  But it's just fun to hear, especially on a NY sports radio station.

And just to add one note: I think this week could possibly be a week where Henne gets some playing time.  But to do so, the Dolphins are going to have to be at least 17 points up in the 4th quarter.  So if the Dolphins play perfectly and win a game that they should - one in which they are 8 or 9 point favorites at home against a 2-6 team that is flying across the country - then we could get a chance to see Henne work in some "mop-up" duty...in a win, not a loss like back in week 2.

One of the things we like to do here each week is talk with an opposing blogger and learn about the opposition.  And that's why Brian Galliford of Buffalo Rumblings will join us twice this week in preparation for Sunday's Dolphins/Bills game.

Today, Brian answers 3 questions about his 5-1 Bills team.  I have also answered 3 questions about the Dolphins - which you can check out over at his site.

Matty I: Alright - be honest.  Did you really think the Bills could be this good this quick to start the season?  And who/what have been some of the key reasons as to why the Bills have been as good as they have been?

Brian G: Honestly?  I thought they were going to be good.  I didn't think they'd be 5-1.  I might have guessed (and subsequently prayed for) 4-2, but clearly, they've exceeded everyone's expectations up here.  We haven't had many pleasant surprises in this area for quite some time; we've had a whole bunch of them this year.

DE Aaron Schobel said it best: when asked to name the biggest factor in the Bills' surge up the standings this season, he succinctly replied, "We have a quarterback now."  Trent Edwards is the difference; a better defense certainly doesn't hurt.  But I sense you're about to ask me questions about both of those topics...

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So we've been debating here for a couple of days now about at what point the Dolphins should make the switch to Chad Henne at quarterback - despite Chad Pennington's fairly reliable and consistent play. 

Now we have another opinion on the subject.  But this time, it's from Dan Marino - who spoke with Joe Rose this morning on his radio show.  And when Dan Marino speaks, you listen.  Below is an excerpt from the PBP on what was said:

“The Dolphins should be glad they have a guy like Chad Pennington,” Marino said this morning on his weekly show with Joe Rose on WQAM. “I think Chad’s plenty good enough for them to win some games this year and continue to develop the franchise to the point where it’s better in the future.”

But Marino also thinks the Dolphins should be glad to have rookie Chad Henne, who might have the strongest arm by a Miami QB since you know who.

Pennington might be the best Dolphins QB to play here since Marino himself, but Henne, not Pennington, is the future.

At some point, Marino believes the Dolphins might have to turn the page from Pennington to Henne...Marino said if the Dolphins are out of the playoff race by December, it’s time to give Henne a shot.

“i don’t see any problem with playing him,” Marino said. “This is a team that is trying to rebuild.”

Notice, though, that Dan said that it would be time to give Henne some starts if the Dolphins are out of the playoff race by December.

And that's basically exactly what I said in today's earlier post.  Starting Henne in two or three weeks doesn't make sense.

I also just want to highlight this blog post written by Omar Kelly - who is not in favor of starting Henne.  Feel free to check that article out.

Thoughts below...

I want to talk a little bit more about some of the fallout from Sunday's 14-point loss to the Ravens.  But first, I have an announcement.

I officially love Jake Long.  In fact, I'm prepared to now own my first ever offensive lineman jersey. 

I went back and re-watched some of Jake's play from Sunday, re-read the compliments that he was given by Ravens LB Terrell Suggs, and read Nicky's comments on Jake in his "gameballs post."  And I now am officially sold on him.

Thank you and back to our regularly scheduled post.

One other note.  As I was watching the Patriots trounce the Broncos in New England, I couldn't help but recall those same fans - fans that were all smiles and were cheering and dancing and celebrating - leaving with 14+ minutes left in a week 3 game against a certain NFL team.  And I now appreciate that week 3 victory even more!

THERE'S A STORM A-BREWIN'
That's right, folks.  You can sense it.  It's coming.  In fact, for some, it's already here.

That's right.  I'm talking about Hurricane Henne.  Regular community members here at TP already know that the Hurricane Henne bandwagon is headed by our very own 'W NY Fins Fan."  And now even the media is chiming in.  So I suppose I should take a few moments and quickly address this situation and provide my worthless opinion.  After all, opinions are like a--holes: everybody has one and most stink.

I've long been a believer that having a rookie QB sit for his entire 1st season is the way to go in most situations - as long as he's getting practice reps each week.  When the Dolphins signed Chad Pennington, I was skeptical.  But Pennington has grown on me since day one.  And even after those first 2 losses, I still felt that starting Henne in a game was a bad idea right now.

But I'm beginning to change my tune.  Why?  Two reasons.  First of all, the offensive line is coming together nicely - especially in pass protection.  Give this unit a few more games to gel and I'll no longer worry about our rookie QB (and potential franchise QB) getting killed each week.  And second of all, it's clear that the threat of Miami's running game is really what opposing teams game plan around.  Ricky Williams is still a solid runner and Ronnie Brown has proven that he's healthy and is as good as ever.  Therefore, our rookie QB would likely have some fair opportunities for success throwing the ball as opposing defensive coordinators game plan to stop the run.  We could even see a few long balls to our favorite 9th overall pick.

Yes, I'll admit that the thought of a play-action bomb from Chad Henne to Ted Ginn is freakin' enticing.

So the question would them become, "when?"  And that's the tricky thing about this.  First, let me say that I'm all in favor of what the coaching staff is already willing to do - play Henne late in blow-out games (a la the Arizona game).  But as far as a timetable for when Henne could possibly start?  Hard to say.

So let me say this.  I wouldn't be opposed to seeing Henne start if/when the Dolphins lose for the 8th time this year.  Until then, I say you go out and play to make the playoffs.  Will they?  No - probably not.  But you can't throw in the white flag already.  It looks bad to the rest of the players on this team.  And there's really no way - outside of Pennington self-destructing - you can try to sell the idea that Henne gives the Dolphins a better chance to win than Pennington does.

So that's my plan - and I'm sticking to it.

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Is it a good thing or a bad thing to not be able to single out any one player or any one unit and blame them for this loss today?

I'm not sure.  But I will tell you that this game wasn't won or lost on any one play - or one drive.  No - it was a collection of drives.  And it's a tough loss because of how winnable this game was...if the Dolphins had brought their "A" game.

But right from the beginning, things didn't seem right.  The Dolphins didn't come out with the same kind of intensity that the Ravens did.  And the Ravens simply came out, hit the Dolphins right in the mouth, and the Fins didn't respond.

Let's talk about some of the headlines.

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES AGAIN A THEME
For the second game in a row, the theme of the day was missed opportunities.  The Dolphins left too many points out there on the field while failing to capitalize on some opportunities defensively to make a big play and prevent the Ravens from putting up some points.

The very first drive, to me, set the tone.  The Dolphins were able to drive down the field, converting two 3rd downs in the process, to get inside Baltimore's 10 yard line.  But the Dolphins were unable to to get into the endzone despite having 2 plays from inside the 5 yard line.  Miami settles for the FG and the Dolphins leave 4 points on the field.

Then, following the terrible interception return for a TD by Terrell Suggs, the Dolphins had a chance to bounce right back and tie the game up.  In just 4 plays, the Dolphins were suddenly at Baltimore's 11 yard line.  But following an incomplete pass on first down, the Dolphins got conservative and ran the ball on 2nd & 10 and 3rd & 11 - settling for a FG rather than being aggressive and going for the endzone through the air.  Obviously some questionable play-calling - and 4 more points left on the field.

Defensively, the Dolphins missed opportunities as well.  The biggest was on Baltimore's final possession of the 1st half.  The Ravens had the ball at Miami's 11 yard line on a 2nd & 9.  Joe Flacco stared down his receiver and Will Allen jumped the route.  But he failed to make the interception - not an "easy" catch but one that good cornerbacks make to change the game.  On the next play, Flacco found Derek Mason wide open underneath and Mason got into the endzone.  That's 7 more points left on the field.

The Dolphins lost by 14.  I just highlighted a net of 15 points that might have changed the game.  Missed opportunities indeed.

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If you've been visiting this site for a while, then you certainly remember some of the heated debates we had around here about Matt Ryan and whether or not he should be Miami's pick at #1.  As the draft approached, I know I made it clear that I was hoping for one of the two Longs - Jake or Chris.  So I was, and still am, very happy with the choice that the Dolphins made, making Jake Long the #1 overall pick last April.

But Matt Ryan's recent success has made some fans begin to re-think the idea that Jake Long was the right pick.  Perhaps it would have been better for the Fins to take Matt Ryan.  These fans would tell you that as a starter from day one in Atlanta, Ryan has led his team to a 4-2 record and is on pace for 3,104 yards passing while throwing 5 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions - a very good ratio for a rookie QB.

But I'm not buying it - and neither, apparently, are the Dolphins.  Instead, they passed on Ryan and selected a franchise LT.  By the way, they also think they've found a franchise QB as well.  Dolphins offensive coordinator Dan Henning had this to say to the media:

"We think Chad Henne can play just as well as [Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco] can. I'll tell you that right now. I think when he gets his opportunity he will play well. Every time we've given him an opportunity, he has played well. We also like Chad Pennington. So I think the quarterback situation here as it stands right now is better than it was Feb. 1st. I'll tell you that right now."

Who am I to argue with that?  I'm convinced.

But seriously, there's no reason not to think Henne will be at least as good as Matt Ryan has been.  In his only real regular season action, Henne went 7 for 12 for 67 yards, leading a drive for a touchdown.  And on that drive, Henne made some very nice throws into a couple of tight spots. 

In my opinion, I do not have any regrets on what the Dolphins did on draft day in terms of their first 3 picks.

But since this is a democracy, I'll ask you guys to tell me if the Dolphins made the right decision to pass on Matt Ryan in favor of Jake Long and then take Chad Henne in round 2.

So we're now at the quarter-pole of the season.  That seems like a good time to do a review of the team.

We'll start with the offense.

I'll just provide some talking points.  Then I'll leave it up to you guys, the great community members, to tell us your thoughts.

QUARTERBACKS
What a difference a year makes.  At this point last season, Miami's starting QB - Trent Green, who was supposed to be a stabilizing force for the offense - had completed just 60% of his passes and had thrown 7 interceptions.  Not exactly a stabilizing force, right?

This year, Chad Pennington was brought in to be a similar player - the veteran leader of the offense.  And he has completed 67% of his passes and has only thrown 1 interception.  More importantly, Pennington has actually been what we had hoped to have in Green last year.  He's been the true leader of this offense.  And statistically speaking, he's on pace for a solid season: 300/448, 3268 yards, 12 TDs, and 4 interceptions.  That works for me.

But perhaps the most interesting stat is how good Pennington has been when faced with the blitz.  Against a blitz, Pennington is 35/47 for 363 yards and a touchdown.

We also need to talk quickly about the one drive that Chad Henne has led.  He's clearly the QB of the future for this team and he went 7/12 for 67 yards, leading a drive that resulted in a Ronnie Brown TD run.

All in all, I've been pleasantly surprised with the play at QB.

Grade: B+

RUNNING BACK
After a slow start where the Dolphins were only able to run for 121 yards combined in their first 2 games, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams have exploded.  Thanks in part to the "Wildcat" formation, the Dolphins have rushed for 383 yards in their last 2 games.  For the season, Miami's rushing offense is ranked 10th in the league and Ronnie Brown is tied for 1st in the NFL with 6 rushing TDs.

Speaking of Ronnie, I'm not sure what more I can say.  He's proven all the doubters wrong and is only just now beginning to get back to where he was before his torn ACL.  He's only going to get better - and that's a scary thought for the rest of the NFL.

Meanwhile, Ricky has been a bit overshadowed.  But it's his presence that really allows the "Wildcat" to work as effectively as it has.  The defense has no choice but to respect the possibility of Ronnie handing the ball off to Ricky as he comes across from left to right.  But as the season progresses, I expect Ricky to get more involved.

Grade: A

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Alright.  So yesterday I posted a little idea I had about John Beck possibly getting some starts later this season.  But then it was made clear that most felt if anyone besides Chad Pennington was to get any snaps (or starts) this season, it should be Chad Henne. 

So let me preface this by saying that I really do like what I've seen from Henne so far - both in the preseason and the regular season.  I'm as excited as all of you are to see him on the field and I'm beginning to become optimistic (cautiously, of course) about Henne's future in the NFL - even after just 12 regular season pass attempts.

So let's make this post about Henne and not about Beck or Pennington.  This post is simply about whether or not it's a smart move to start your potential franchise QB during his rookie season.  Now I'll leave my own opinion out of this and let you draw your own conclusions.  I'll just provide you with some of the facts.

What I decided to do was to take a look at every quarterback that was drafted in the first 2 rounds of the NFL Draft between 1998 and 2005.  I left out the 3 most recent drafts simply because of sample size and a lack of meaningful data.  Too many unknowns still exist on guys like Matt Leinart, Vince Young, and Jay Cutler (for example).  And I only went back to 1998 because the game has changed a lot over the years.  So I don't think that bringing up a guy like Dan Marino is very fair considering defensive schemes have become much more complex and the abilities of defenders, physically speaking, have evolved - with stronger, faster, and quicker players making up defenses now.  and let's not forget how much more scrutiny players are under these days from fans and the media.  So I tried to keep this somewhat relative to today's NFL - and not the NFL of years past.

Between '98 and '05, 28 quarterbacks were drafted in rounds 1 and 2.  I've divided them into 2 categories.  Those who started at least 1 game during their rookie season and those who did not start a single game as a rookie.  In parenthesis are the number of starts each QB made during their rookie season:

Started at least 1 game - Peyton Manning (16), Ryan Leaf (9), Charlie Batch (12), Tim Couch (14), Donovan McNabb (6), Akili Smith (4), Cade McNown (6), Shaun King (5), Michael Vick (2), Quincy Carter (8), David Carr (16), Joey Harrington (12), Patrick Ramsey (5), Byron Leftwich (13), Kyle Boller (9), Rex Grossman (3), Eli Manning (7), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Alex Smith (7)

Started 0 games - Daunte Culpepper, Chad Pennington (sat 2 years), Drew Brees, Marques Tuiasosopo (only 88 career pass attempts), Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers (sat 2 years), J.P. Losman, Aaron Rodgers (sat 3 years), Jason Campbell

Those are two very interesting lists, right?

Let's first talk about the group of 19 who started at least a game as a rookie.  Of those 19, how many would you say are successful NFL quarterbacks?  I'd say just 5 of them are (both Mannings, McNabb, Roethlisberger, and Vick).  And yes, I included Vick because he was a winning QB before the whole disgusting, unspeakable situation played out and sent him to prison.  So that's 5 out of 19 - or 26%.

Now let's take a look at the 9 who didn't start a single game as a rookie.  Of those 9, I'd say that 7 of them are (or were) successful NFL quarterbacks (all but Losman and Tuiasosopo).  Culpepper, before his knee injury, was a very good player.  And Pennington, despite what he is now, is - statistically speaking - the most accurate NFL passer of all-time.  So, again in my opinion, 7 of these 9 are successful NFL quarterbacks - or 78%.

Now for those of you who are more quantitative in nature, let's quickly talk about the average QB rating of these two groups of QBs.  The average rating of those passers who started at least a game as a rookie is 73.5.  And if you remove the highest of the group (Peyton Manning's 94.4) and the lowest (Ryan Leaf's 50), the adjusted average comes out to 73.67.

For the group of 9 who didn't start any games as a rookie, the average passer rating is 82.6.  And, again, if you remove the highest (Aaron Rodgers' 95.7) and lowest (Tuiasosopo's 48), the adjusted average comes out to 85.7.

Now it could just be coincidence and these little stats could mean absolutely nothing (that's for you to decide for yourself), but the data shows that it might be smarter to not start your rookie quarterback.

Noe you might ask what's the difference between starting the rookie and letting him enter the game later on.  There's a big difference.  First and foremost, the opposing defense didn't tailor a gameplan to the specific abilities and tendencies of that particular QB.  The rookie would also face less pressure from the media and fans if he wasn't expected to start the game.  So, yes, I think there's a difference.

So what should you read into these statistics?  Does it mean anything that recent QBs who didn't start any games as a rookie have been more successful, or at least have a higher success rate, than those who started some games as a rookie?  I honestly do not know. 

But what I do know is that I have a strong opinion on whether or not Chad Henne should start any games this season.  Do you?

Just one day removed from a disgraceful performance by the Dolphins in Arizona, let's talk a little bit more about the fallout from the game.

SPARANO SPEAKS
In his "day-after" press conference, head coach Tony Sparano really didn't say all too much.  After all, what could he possibly say about that performance on Sunday that would really matter at all?

But there were two things that were of note.  First off, Sparano said not to expect many, if any, lineup changes.  So take those "knee-jerk" reaction thoughts and forget about them.  (Oh, and he did say that Chad Pennington is his starting QB.  But we'll get to that in a minute)

I actually think that this is a good idea and that there shouldn't be drastic lineup changes following this debacle.  But I also think that this coaching staff should forget about those various packages that they have in place on offense - particularly at the WR spot.  How about instead of constantly mixing up which receivers are out there, the staff chooses 2 or 3 receivers and plays them more than the others.  Why not let the same 3 receivers be the top 3 in every single WR package and allow the quarterback to get into a rhythm and gain some consistency together?  Things couldn't get any worse.  And maybe, just maybe, we could find some kind of continuity on offense for the first time in about...forever.

One other thing to note from Sparano: he disclosed that he did not sleep on Sunday night.  In fact, he didn't even go home when the flight from Arizona landed.  Instead, he got right back to work by heading to the office and watching both the Cards/Fins game film as well as the Pats/Chiefs film.  In comparison, Cam Cam would have went home, would have taken a soothing bubble bath, and then hit the internet to see what people like us were saying about him.  So it's nice to have a head coach who actually works hard.

THE QB TRIO
First of all, Sparano made it perfectly clear that Chad Pennington is still this team's starting QB.  But he added that rookie Chad Henne will continue to get opportunities when games are lopsided in either way (gee, I wonder which way things will be lopsided).  Sparano added on Monday:

"As an assistant [in Dallas], we had an opportunity to play some guys and we didn't play them.  At the end of the season we didn't know a lot about those players."

Makes sense, I'd say.  And keep in mind that I'm one of those that are totally opposed to Chad Henne starting any games this season (and we'll talk more about that on Wednesday with a more detailed post).  But for him to at least get his feet wet during blowouts, a la Joe Montana in San Francisco, is probably a good idea.

But here's another idea I have - and I'm sure I'm going to get flamed for it.  Why not start John Beck later in the season if this team is, say, 0-7 or 1-8 or something like that?  After all, Sparano just said that it would be a shame if the season ended and the coaching staff didn't know a lot about some players.  What harm could it really do to see if he's improved at all?  What's the worst that could happen?

And perhaps inserting John into the starting lineup would force defenses to actually respect long passes and free up the "box" for the running game.  It's clear that opposing teams simply don't respect Pennington's arm - nor should they.  And we know that Beck, if nothing else, has a strong arm (he threw for a higher mph at the Combine than even Jay Cutler and Chad Henne did).

Even if Chad Henne is the future QB of this team, it wouldn't hurt to let John start some games later in the season - possibly to see if he's #2 QB material or to try and drum up some trade interest in him.

So what do you say?  Let John play?  Have at it below....

What can I really say other than just stating the obvious?  This team stinks.  They stunk last season.  And they might be even worse this season.

But here's the thing.  This was to be expected.  Things weren't going to change overnight simply because of a new regime and some new players.  That's not how this works.  Sure, there are times when bad teams surprise the next year.  But let's face facts:  the Dolphins lack talent.  But I didn't think things would be this bad, to be honest.

So let's get to the headlines from Sunday's debacle:

SWISS CHEESE SECONDARY
Did Tony Sparano really say a few months ago that this secondary pleasantly surprised him when he watched the tape from 2007?  Seriously?  Because the Cardinals simply made that group look like little boys among men.  The Dolphins couldn't do anything to slow down Arizona's passing attack.  And let's be honest; if the Cards wanted to, they probably could have scored 50+ points today.  Andre Goodman simply looked silly out there.  Chris Crocker apparently doesn't know how to tackle.  And Will Allen, the best corner on the team, couldn't do much to slow down Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, either.  I think the 75-yard pass play to Fitzgerald in the 1st quarter was a good example of what Allen's problem is.  He was right there with Larry, but he struggles playing the ball when the ball is in the air.  Fitzgerald just uses his size and athleticism to bring that ball in and break away.  At least Allen showed good hustle in getting up and chasing down Fitzgerald from behind.

And you have to wonder exactly what the coaching staff, Sparano and defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni specifically, did all week when game-planning.  Because I don't understand how Boldin gets matched up with a linebacker without safety help on that 1st possession by Arizona.  I don't care if it was a mental mistake by some players.  It's the coaches job to prepare these guys.  Today, the defense looked completely unprepared.

COACHES DESERVE CRITICISM
Last season, everybody wanted to blame Cam Cameron for how unprepared the Dolphins looked.  Everyone also blamed Cameron for all of the mental mistakes, missed assignments, and penalties that the players committed.  And that's fine because it is the coaching staff's job to prepare the players.  A lack of discipline is a reflection of the coaches - or so many say.

So now it's time to call out Tony Sparano and his coaches.  Besides having their team totally unprepared for this game, their players made too many mental mistakes.  They missed assignments on defense.  And the penalties were completely unacceptable.  How do you get called for 12 men on the field on a FG attempt?  That's just ridiculous and is completely the coaches' fault.  And rather than missing a FG, that drive ended with a TD by the Cardinals - opening up a 24 point lead with 10 minutes left in the 3rd and essentially ending the game.

Oh, and incase you weren't paying attention, the Dolphins got called for 12 men on the field a second time later in the game.  But the Cardinals declined the penalty because they picked up 20 yards on a Warner-to-Fitzgerald connection.  Yeah, even with 12 men on the field, this defense was inept.

All in all, the Dolphins tallied 6 penalties, with at least 3 more being called on Miami but were declined.  Lack of discipline much?  I thought that this new regime was supposed to change the culture.  All I'm seeing is much of the same - at least from my perspective.

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