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....