Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne made his first comments since the booing and "We Want Orton" chants at Sun Life Stadium Monday night. Speaking with Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Henne opened up about what the actions of the fans meant to him.
When asked about the situation, Henne said, "When you are a Miami Dolphins fan, hopefully you are cheering for the Miami Dolphins." He then added, "We'll hear the same sort of noise when we are at away games."
He then continued, saying, "I'm human. Deep down inside it hurts." He also told Kelly, critisicim is a part of playing quarterback, and that he is using it as motivation. "It's tough to be a quarterback," he concluded.
Henne, who many have seen as a robot in his two years in Miami, admits that he does feel the fans jeers, but also immediately adds that he recognizes it as part of the job, and that he is using it to get better.
However, if you read Pro Football Talk's article, written by Michael David Smith, about the same interview, you would think it's another symptom of the Chad Henne collapse. Entitled "Chad Henne says Orton chants hurt his feelings," the entire article is slanted towards the Dolphins' quarterback not being able to perform.
From the article, "Henne said he understands that criticism is part of the job — 'It’s tough to be a quarterback,' he said — but he’d prefer that Dolphins fans give him a positive reception."
Smith then concludes, "Henne’s comments are refreshingly honest — most players would claim they can just brush the criticism off. But the comments won’t do anything to make Dolphins fans like him more. In fact, Henne may have ensured with his words that the "We want Orton" chants will get louder."
It's a common problem with the media, and one that will never be fixed. Personal bias will always seep into a story. While Omar Kelly, who is often called a "Henne Hater," is trying to bring out the improvements and positives of Henne, Pro Foootball Talk/NBC Sports' Smith obviously want to continue to swing the fans against Henne.
Whatever your feelings of Henne, media reports continually bashing the young Dolphins player will never allow him to succeed. At some point, you have to accept that, along with all the problems he has, Chad Henne actually does have some positives.