Miami Fans - The Grass Is Always Greener

During the preseason, the call for Miami Dolphins' quarterback Chad Henne's head was loud and often.  His performance in the last three preseason games quieted it some, and last night's Monday Night Football game against the New England Patriots may have silenced the criticism for a week, but as soon as Henne throws an interception in a meaningful situation, it will come storming back.  Why?

Because the grass is always greener on the other side.

Since he became this team's starting quarterback, he has a below .500 record, despite finishing his first season as a starter one game over .500.  With a just over 60% completion percentage, he has thrown for over 7,000 yards, averaging 267.6 yards per game.  He has a passer rating of 86.5 over the three years.

And, he has had to deal with fans chanting their demand for a different quarterback.  

And, by the way, his name is Kyle Orton.

Just a few weeks ago, Miami Dolphins fans were demanding a trade for Orton.  He was to be the savior for the 2011 season.  He was the bridge between today, and the franchise quarterback Miami was sure to draft next year.  He was the answer to everything that ails in South Beach.

And, he starts for the Denver Broncos.

Orton finished last night's game 24-for-46 (52.2%), for 304 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.  This gave him a passer rating of 71.3 (27th in the league), or a Total QBR rating of 33.0 (21st in the NFL).  

Compare that to Henne's 30-for-49 (61.2%) for 416 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, 75.3 passer rating (13th), and 70.7 Total QBR (10th).

Maybe, Miami made the right move.  After all, Henne has a 13-14 for his career, just one game away from .500, while Orton is 11-17 in Denver, 6 back of the .500 mark, and 32-29 overall.  

Granted, some of this is talent on the team, but it's not exactly like the Dolphins are trotting out the...well...the Patriots roster, every week.  

During the fourth quarter of last night's game, Orton got the "Henne preseason treatment," having his home fans chant backup quarterback Tim Tebow's name.  From now on, this will be an issue in Denver.  In Miami, we are happy with Henne for once.  

So, instead of Orton, Miami has Henne.  Instead of starting Tebow, Denver has Orton.  

And, for fans, the grass is always greener on the other side.