So where does Henne fit in if Pennington starts beyond 2009?

henne stays at number two, and number one when and if Penne goes down. Tom brady was in the wings for years before he got his time.

Henne is getting good pay and gaining valuable experience.

By the time he takes over he'll be a part of the nucleus and ready to step in (skills and decision making).

I think you'll see him playing and trying out the perceived big arm advantage when and if we get some big leads.

- Not much of that last year or expected early on, but conceivable if the team plays well as a team

Brady started by game 3 of his second year.

I really can't see Pennington in the mix to start in 2010. If he is, then what does that say about Henne? If Henne (or even White) is the future at the QB why not let Henne start in 2009 and trade Pennington if we can get good value for him?

I doubt henne starts this year but next year i see him starting for us. If not then he isn't developing.

I even see henne starting by mid 2009. ( if pennington falters )

If i was the coaches i would give henne a lot of reps against first teamers in pre season. We already know what penni can do.

So Sam, if Henne is our guy next year, do you want to keep Pennington through 2009 and let him walk, or would you try to trade him now? Or would you try to sign him to be a backup in 2010?

Northeast Fin Fan Wrote:
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> So Sam, if Henne is our guy next year, do you want
> to keep Pennington through 2009 and let him walk,
> or would you try to trade him now? Or would you
> try to sign him to be a backup in 2010?

The ideal thing would be to trade him now.

But if you ask me ( and this is my answer to your question ) i would let him play the 2009 season here.

I would love to have him here for 2009, and we most certainly will have him. Barring a ridiculous offer, he will be a Dolphin in 2009.

That said, as much as I would love to have Pennington here in 2009; even more than that, I would hate to let him go for nothing after the 2009 season. So my preference would be to trade him before the upcoming season for a 2nd and a 4th round pick in 2010 (as someone suggested earlier).

It all depends on how far henne has come along. If henne shows flashes of brilliance in pre season then i wouldn't mind trading pennington lets say by mid season.

The problem with a mid-season trade is that you greatly narrow the list of potential suitors. We might not find team interested in such a trade at mid-season.

Northeast Fin Fan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I would love to have him here for 2009, and we
> most certainly will have him. Barring a
> ridiculous offer, he will be a Dolphin in 2009.
>
>
> That said, as much as I would love to have
> Pennington here in 2009; even more than that, I
> would hate to let him go for nothing after the
> 2009 season. So my preference would be to trade
> him before the upcoming season for a 2nd and a 4th
> round pick in 2010 (as someone suggested earlier).

What about signing him to an extension this year, then trading him after 2010?

But are you signing him to be a starter in 2010? If so he will expect starter money. I can't imagine he will sign for backup money if he knows he is still good enough to start.

Northeast Fin Fan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The problem with a mid-season trade is that you
> greatly narrow the list of potential suitors. We
> might not find team interested in such a trade at
> mid-season.


You might find a couple of teams that might be interested in trading for pennington by mid season. Because of injuries i mean. There is always a couple of team who starting Qb goes down by midseason.

Im just saying there is a possibility.

I really am a chad pennington fan. He took this team from the gutters and took us to the playoffs. From 1-15 to 11-5. I will always be a chad pennington fan from last year on. Will always be gratefull for that.

Especially for kicking the living crap off the jets on that last game of the season last year.

I agree Sam. I'm just trying to think about the big picture and our long-term best interests. Mid-season trades aren't very common in the NFL. It would have to be a trade to a contender that suffered a mid-season injury to a QB - and that contender would have to be in a position where they didn't have a viable backup. A lousy team probably won't make a midseason trade. Whereas if you trade now, a lot of teams with young QBs may be in the market for someone with Pennington's credentials.

Brady entered the game due to an injury, not because he had beaten out the starter.

He eventually proved himself worthy ... but had NE had a strong & healthy Bledsoe, he would have likely become the starter much later.

No one has annointed Henne as yet, but if Penny gets hurt and henne steps up ... he will have earned the job.

I find that very different than trying to swap out your 1st string insurance and mentor prior to proving the youth QB as "having it" physically and mentally (leadership).

We have spent 3 consecutive second rounders and also traded a couple for aj feely trying to get a QB. Pennigton made this team click day 1, and has shown leadership and poise to boot.

IMHO - I would thus consider an up front #2 swap as foolish for the amount of risk it would bring. Just my view, doesn't mean others are not equally valued.

I understand what you're saying. The problem is that we have seen so little of Henne that it is hard to know what to expect. If he is as good as management thinks he is (Matt Ryan comparisons) then he is good enough to start now. And if he is good enough to start now why not consider trading Pennington?

I too see your position. My response would be:

1. He is good physically, and quite unproven mentally and under stress of the full job (leadership, losing a tough one, taking the knocks, execution under pressure, accuracy in all phases).

2. Thus keeping Pennington versus what you could get as a second rounder, weighs a bit light (to me) for:

3. The value Pennington give to team stability (due to his accuracy) he not only improves the QB position, but also the WR production and development.

4. Add to that mentoring the two younger guys, and managing the game.

All valid points. Let's just hope that if he walks after 2009 that we, at the very least, qualify for some supplemental picks in 2011.

What's funny is we've spent so many years looking for a QB, now we're trying to figure out what to do with having too many. I'd hate to trade Pennington just to find Henne is a bust. Fact is, he hasn't really proved anything yet.

> All valid points. Let's just hope that if he walks after 2009 that we, at the very least, qualify for some supplemental picks in 2011.

No we'll get zip, NE will pick him up and realse him and get a pick the following year.

Swear they got pictures on whoever makes the decisions on compensatory picks. They get-em every year.