Over the last few years, we always hear our coaches emphasizing mistake free football by our quarterback. They constantly talk about the importance of making the easy pass or throwing the ball away. Rather that being aggressive and taking some chances, we play passively and try not to make the big mistake. Yet we still make those mistakes. Obviously that style seems to hurt us epecially when we must run our 2 minute offense.

What about the timed buzzer on snaps at practice? Is a quarterback able to develop a pocket pressense? If you think about it, the quarterback is developing an internal clock instead of learning to sense the pressure and therefore buy time.

This philosopy is part of the bigger picture that also incoporates a conservative play calling. Our defense improved dramatically with a more offensive(aggressive) approach. I like that. However, I don't like my offense playing defensively(passive). If we bring in a new offensive coordinator, I hope he coaches an offensive that attacks the defense.

VERY WELL SAID!!!

I AGREE 100%

It is passed bad coaching it is horrible! They have got the offense afraid and they (coaches and most fans) are so far up Henne and the offenses ass they are afraid to play to their ability!

Henning has got to go! I am ok with all the coaching staff but him.

There is some great players on our offense but the system just has them playing like they are carrying 20lb footballs



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/2010 05:58AM by clovis phinatic.

The more I've seen of Henne this year, the more I'm convinced Henne has all the physical attributes to be a successful NFL QB but he's missing:

1. the Mental aspect. He doesn't read defenses fast enough. He doesn't know when to audible.

2. The intangibles. He doesn't have that competitive fire that you crave in a QB.

Unfortunately, these weaknesses can't be corrected with coaching. The only solution is to put him in a system that takes advantage of his strengths and de-emphasizes his weakneses. Henne is typical of 90% of drafted QBs. He COULD BE a successful system QB if he had a strong team around him, but he'd always be the weak link.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/2010 06:30AM by montequi.

Talked to my buddy who is a huge Mich fan, he told me when we drafted him (and reiterated it last night) that Henne has the best arm of any recent Mich QBs but is dumber then a box or rocks. Fair assessment I think.

Who would you choose to keep after their first two years in the NFL?
Elway
Aikman
Young
Brees
Eli Manning
Simms
Henne

In short - 'Yes'

However, I don't know that better coaching necessarily gets him where he needs to be. I would definitely agree with Monte's assessment of his deficiencies and, frankly, I would add consistent accuracy to the list of his biggest deficiencies.

But I don't necessarily agree that they can't be corrected by coaching. I think it's very hard to 100% correct these things by coaching, but I think they can be impacted significantly by coaching.

For instance, in terms of reading defenses, I would surmise that coaching may have told him that if Marshall looks covered, don't bother throwing it to him...either look to your 2nd option, check down or throw it away. If he had been encouraged to throw it high or in a place where Brandon really only had a chance at it (not the defender) and let Brandon make a play on it and had been lauded for taking a smart chance like that, then I think his confidence would have been much better and we wouldn't see so much lack of self-confidence and lack of confidence by the coaches. It seems a bit like a self-fulfilling prophecy - don't take chances, don't make mistakes...we'll beat you up if you do...where's the upside and good to build upon?

One play in particular and its implications bother me - and I'll readily admit that it appears that Henne was responsible for messing this one up. Kevin Curtis gets behind Buffalo's secondary and Henne overthrows him. To my recollection, we didn't try anything like that again during that game. Here's my beef with it: we didn't try it again. Is it possible that Curtis could have gotten behind the defense again? Is it possible that he might have been able to put just a bit more air under it the 2nd time and Curtis could have run under it? I don't know is the answer, but I'm sure it would have raised confidence all around if he had made good on another chance. Instead, it was more like "well, you blew it...that was your one chance this game for something like that". Seriously, we're already essentially out of the playoffs...why not see? What's the point in seeing if he can check down again?

In deference to those who are absolutely convinced that he's not the answer, I will admit that my confidence that he might be the answer has diminished throughout the course of this season. It's not zero and I still believe that Henning is probably more the culprit than Henne, but I'm not convinced that he is the answer nor am I convinced that he's not...I just don't know.

Sounds like a product of bad gene's. lol..

There is no doubt about Henne's physical ability. But everything else just sucks about him. And unfortunately without the rest of the qualities, you have nothing in the NFL.

He's horrible under pressure, panicks instead of trying to make a play and burn the blitz. He's the check down king and so on and so on. I've seen enough of this guy, in my opinion he's a backup at best.

Pretty much, I said all year he has horrible pockett awareness which is mental, which is bad gene's.

The problem is that even when he does get the chance to air it out and go against the grain of this coaching staff, he fails spectacularly.

montequi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The more I've seen of Henne this year, the more
> I'm convinced Henne has all the physical
> attributes to be a successful NFL QB but he's
> missing:
>
> 1. the Mental aspect. He doesn't read defenses
> fast enough. He doesn't know when to audible.

RE: He isn't allowed to audible...Ricky and others said as much a few weeks ago. He's only allowed to go the the receiver designated in the play or to a check down. As far as reading defenses goes...I'd agree but how much of this is Henne and how much is his coaching.
>
> 2. The intangibles. He doesn't have that
> competitive fire that you crave in a QB.

RE: This is true...he needs to develop a bit more passion. But then again, how much of his restraint is what the coaches want from him...you know, calm, cool, and coolected in any circumstances?
>
> Unfortunately, these weaknesses can't be corrected
> with coaching. The only solution is to put him in
> a system that takes advantage of his strengths and
> de-emphasizes his weakneses. Henne is typical of
> 90% of drafted QBs. He COULD BE a successful
> system QB if he had a strong team around him, but
> he'd always be the weak link.

RE: Agreed, a new system COULD be better for him...either way we NEED a new system, AND to draft some competition for him.

I agree the biggest problem with Henne is the fire. The mental aspects can be, as I said in advocating Blaine Gabbert, the easiest for a coach to correct.

He needs to shake off the calls of idiot OCs like Henning.

He needs to tell the coaches, he is not coming out after passing the team down to the 20 and Henning wants to bring in the Wildcat.

The quarterback is like the Presidency. It's a bully pulpit as TR said. If they want to bench him, then they bench him but he just can't go along with this BS. Even to the point of defiance.

He just seems like a sheep. Lately, he is giving the camera that puzzled look like the last drive of the Buff. game when the clock ran out on him.

But even earlier than that, he had passed down from about our 40 to their 40 and the team hurried up to the line with about (I'm going from memory) about 48 seconds to go and he calls signals and runs a traditional play that takes about 10 seconds. I don't give a sh_t what that f_cking clown in the booth had to say, I would have spiked the damn ball. The f_cking downs don't matter in that situation. The only down that matters is fourth down.

If Henne does not have the football sense to see idiocy, then I don't know about him. Seeing Blaine Gabbert and his field command and presence made me see past the other defects on this sucky team and see Henne's problem as well and that is command leadership.

Just want to say I appreciate the respect everyone has shown to each other in this thread!

Back to the topic, it seems as though a lot of people are leaning to this fire or passion to win theory. It is not just Henne that appears that way it is the whole offense. Of course Henne gets the brunt of the complaints but when 11 guys on the field cant stand the OC and the plays being called how do you think your attitude would be?
Again you see it in their faces just like you see it in the fans faces!

Well, I think that maybe we may not be thinking about the same thing, PhinFans2.

You seem to be talking about whether the guy is out there yelling and showing excitement on each play. That's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about that it seems Henne is like a Junior High school quarterback who simply runs the plays that are sent in to him.

If the play is coming in slow, he looks anxious and is waiting for the play to come in which he will run without variance.

Maybe, it's not fire but leadership and the attitude that most QBs have, even in college, that the coaches are there to ADVISE, advise, not command, and that in the end, I'LL MAKE THE ON-FIELD DECISION AS TO HOW THE OFFENSE IS RUN.

And with a stupid OC like Henning, I'd be making a helluva lot of on-field decisions including "no go back Ronnie, we're not going to run the wildcat."

If the coach wants to bench me, then let him suffer the political consequences.

Just being realistic. We have a LOT of issues on offense. It starts with the coaching and the o-line. And it extends to a lack of talent at TE, old RBs who have lost a step, and a lack of speed at WR. There is way more to our problems than Henne alone.

In 2008, we allowed 26 sacks, 34 QB hits, and 84 QB pressures. In 2010, we have allowed 33 sacks, 31 QB hits, and 113 QB pressures, with one game to go.

In 2008, we ran for 1900 yards, at 4.2 ypc, with 18 rushing TDs. In 2010, we have 1600 rushing yards, at 3.7 ypc, with 8 rushing TDs. The 3.7 yards per carry in 2010 ranks 31st in the NFL. In 2008, we were 14th in yards per carry.

As drew much attention last week, Dan Henning points out that our offensive scheme is the old school Paul Brown offense, which Don Shula and Chuck Noll carried into the 70's and 80's. That offense is based on a power running attack, and play action passing. When you can't run the ball, the offense goes to hell because the play action fools no one. And then when you can't pass protect on top of it, you're really screwed. That's the position we find ourselves in.

And making those problems even bigger is the fact that Davone Bess and Brandon Marshall both run routes that only cover 5-10 yards. Marshall averages 12.1 yards per catch for his career. And he averages 4 yards after the catch. So, doing the math, the average completion to Marshall covers 8 yards in the air. Bess averages 10.2 yards per catch, with about 4.5 of those coming after the reception. So, the typical pass to Bess covers 6 yards in the air. What does that make other teams do? They cheat up their safeties to help double cover both guys. And it also puts them closer to the line to help play the run. They get a 2 for 1 benefit, with one move, moving their safeties up, they double cover our two best receivers, and help stuff the run. Marshall was a bad strategic decision for this team. This team needed a down the field deep threat to get the safeties to back off, and to clear out the underneath routes for Fasano and Bess. And instead, they went out and added a second possession receiver. It was a mistake.

Most of our offensive problems running the ball are our o-line mostly Berger's fault followed by Carey, and John Jerry. Incognito is not a natural guard, he is built to be a center, a HUGE GUY that clogs the hole, and has the brute power to open up holes, not play left guard.

Now that we are starting him at center, we should see a BIG improvement in running the ball.

I also noticed 5 receiver sets. I don't think we spread the field enough. Did you see our sets during the 2 minute drill. At one point we had three guys in the backfield. That is ridiculous. No wonder Henne locks onto the receiver. He is the only one running a route.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/2010 02:05PM by Jonathan Twilley.

He is a victim of bad coaching.

But, he is also a victim of being an average QB at this point of his career.

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

he is a poopie head.

Have you been watching Yo Gabba Gabba again, Mia1?

---------------------

"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

Mia1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> he is a poopie head.

RESPONSE: It appears he has you two beat for in-depth analysis Dolphinmark and Ken.

Maybe so, but at least we aren't the ones overreacting about Henne being the root of the teams problems.