By 
The starting quarterback position in Miami may not have been the only area of controversy for the Dolphins after finishing up the 2010-11 campaign. Tony Sparano pretty much had the rug pulled out from under him during the start of the off-season while he awaited the verdict of his heading coach position with the Dolphins after upper management sought after Jim Harbaugh. I would think that it was an unsettling feeling for Chad Henne to come to the realization that not a single person’s job was safe in Miami, not even the head coach finishing back-to-back seasons at 7-9. The Dolphins have a ton of work to do in order to improve in an AFC East division that isn’t backing down in competition any time soon with the likes of the New England Patriots and New York Jets being in their divison. Chad Henne believes he can be the solution despite speculation that he just doesn’t have what it takes to win in the big spot. Henne had high-and-low points in term of performance last season and a rocky relationship with star wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Even with the lockout consuming the NFL landscape, Henne is helping lead the Dolphins player workouts and is determined to win the starting quarterback position if the season were to start tomorrow. Chad Henne joined WQAM in Miami with Joe Rose to discuss the Miami Dolphins player workouts, his relationship with Jim “Mad Dog” Mandich, the difficulties he faced last season, his relationship with Brandon Marshall, improvements in his game at the quarterback position and having to win back the starting quarterback job if the lockout were to be lifted.
First of all lockout workouts. People are curious about how much you guys are doing as a team?
“We’re actually doing pretty much [Editors Note: A broken answer to start.] We’ve actually been working more than a lot of other teams. We’ve been going hard for about over two months now trying to get some stuff done. That’s where I am at right now. I’m about to go work out and get some more plays in and you know stay fit.”
I know how close Mad Dog [Jim Mandich] was to you and how he felt about you. I know Mad Dog, one of the last things he said to me, was, ‘I want Chad to be the quarterback of this team.
He can do it.’ Just talk about your confidence and relationship with the Mad Dog really quickly if you would?
“Jim, obviously, took me under his wing when I came down here. And I’ve known Jim since I was a freshman, playing with his son Michael at Michigan. So Jim has always took me under the arm, always believed in me and just was a great friend, you know really treated me almost like a second family member. Just a wonderful guy, and he will definitely be missed.”
How tough was last season?
“It was tough. It wasn’t everything everybody perceived it to be. There’s a lot of things going wrong and at times we were playing really good football. At others times we would go up and down and ride the roller coaster, but hopefully this year was a learning experience and hopefully we can put that behind us and move onto better things this year.”
How are you with Brandon Marshall? Have you spoken to him? Are you guys on good terms?
“Yeah I mean Brandon and I it’s a tough relationship obviously with a receiver and a quarterback, but there’s some scuffles that go on at times, but at the end of the day we put it behind us and we try to go out on the field and do the best we can and jell together and make some big plays out there.”
What kind of things do you think you need to work on regardless of which offensive system you are in?
“I think just being a lot more consistent with my play. Obviously, there are some bonehead turnovers that I know I shouldn’t make, trying to force the ball into places, and just being cautious with that. Just I believe finishing the game throughout. You know you start off real well then going into the 4th quarter and have a couple of slip ups here and there, but I just need to play a full game, every game, and be consistent.”
Do you believe you will have to compete to win your job back?
“Absolutely I think every quarterback unless you’re Tom Brady or Peyton Manning every quarterback or Aaron Rodgers has to compete in each and every camp before the season starts, so I believe I’m going to compete and do whatever I can to become that starter again.”
Comments