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Pennington, Henne shine in exhibition
BY CARL KOTALA • news-press.com sports bureau • August 18, 2008
Joey Harrington, Daunte Culpepper and Cleo Lemon all started for Miami during his rookie season. Last year, it was Trent Green, Lemon and John Beck.
Some of the changes were made because of injury. Some were made because, well, frankly the other guy wasn't getting it done.
But after he defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 19-14 in Saturday's second preseason game, Hagan could barely contain a big smile. It seems the Dolphins may have found their quarterback for 2008 as well as their quarterback for the future.
And they're both named Chad.
Chad Pennington completed 5-of-6 passes for 55 yards and led the Dolphins to 10 points in his Miami debut Saturday night. Rookie Chad Henne played the rest of the way, completing 17-of-26 passes for 133 yards and nine points.
Josh McCown and John Beck, who had been going back and forth in their battle for the starting job in the offseason and at the start of training camp, didn't even see the field.
"It was great," Hagan said of playing with Pennington. "Him being in that huddle, taking control of the huddle, that's something we've definitely been missing.
"We know we're going to have a quarterback that's going to be back there every week. We're not going to be switching quarterbacks every single week like we have the past three years. It just feels so good knowing he's back there. He can take control of the huddle and once we get on the same page, the sky is the limit."
Hagan was equally glowing about Henne, who has outplayed McCown and Beck in training camp and gotten more playing time than any Dolphins quarterback in the first two preseason games.
Last week against Tampa Bay, Henne led Miami to a pair of Dan Carpenter field goals.
Guard Justin Smiley said earlier in the week that Henne certainly doesn't act like a rookie quarterback. Hagan agreed.
"We know he's a rookie, but this is two games in a row that he's come out and played well," Hagan said. "He threw a couple of passes my way that were definitely right on the money and I made those plays for him. There were some pretty nice balls that he threw to Ernest down the field that were unfortunately batted down, but ... he's going to be a real good quarterback.
"You can definitely see it. He's confident, he's trying to show that leadership and he's just going to keep getting better every day."
With Pennington and Henne having clearly established themselves, the only thing left to decide at the position for Miami is whether it will keep McCown or Beck.
The prevailing thought is that it will be McCown, in part because the current regime signed him and gave him a $2.5 million bonus. Getting rid of him would be akin to admitting a mistake. Beck was drafted by the previous administration and will likely be traded or released.
While there were admittedly some communication issues that still need to be worked out following Saturday's game, Pennington seemed happy with his performance.
"It was fun, No. 1," he said afterward. "I enjoyed being out there with the guys. My whole goal in this game was to have a smooth operation."
Considering no Dolphins quarterback has started all 16 games since Jay Fiedler did it in 2001, Miami could use the kind of stability it hopes Pennington can bring.
It isn't official yet, but the Dolphins likely know who their starter will be on Sept. 7 when they open the regular season at home against the New York Jets. They also know who is the heir apparent.
And that's a comforting thought the Dolphins haven't had in a long, long time.
"Big Chad, he's obviously going to mentor little Chad," Hagan said. "And we're definitely expecting Big Chad to be the leader of this team. It's all going to take time, but we're all definitely going to come together. We're just waiting for the Jets now."
"It was great," Hagan said of playing with Pennington. "Him being in that huddle, taking control of the huddle, that's something we've definitely been missing.
"We know we're going to have a quarterback that's going to be back there every week. We're not going to be switching quarterbacks every single week like we have the past three years. It just feels so good knowing he's back there. He can take control of the huddle and once we get on the same page, the sky is the limit."
Hagan was equally glowing about Henne, who has outplayed McCown and Beck in training camp and gotten more playing time than any Dolphins quarterback in the first two preseason games.
Last week against Tampa Bay, Henne led Miami to a pair of Dan Carpenter field goals.
Guard Justin Smiley said earlier in the week that Henne certainly doesn't act like a rookie quarterback. Hagan agreed.
"We know he's a rookie, but this is two games in a row that he's come out and played well," Hagan said. "He threw a couple of passes my way that were definitely right on the money and I made those plays for him. There were some pretty nice balls that he threw to Ernest down the field that were unfortunately batted down, but ... he's going to be a real good quarterback.
"You can definitely see it. He's confident, he's trying to show that leadership and he's just going to keep getting better every day."
With Pennington and Henne having clearly established themselves, the only thing left to decide at the position for Miami is whether it will keep McCown or Beck.
The prevailing thought is that it will be McCown, in part because the current regime signed him and gave him a $2.5 million bonus. Getting rid of him would be admitting a mistake. Beck was drafted by the previous administration and will likely be traded or released.
