Now that the Miami Dolphins have beefed up their roster with several offseason acquisitions, Chad Henne needs to carry his weight.
Miami’s defense, led by free-agent signee Karlos Dansby, looked much improved in Sunday's 15-10 win over Buffalo, but the passing game looked mediocre at best.
This season, Henne will be able to lean on a solid run game powered by a healthy Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, but the quarterback needs to start making the throws when it counts. During the Week 1 game, Henne badly underthrew newcomer Brandon Marshall on what should have been a surefire touchdown, causing Marshall to drop the ball. While a stud receiver like Marshall should have made the catch, Henne made the play more difficult than necessary. A semi-decently timed ball would have produced an easy score. Instead, Henne's mistake kept points off the board, a microcosm of his inconsistent play.
At times, Henne has looked very promising, such as last year's win over the Patriots when he passed for over 300 yards. Yet the week before, Henne threw three picks in a Bills rout of the Dolphins. Now in his third season in the NFL, Henne must show that he's the man for the job.
Marshall will make things easier. He gives the Dolphins the receiving weapon they've been missing since Chris Chambers left in 2007, but Marshall is at his best when he can go deep or catch the ball in stride and make plays in the open field. That will require accurate throws from Henne. The rest of the Dolphins are not quite talented enough for Henne to just be a game manager. He needs to be a legitimate offensive generator, or else the Dolphins won't escape with wins against better teams than the Bills.
This week's matchup against the Vikings should be a good test. If the Dolphins fall behind, will Henne be able to carry the team back using his arm? Or will he throw more interceptions than touchdowns like last year? If the Fins hope to sneak in a wild-card spot, Chad Henne needs to step his game up.
