Henne headlines subtle group of silver linings in 31-10 drubbing

By Hugo Guzman  |   Monday, September 15, 2008  |  Comments( 7 )

Miami Dolphins
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Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Chad Henne’s impressive showing in cleanup duty will be the talk of the town Monday, but he’s only one of several subtle reasons for optimism after an utterly embarrassing 31-10 road loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Henne’s 7-of-12 performance paved the way for Miami’s lone touchdown of the day, when Ronnie Brown plunged into the end zone from 1 yard out in the fourth quarter. More importantly, Henne’s arm strength was a clear contrast to veteran Chad Pennington’s, allowing the Dolphins’ much-maligned wide receiving corps to make an impact late in the game. Barring injury, Pennington will likely continue starting for Miami; thus, this probably won't turn into a full-blown quarterback controversy just yet. Still, Dolphins fans should be pleased that Henne, a second-round pick from Michigan, looked solid in his first true NFL action.

Incidentally, there was one receiver who managed to make his presence felt before Henne took the field, and he just happens to be the same player who scored the game-winning touchdown in Miami’s lone victory of the 2007 campaign. Greg Camarillo beat the Cardinals for 49 yards on four catches, and while that might not seem special, his effort stood out among a bunch of players who did little or nothing. Further, it's starting to become apparent that Camarillo is more than just a one-hit wonder from that memorable overtime triumph last year over Baltimore.

Though less productive, rookie Davone Bess also impressed on the few offensive touches afforded him. He still has a long way to go to entrench himself as a legitimate pro slot receiver, but Bess appears to be a legitimate heir to the crown that Wes Welker left when the Dolphins shipped him to New England two offseasons ago.

Defensively, reasons for optimism are few in number. Miami committed a ridiculous nine defensive penalties (all in the second half), its front seven didn't pressure Kurt Warner and its secondary was torched. Nevertheless, the Dolphins were surprisingly stout against the run, giving up just 79 yards on 28 carries to Arizona's Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower.

Miami's defense didn't take the ball away, but the turnover box score might provide the team's greatest reason for optimism. For the second week in a row, the Dolphins didn't have any offensive giveaways. Though Ricky Williams once again coughed up the ball at the end of a run, he was able to recover his own fumble and avoid disaster.

Williams’ longstanding fumbling issues aside, it’s apparent that there is at least one Bill Parcells calling card manifesting itself. And it’s an important one, because if this team can continue to protect the ball, it will eventually pay dividends in the win-loss column.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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