Chad Henne: Equal to or Better Than Mark Sanchez?
Ridiculous question?
KC Joyner, of ESPN Insider fame didn't think so when he published an article closely comparing the two.
His argument bears at least a cursory glance so that we, as the all-knowing football gurus we are (wink), can conclusively determine if Mr. Joyner has stumbled upon some real football revelation, a statistical anomaly, or is just plain nuts.
Over the past 2 seasons, Henne has enjoyed clear, and sometimes significant statistical advantages over Sanchez. That being said, Sanchez and the Jets have clearly enjoyed much more pomp and circumstance as well as much more success. I don't buy the plug about Henne not getting the support from his coaches, team, or ownership that Sanchez gets, as being a relevant factor in the comparison. If Henne had done anything to impress any of the three, they'd not only love him, but the team probably wouldn't spend so much time in that ridiculous wildcat formation.
What isn't taken into consideration in the Joyner piece is that Sanchez markedly improved in every relevant statistical category in 2010 over '09. And while Henne improved in most categories as well, he fell off drastically in his TD/INT ratio (pretty much the biggest stat for a QB, isn't it?). In 2010, Henne threw 3 more TDs and 5 more INTs versus his '09 numbers; while Sanchez' in 2010 tossed 5 more TDs and 7 less INTs in contrast to his '09 football card.
To me, that's uber-significant.
Neither QB posts Manning or Brady-esque numbers, but this could be attributed to the fact that the Jets are a run-first team, and the Dolphins live (and most often die) by the aforementioned, high school-like, wildcat offense.
So ... which is the better franchise QB? When you consider Improvement between years one and two, and factor in QB intangibles like: quality of offensive line, depth and talent at receiver, most intimidating running attack (to increase the effectiveness of play-action passes), and best looking girlfriend, to me the winner is clear.
To take it over the top, you factor in the fantasy aspect - no, not the dream draft for your Yahoo keeper league, but the backyard version. If you were playing a pick-up game and those two were the only two QB's you could use, who would you choose with the first pick?
DUH, Sanchez!
As for our conclusion regarding KC Joyner's mental status?
Sane; just misguided.
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