Dan Henning not worried about job security

Dolphins offensive coordinator Dan Henning was asked today during his weekly gathering with the media if he's concerned about his job security.

Henning, 68, has been retired twice before and will likely be heading that direction after this season. So the question of job security doesn't phase him much.

"Job security? You understand I've been retired twice. So job security is not something I worry about," he responded. "I worry about trying to take what we have and doing the best we can with it. Now, to give you a comparison, when we first came here in 2008, we have only four players left from the team we first picked up here.

"We have one lineman, we have three backs and we don't have any of the same quarterbacks, we don't have any of the same receivers, we don't have any of the same offensive linemen except for the one and we don't have any of the same tight ends."

(In interrupt to say that I don't think Henning's facts are correct. Anthony Fasano is a tight end and he was here in 2008. Davone Bess is a wide receiver and he was here in 2008. But I digress.)

"But that first year we were able to put it together and we were efficient, effective and consistent on offense," Henning continued. "We got a tremendous boost by having a quarterback drop out of the sky who was a tremendous leader for us. So that's what you're trying to do, get the best out of what you have. Now, we're not hitting on all cylinders right now. That's as obvious as you can get.

"We can say, 'We had this injury, we had this injury.' [The Bears] got after us pretty good. We went into the game and had 12 sacks and then they had six in that game. And they didn't blitz us. There were four-man rushes and twists in there. And then you have Tyler [Thigpen] in there trying to make the right decisions but he's a little bit later with the thought process than [Chad] Henne or [Chad] Pennington was at this point in time. So some of that blossoms on itself."

Henning wasn't done answering, although he already answered in his first two sentences. So he continued ...

"And then the running game, I hear you guys, and I hear fans and I hear coach [Tony] Sparano on occasion say, 'Why don't we run the ball more?" We'll we didn't abandon the run, the run abandoned us. In the first four series we ended up with a second-and-18 or second-and-20 and that's not the type of thing that makes for good run situations. Before the score was 16-0 we had 16 opportunities first-and-10 or second-and-6 minus and we attempted to run the ball on ninth of those. There was a 10th call that was a run that we killed to a pass.

"I'm not worried about that part of it. I'm worried about being effective. Efficient. And we're not doing that right now. And we're commited to getting back on track,whatever it takes, because you have no chance to do things when you put yourself in second-and-20 or second-and-18. First four drives we had three penalties, we had a fumble and we had two sacks. You can't operate that way."

I'm not sure what all that last part means. I guess it means Henning isn't worried about his job. But does blame others for Miami's offensive issues.

Comments

[brad]

needs to step down fast as can be...

a few games ago we only had 13 attempts
of 21 yards or longer!!!! Can't win that way.

[Florence Nightengale]

Mr. Salguero:

I'm first! Just as I was first woman in my family to be diagnosed with Jungle Fever.

Incidentally, I think that's why I became a nurse...

Ms. Nightengale

[say it isn`t so]

NJ Phin Fan not worried about his manhood. Gay pictures of ridiculous 5 foot nothing NJ posts of himself on steroids.Moron and standing there flexing as if his fake cyber freinds care about his drugged up body.This guy has lost it.

[Turcaman32]

Am I the only one who doesn't understand why he's still running the offense?

[PCDolfan]

Fasano and Bess were picked up that first year. Fasano in the trade with Dallas for a fourth and Bess was a free agent pick up after the draft from Hawaii. Get your facts straight.

[Victor]

Dan Henning is blaming his players for his offensive failures, and he's right. Some players are just not doing their job.

At the same time, Armando, even you could beat Chris Johnson in a 40 yard dash if he, CJ, was running up a 55 degree angle.

Dan Henning offense is a bit simple and predictable. If the play works, you can bet they'll run it again "on the very next play". Although the injuries cannot be ignored, the more money we pour into this offense the less return we're getting. That's coaching; that's Henning.

[say it isn`t so]

Little 5 foot 8 inch NJ phin fan LMAO! What a freaking loser! Thought we saw it all! Steroid, pinhead,NJ LMAO!Lookat me, i`m a circus freak with no nuts!After photo11 year old girl scout kicks him in the nuts for whistling at men, flooring the deformed idiot.This grown man living at mommys house and taking massive amounts of nut shrinking cancerous juice takes the cake.What a freaking loser!

[ALoco]

DAN HENNING MADE A LOT OF SENSE TO ME BUT IN TODAY'S WORLD THE FANS NEED RESULTS YESTERDAY /

[YellowGinn]

Henning probably needs to go no doubt ... but make no mistake this TEAM SUCKS. They do not have the people in place to have success against the Jets, Pats, Baltimore, Pitt, etc. Henning made reference to the lack of talent:

"So that's what you're trying to do, get the best out of what you have. Now, we're not hitting on all cylinders right now. That's as obvious as you can get."

If anyone thinks that turning this around is as simple as firing the OC then you are seriously delusional. Way too many player failures under Ireland.

[Eric]

Henning is basically saying that his players on offense suck. I kinda agree with him.

[DyingBreed]

Of course Henning isnt worried about job security. He's most likely already financially secure and he more than likely retires directly at season's end.

Armando dont you think this blog topic's dead on target captain obvious?

[NJ is a silly girl]

Mommy says,get out of my house you freak!Butch it up, toots!Pocorn muscles are not manly, they shrink your testicles. Oh no, what have you become my freaky deformed son!Get Out,closet queen!Move to Fire Island with the rest of the freaks!

[jrljr2]

i have been saying since last year that they have no playmakers on offense. They went and got Marshall who is, but thats it. No TE, WR or back that are playmakers because of speed or talent. Ronnie is the epitomy of a player that is overrated and Ricky is what he is at this stage, a change of pace back. No QB compounds the problem. Dont get me wrong, they could be 6-4 or even 7-3 if Henning called a play here or there differently. That would be fools gold though just like 2008 because they simply arent that good. Period.

[rustyj]

Maybe he is saying that what happens on the field dictates many of the calls regardless of the game plan. Not the feelings of bad fans who know little or nothing about running an NFL team and never have to face the consequences when their OPINIONS are wrong. Hmmmmm.

[DyingBreed]

Hennning can say what he wants but that just doesnt explain away the offensive bufoonery we've seen all season long. It wasnt always 2nd and 18 or 2nd and 20. His bs calls killed momentum even when we were in manageble situations.

[Kris]

Anybody that watched the Bears game could see plain and simple...WE COULD NOT RUN THE BALL...So Henning did the smart thing and CHANGED IT UP.....The problem was that we coudn't pass, snap the ball, or catch either....

There are some who would rather we ran the ball 25 times for 4 yards and then be able to BASH HENNING for nor trying to pass more.

As for the ESPN Idiots who bashed the game plan...I will bet MILLION bucks they didn't wash the game...they just watched the highlights and looked at the STATS SHEET and formulated an opinion from there.

I will take Hennings 2 SB, another SB apperance and the FACT that NOBODY was complaining about him until this THIS year as an indictment that he PROBABLY knows what he is doing.

Better players = better plays

[DyingBreed]

Rusty,

Sounds like you're looking at the forest instesd of the trees. This isnt about Thurday night it's about whats been happening all season long. For that I have zero defense of Henning.

[mike]

I despise this guy. I can't wait for next season when we have a competent OC. This year has been torture, thanks to Henning. If only he had stayed retired.

[Luis Morales (PUERTO RICO)]

FIRED HENNING FIRED HENNING FIRED HENNING
FIRED HENNING FIRED HENNING FIRED HENNING
FIRED HENNING FIRED HENNING FIRED HENNING
FIRED HENNING FIRED HENNING FIRED HENNING

[Wang Chung]

The biggest reason the Fins **** on offense is because of Henning, and since job security is not his priority, he could care less about play calling. Most of us would do our job 100% because you don't want to get fired and lose everything. Henning & Sparano should be fired for not putting in great effort to make the Dolphins a contender. Also if there weren't much there(8)in 2008, and the Phins were AFC East Champ and went to the playoff, so does that mean the 2010 roster is worse than 2008?

[DyingBreed]

My primary argument against Henning is that he has been a definite momentum killer nearly all season long. All of Thursday night's blame may not can be placed all on him but he's a huge reason why wearrived at this point anyway.

[Turcaman32]

Thursday night, the fins get a good return to nearly midfield. He calls a reverse to Hartline. WTF?!?!!

[Norton]

Henning went downhill right about the same time Henne became a starter. Hmmmm. Let's see what conclusions we can draw from that.

[DyingBreed]

Turcamann32,

I think the biggest problem with Henning his he's totally lost his feel for "game flow." Without "game flow" feel you're totally out of tune with "game momentum."

[Oregon Dolphin fan]

The one thing Henning does well and consistently is blaming the players.
This staff failed from the start by not drafting/acquiring any type of deep threat. Plus they have no real speed on offense.
I could tell from the start that teams would bracket BM and cheat up to take away the run.
Without a player to knock the top off the opposing defense what we have seen was bound to happen.
When you do not have superior talent you have to be innovative and unpredictable which Henning and Sparano are not. The problem is at the top. Sparano is not competent enough to be successful.
Ireland has repeatedly missed on his personnel decisions. It is time to rebut the staff. 3 years in and staff grade D.
Bring on Chucky.

[Norton]

I am hoping Thigpen starts, after a full week of practice and with the starting center. Just to make a fairer comparison.

[Darryl Dunphy]

DB- I think Henning may have lost feel for his urinary flow. He should be looking forward to trips to the early bird buffets, and warm glasses of milk before bed. It is time to put this man out of his misery and put him to pasture so he can enjoy the golden years in a field alone.

[DyingBreed]

Two of the greatest instincts a rb can have is instinct and inner vision. That can not be coached. Those two things comes from within the the player, he either has it or not.

Same with the OC. It takes more than just being a great x's and o's guy. He has to have sharp instincts and inner vision. If Henning ever had this, its very evident this is what he has now lost.

[Florence Nightengale]

Mr. Salguero:

I recently diagnosed Mr. Henning with Dementia.

For those of you young whippersnappers who dont know, Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging.

Perhaps this explains why he thinks his 1930's style offense is still cutting edge?

Florence Nightengale, R.N.

[Poizen]

Why would he e worried, he already knows where he is headed, so I am sure he came to terms not being with the Phins ny longer. So no need to worry. His explaination is baffeling.

[cinq]

DB, I read this blog last year and the year before. Really don't remember any complaints about Henning. This year, because everyones dreams are getting crushed, Henning is suddenly the fall guy. Not the oline. Not the D that routinely gives up 3 and 82, and not Henne. Why?

[ALoco]

GOOD POST cinq..................................... hennig not the one to blame, the OL PLAYERS ARE THE ONE TO BLAME .

[Oregon Dolphin fan]

There is a personnel philosophy that says you draft a QB each draft in an attempt to keep mining for that right guy.
Even though I do not believe we have been able to get a good assessment of Henne due to the incompetence of Henning the Dolphins need to keep drafting QB’s.
The problem is Ireland has proven to be a marginal talent evaluator.
No doubt Ross must clean house.
The question is who to bring in.
Marty Mortenwig (sp) OC Eagles could be good.
I say bring in Chucky and let him pick his staff.
Please, no more of these 2 yards and a cloud of dust, 80’s style coaches. 15 years is enough of that style.
The Dolphins were exciting as a passing team. Nowadays the league is designed to reward passing teams so…….lets be a vertical passing team!

[Poizen]

Aloco, Players have their good share of the blame, but our o is predictable. And when we have injuries and shuffeling of the line, it is the O-coordinator to come up with 3 step drops and different misdirection to help the line. I have seen mostly the same Vanilla plays that have not worked every game with maybe 1 wrinkle. then the D figures out that wrinkle and we are predictable in the2nd half especially the 4th quarter.

[ALoco]

POIZEN, THE OL LINE DIDN'T HAVE INJURES THIS YEAR AND IF WE HAD TED GINN WE WOULD BE IN A BETTER PLACE .THE TRADES RE THE OL WERE WRONG .

[Norton]

Our secondary and wideouts can't even catch a beach ball. Bess is the only guy on the whole team with good hands. That is Hennings fault too I suppose.

[Poizen]

They didnt have injuries but we shuffled guys in out and all over. At no point tid the O come up with a quick release O to assist.

[greg z.]

agree to an extent. all of the blame on henning isnt fair. irelands job is to get good players for the coaches to put in the best positions to succeed. henning doesnt have much to work with. the oline stinks it up. if we cant block, then we cant run or pass. just scramble. bears only rushed 4 guys and we couldnt hold them out for 1 second. thigpen had to field a bad snap and then run for his like!

[ALoco]

THEN IT'S NOT DAN HENNING'S FAULT .ROSS WANTED MARSHALL AND IRELAND WANTS TED GINN OUT .

[Joe Schmoe]

Henning knows more about Medicare & Metamucil than he does about designing a productive offense.

[ALoco]

WHO IS THE GUY WHO SIGNED THE ST PLAYERS ? IT COASED US THE GAME VS PATS AND THE MORALE WENT SOUTH .IT'D NOT DAN HENNING ,IS IT ?

[Joe Schmoe]

The 3 remaining disciples of Tuna must go & follow in his footsteps. That being old man Henning, Pom Pom Sparano & Bankrupt Ireland.

[ALoco]

IT COASTED US THE GAME VS THE PATS

[city]

Joe Moe knows more about rear end lubricants than he does football.

[Yan]

It is obviously time to bring a fresh offensive mind...
99% of the time, the person who starts the blame game is the true responsible for the situation.
That's just childish behaviour from Henning. He knows better than anyone that his play calling has not been good.

[Joe Schmoe]

City is an expert in rear end lubricants. Through experience, he can make those kinds of recommendations.

[Norton]

If they catch half those dropped passes, and half of those easy interceptions, that could be a difference of plus 2 or 3 games. I guess that is Hennings fault too.

[swamy]

Would PAT WHITE have done any better with a different OC calling the plays?

[ALoco]

MARSHALL COASTING US LAST GAME W/2 PENALTY ,THAT COULD BE HENNING'S FAULT ALSO .

[greg z.]

now that parcells quit on the fins why do we have to keep his guys???? tannenbaum of the jets got alot of good talent;so did bellichek and they widened the gap with the dolphins. what the heck did ireland do except missing on draft picks and free agents. the bills are playing better with half the talent. that falls on the coach.

[Joe Schmoe]

Dan Henning started Global Warming.

[Joe Schmoe]

Dan Henning was one of the 1st designers of field goal posts.

[Florence Nightengale]

Mr. City:

If you're interested in rear-end lubricants, as a nurse, I would recommend water-based products that do not contain nonoxynol-9(some fancy-schmancy new chemical), as it not only kills sperm but also eats holes in condoms.

Back in my day, we only had sex for the purpose of pro-creation, so this was never a concern. Well, except for the time Mr. Henning came to me to discuss a 'growth' he had in his nether region, which turned out to be a clever ruse he used to sleep with me. I must admit, it worked!

No surprise really, back then (1930) he was well know in the football community for being devilishly cunning.

Florence Nightengale, R.N.

[Marc]

Well, he did say Sparano questioned his play falling, so, maybe there is some hope...

[Joe Schmoe]

Dan Henning designed the first rectal thermometer.

[YellowGinn]

Morons. You think that Henning is the problem. He is going to retire anyway. You will see next year that the team still sucks b/c they don't have the players to get the job done.

Whatever. I remember the idiots calling for Marino's head when Scott Mitchel (sp) had a couple of good games. You wanted JJ's head on a platter and got it. Same goes for Saban and Wanny. Maybe it is more than just the coaching???

Henning was a good OC in 2008 when they won the division. No one was complaining then. He is only part of the problem.

Why don't you start writing columns on Ireland and his dip sh*t mentor? How about the HC? How about Brandon Marshall's ridiculous antics? Maybe the complete lack of self control that so many of these player have shown in the off season. Maybe that is a symptom of a large issue of accountability this team has.

Well that would be hard to do and it would be tought to face those guys wouldn't it?

Fact is - it is easy to pick on the old guy who is obviously on the way out. Get after the real culprits already. Grow a set while you are at it.

[Yan]

ALoco, the guy who is vastly responsible for this mess has sneaked out of town...Bill Parcells.

Can't blame Henning for the OL problems. I blame Sparano. It was supposed to be his forte. We were supposed to be physical(have you seen how fat Carey has become?). We were supposed to be smart.
But his permanent swaps on the line have done a lot of damage I think.
And also the signing of all the McQuistan, Proctor and Incognito of the world...those guys have been dumped everywhere, they are second class players? And have you seen how fat Carey has become?

The Ol line is a mess, and that's on Sparano and Parcells.

[Marc]

Well, he did say Sparano questioned his play falling, so, maybe there is some hope...

[swamy]

Sparano having been an offensive line coach should take most of the blame for the problems with the offensive line (Henning for the lousy play calling).

There were problems with the line before all of the injuries.

[YellowGinn]

Agree 100% Yan.

The question that must be asked is who is responsible for all the rotating BS on the oline. Sparano? Ireland? Parcells?

It is a freaking mess. However, it is easy to blame the old guy who is calling the plays. He is going to take a lot of heat and will be gone just like PP was last year.