Thursday, December 13, 2012

Henne returning to Miami, auditioning for Jaguars job

BY SEAN DONOVAN

This week will mark just the second time in the Jacksonville Jaguars' 18-year history that the team has played a regular-season game in Miami.

But one Jaguar, starting quarterback Chad Henne, is no stranger to South Florida. (photo: Alan Kotok, Flickr)

Henne, who started 31 games for the Dolphins from 2009-11, now leads the 2-11 Jaguars into the stadium he started his career in. One possible advantage for Jacksonville is that the venue isn't the only thing Henne has seen before.

He will face a defensive unit that features many players the former second-round draft pick has played against in practice.

And at least one Dolphin, cornerback Sean Smith, thinks that the quarterback has improved since his time in Miami.

“There’s a whole lot more confidence compared to when I first saw him,” Smith said, according to the Palm Beach Post. “He’s got the timing down, he’s making all the right checks and he’s very accurate with his throws."

Henne was just 13-18 in his time with the Dolphins, resulting in the team declining to re-sign him this offseason. Despite his short stint with the team, Henne is fourth in franchise history in all-time passing yards, and second in team history with seven games with 300 or more passing yards.

Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey has said that Henne has a chance to earn the Jacksonville starting job after this season, supplanting disappointing first-round pick Blaine Gabbert.

And Henne is determined to make the most of this second chance.

"I want to play out this season the best I can," Henne said Wednesday, via Scout.com. "I want to show the coaches in this organization that I can be their future, their starting quarterback.”

But as for the Dolphins on Sunday, Henne knows that he will have a challenge against his former teammates.

"They always stop the run and we’ve just got to be aware of the front four," he said. "Those front four guys are good players and they come after you.”

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