National Football League

Henne: Fans' chants at practice hurt

Published Aug. 4, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne says he was stung by the cries from some fans at an open training camp practice earlier this week.

Henne said Thursday that he understands criticism comes with the territory of being a quarterback, which seems especially so in Miami given that each of the 15 starters who have followed Dan Marino have tried and failed to fill the shadow he continues to cast on the franchise. At an open practice Monday night, a small number of fans broke into a "We want Orton!" chant, referencing the team's apparent interest in acquiring the Denver quarterback.

"Absolutely you hear it," Henne said Thursday. "But you take it in, take it out. ... The biggest thing is if you're a Miami Dolphin fan, hopefully you're cheering for the Miami Dolphins and players out there rather than somebody that's not."

Sparano jumped to Henne's defense Wednesday, calling the chants "sick" in an unusually sharp-tongued display from a coach who tends to be mild-mannered in interview sessions. On Thursday, he lauded Henne again, saying he's the team's No. 1 quarterback despite Miami's recent signing of Matt Moore, most recently of Carolina.

Henne threw for 3,301 yards last season with 15 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, tying him for fourth-most in the NFL. He's started 27 times in parts of three seasons; the Dolphins are 13-14 in those games.

So given that, he understands that fans may have a certain level of frustration.

"Criticism is always going to be out there, especially in my position," Henne said. "The head coach and the quarterback are the most critiqued people. For a quarterback, you're out there. If you're winning games, things are going well. If you're not, if you're losing games, everything's pointed toward you. It's part of the position and obviously it is a little bit of motivation.

"You want the respect of the fans and you want them to have your back," he added. "But at the same time, they have their opinions. Everybody has their own opinions. They're going to play it as it is and if I'm doing bad then they can critique me, but if I'm doing well obviously they're going to be happy."

Henne even tried to put a positive spin on those fan chants from Monday night, saying it helped the Dolphins prep for what sort of environments they'll face on the road this season.

Of course, he didn't expect that to happen in his home stadium.

"I don't let a lot of things show," Henne said. "Deep down inside it does hurt. But hey, I'm here for the team. I'm here to make myself better and help the team be a better team."