Chad Henne Under Pressure in 2013

One of our favorite resources here at Black and Teal is Pro Football Focus. While some people completely dismiss the idea of analytics when it comes to football and using it to evaluate players, the Jacksonville Jaguars and several other teams seem to be embracing it with open arms and utilizing advanced metrics to varying extents.

Steve Palazzolo over at PFF has been running a series called “QBs in Focus,” and his latest piece revolved around how quarterbacks performed given different times to throw. I went ahead and extracted all the information pertinent to the Jaguars, which means we’re taking a look at our favorite backup/bridge QB Chad Henne. Here’s the breakdown of his performance in 2013:

[table id=29 /]

Chad Henne doesn’t really shine when it comes to advanced metrics, as evidenced by his negative PFF grades in every category, but he does have a few redeeming statistics worth noting. His 7.9 yards per attempt when given 2.1-2.5 seconds to throw is one of the best in the NFL, and he managed to do that while throwing more touchdowns than interceptions.

One of the biggest contrasts we should see with Chad Henne and first round pick Blake Bortles is the ability to extend plays and go “beyond the X’s and O’s”. Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch clearly worked out a gameplan where the ball came out of the quarterback’s hands quickly, and one of the central reasons was Henne and Blaine Gabbert‘s struggles when plays broke down. One of Bortles’ biggest strengths in college was his ability to extend plays with his legs and make something out of nothing when the pocket collapsed.

Chad Henne is what he is, and most of these advanced metrics aren’t too surprising. We should see a lot of them change however when Bortles finally takes the reins.

– Daniel Lago