He played through the pain. No question about that.
When a knee injury cost quarterback Chad Henne to miss two games last year, and when a dislocated shoulder sidelined him for another, the Dolphins' rookie wouldn't let the setbacks stifle his senior season at Michigan in its entirety.
So he came back. Again. And again.
''For five games, I had to get injections [in the right shoulder] just to numb it up and try to play through it,'' Henne said Friday. ``I definitely didn't have the velocity on the ball or the accuracy that I'm used to.
``Hopefully, that toughness can carry on, and hopefully, I won't have an injury like that again.''
At this point, that could prove to be one of the most important questions for Henne to answer as he arrives in South Florida as the second quarterback in as many years taken by the Dolphins in the second round of the NFL Draft:
Did his ability to play through two significant injuries prove Henne has the toughness to succeed in a league that doesn't have sympathy for soft quarterbacks? Or will an injury-prone senior season simply foreshadow an injury-prone NFL career?
For now, it'd be far too premature to tag him as an injury risk. But his teammates are already willing to endorse Henne's toughness -- something they believe will make him an eventual success in the NFL.
''He went through a lot of adversity, and he handled it,'' said Dolphins offensive tackle Jake Long, who also blocked for Henne at Michigan. ``He'll go through adversity here, too. But he's smart, and he is going to do everything he can to play.''
Henne was able to manage his shoulder injury without surgery, noting he currently isn't having any problems with it. And during the first practice of this weekend's rookie minicamp, the quarterback certainly didn't show any lingering signs.
His hard-thrown passes had consistent zip with solid accuracy, which was especially impressive given his lack of a history with any of the team's rookie receivers. Jayson Foster, an undrafted free agent who played quarterback during his senior season at Georgia Southern but will try out as a wide receiver in the NFL, said he was impressed by Henne's ability.
''He moved the offense,'' Foster said. ``He knew the plays. He got us in and out of the huddle, no problem. He had a great tempo. So he did a really good job today.''
And what about his throws?
''Great to me,'' Foster said. ``[He] throws better than I can!''
A CHANCE TO START
That's nice. But it's going to take more than that if Henne plans to make a serious run at the starting job during his first season -- a spot that seems to belong to John Beck at this point in the offseason.
Still, it appears at this point Henne will at least get a chance. When asked Friday if Henne has a legitimate shot to attain the starting job this year, Sparano made it clear that each of the three quarterbacks (Beck, Henne and Josh McCown) will have their opportunities.
''We have a quarterback competition here,'' Sparano said. ``So from that standpoint, at the end of this, we're going to find out who the best quarterback is. If it's Chad, it's Chad. If it's Beck, it's Beck. If it's McCown, it's McCown.''
Beyond his ability on the field, Henne was able to make more of an impression with his presence in the huddle Friday, which is something that seemed to enthuse Sparano.
''I was pleasantly surprised and happy with what he did, especially from a mental standpoint,'' the coach said. ``With a quarterback, it's all about what he does in the huddle. It's how he takes control and how he does some of those things. Chad was very good that way today. He took control of the huddle.
``I felt he operated and managed the team fine at the line of scrimmage.''
PROVING HIS WORTH
Clearly possessing some characteristics worthy of building some hope, Henne still has far more to go before proving worthy of a second-round selection as the 57th overall pick in this year's draft.
And a run at the starting job? That's going to take even more, especially given Beck's continued progress during the offseason.
But for a quarterback participating in his first NFL practice, Henne at least seems prepared to show he has enough mental and physical toughness to make it in the league. Expecting to find out anything more, however, would simply be expecting too much.
''There is definitely confidence, but you can never determine the future,'' Henne said. ``So you just come in here, learn as much as you can and see what happens when get on the field.''
