Is Chad Henne your choice as quarterback of the '00's?

With Michigan’s 2009 season wrapped up, and the decade coming to a close, I thought I would steal an idea from Dr. Saturday and have my readers vote on a Team of the Decade. So, I’ve come up with a list of nominees for every position, and I’ll be posting two position groups every day for the next week, leaving it up to you to vote for who should make the team. At the end of the month, I’ll tally up the votes and reveal the team of the decade. First up is the quarterbacks:

Michigan’s quarterbacks of the last decade have rewritten the school’s record books, although the fan reception of the team’s signal-callers have varied wildly. Drew Henson was the local high school hero with Heisman aspirations before signing with the Yankees and leaving Ann Arbor prior to his senior season. John Navarre was thrown into the fire with Henson’s departure, and, despite being the most prolific passer in Michigan history to date, was the object of much criticism during his three years as the full-time starter. Chad Henne was the freshman sensation, a five-star prototype who took the reigns from Navarre and wiped his name from atop the record books in a sensational four-year term as the man under center for the Wolverines. Who deserves to be the quarterback of the decade? Let’s take a closer look:

Drew Henson (1998-2000): Henson had by far the shortest career of any of the nominees, but may have also reached the highest heights. After mostly waiting in the wings as a freshman, and splitting time with Tom Brady as a sophomore, Henson took over as the full-time starter in 2000. After missing the first three games with a foot injury, Henson came out and had one of the most lethally efficient season in school history. He completed 146 of 237 passes (61.6%) for 2146 and 18 touchdowns to only four interceptions, posting a passer efficiency rating of 159.4, fifth-best in team history. He led Michigan to a 7-2 record in the games he started, and the two losses (to Northwestern and Purdue, of all teams) came by a combined four points.

John Navarre (2000-2003): The much-maligned Navarre took over as a sophomore when Henson chose baseball, and proceeded to post numbers never before seen from a Michigan quarterback. He ended his career first on the school’s career leader list in attempts, completions, yards, touchdown passes, and both 150- and 200-yard passing games (the latter a mark he still holds). In his senior season, he led Michigan to a 10-3 record and became the only Wolverine to ever break the 3000-yard passing mark, throwing for 3331 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Chad Henne (2004-2007): The first true freshman to start for Michigan since the legendary Rick Leach, Henne made quick work of the lion’s share of Navarre’s school records. He was named to the freshman All-American team after throwing for 2743 yards and 25 touchdowns in his first collegiate season, leading the team to a conference title and Rose Bowl bid. Although he was criticized as a sophomore after a 3-3 start (it’s not really Henne’s fault that he no longer had Braylon Edwards to throw to), he still put up impressive numbers, throwing for 2526 yards and 23 touchdowns. His finest season came as a junior, when Henne completed 61.9% of his passes, threw for 2508 yards and 22 touchdowns (to only eight interceptions), and posted an efficiency rating of 143.4. Henne struggled with injuries as a senior in 2007, but still finished his career as Michigan’s all-time leader in attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, and 150-yard passing games.

Career Stats:

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