chewy-bacca
10-28-2006, 08:09 AM
There is a reason William Henderson doesn't want Packers' fans sympathy.
He isn't a sympathetic figure. He is far from it.
"When I come home after work and my wife (Brigitta) has prepared a wonderful meal, or she has worked hard all day cleaning house, and my son runs up to me and says, 'Hey, Daddy,' and I go into our bedroom and see my beautiful little daughter staring up at me, I know I am blessed."
Henderson, 35, loves his family, and he loves his football.
No circumstances in the world can change that.
The 12th-year fullback played in 60 straight games before missing the Sept. 10 opener with a knee injury. He hurried back to start versus New Orleans and Detroit, but by his own admission was less than 100 percent. Packers coach Mike McCarthy elected to start Brandon Miree in his place at Philadelphia.
"When I wasn't healthy early, I wasn't ready to do the job," he said. "I would quickly be the first one to say my blocking lacked the ferocity it should have had to go in there and blast people in the hole."
Some pro athletes would have balked at the idea of playing while being slowed by an injury. They fear looking bad, or worse, they fear losing their starting job. They care about themselves more than the team.
Henderson isn't wired that way.
"When we cut Vonta Leach, I was the only guy," he said. "I had to get it done somehow, some way, as best I could."
Whether Henderson plays in Sunday's game against Arizona, or he is on the inactive list, his goal remains the same: To contribute.
"I only look at the bigger picture when it comes to football," he said. "The bigger picture for this moment is that I still love the game. Whether it's running with the scout squad or taking reps with the active squad, I don't know how else to play football but one speed, all-out, and with one goal, and that's to help the Packers win."
Henderson has been a team player since the Packers selected him in the third round of the 1995 NFL draft.
"I don't look at the title 'starter,'" he said. "I look at what my contributions are for the game."
To some, Henderson's contributions in the Packers' 34-24 victory over the Dolphins may seem modest.
To others, they may seem beneath a 12-year veteran with Henderson's accomplishments.
Henderson doesn't see it that way.
"I was in shorts and a T-shirt with a towel and a Packers visor on my head at Miami," he said. "I was shouting encouragement to my teammates and running up and down the sideline, getting water for them, doing anything I could. As long as I am making the effort to help, then I feel I'm making a contribution."
He said the Packers discussed trading him to New England early in his rookie season. It didn't make him bitter. It made him better.
As for being upset about not starting, Henderson said, "I would never want to be considered a cancer in the locker room, or the person that distracts from what needs to be done. I grew up in a blue-collar family. I earn my keep, and I save what I earn."
"I have spent a total of $250,000 of my regular-season paychecks since I've been in the league, and that was an investment," he said. "Other than that, I've never touched my money from the first bonus check to last year's contract."
Give Henderson his due, but spare the sympathy.
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I miss seeing him out there, I wish him the best. most likely the end of an era.
He isn't a sympathetic figure. He is far from it.
"When I come home after work and my wife (Brigitta) has prepared a wonderful meal, or she has worked hard all day cleaning house, and my son runs up to me and says, 'Hey, Daddy,' and I go into our bedroom and see my beautiful little daughter staring up at me, I know I am blessed."
Henderson, 35, loves his family, and he loves his football.
No circumstances in the world can change that.
The 12th-year fullback played in 60 straight games before missing the Sept. 10 opener with a knee injury. He hurried back to start versus New Orleans and Detroit, but by his own admission was less than 100 percent. Packers coach Mike McCarthy elected to start Brandon Miree in his place at Philadelphia.
"When I wasn't healthy early, I wasn't ready to do the job," he said. "I would quickly be the first one to say my blocking lacked the ferocity it should have had to go in there and blast people in the hole."
Some pro athletes would have balked at the idea of playing while being slowed by an injury. They fear looking bad, or worse, they fear losing their starting job. They care about themselves more than the team.
Henderson isn't wired that way.
"When we cut Vonta Leach, I was the only guy," he said. "I had to get it done somehow, some way, as best I could."
Whether Henderson plays in Sunday's game against Arizona, or he is on the inactive list, his goal remains the same: To contribute.
"I only look at the bigger picture when it comes to football," he said. "The bigger picture for this moment is that I still love the game. Whether it's running with the scout squad or taking reps with the active squad, I don't know how else to play football but one speed, all-out, and with one goal, and that's to help the Packers win."
Henderson has been a team player since the Packers selected him in the third round of the 1995 NFL draft.
"I don't look at the title 'starter,'" he said. "I look at what my contributions are for the game."
To some, Henderson's contributions in the Packers' 34-24 victory over the Dolphins may seem modest.
To others, they may seem beneath a 12-year veteran with Henderson's accomplishments.
Henderson doesn't see it that way.
"I was in shorts and a T-shirt with a towel and a Packers visor on my head at Miami," he said. "I was shouting encouragement to my teammates and running up and down the sideline, getting water for them, doing anything I could. As long as I am making the effort to help, then I feel I'm making a contribution."
He said the Packers discussed trading him to New England early in his rookie season. It didn't make him bitter. It made him better.
As for being upset about not starting, Henderson said, "I would never want to be considered a cancer in the locker room, or the person that distracts from what needs to be done. I grew up in a blue-collar family. I earn my keep, and I save what I earn."
"I have spent a total of $250,000 of my regular-season paychecks since I've been in the league, and that was an investment," he said. "Other than that, I've never touched my money from the first bonus check to last year's contract."
Give Henderson his due, but spare the sympathy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I miss seeing him out there, I wish him the best. most likely the end of an era.