Cowboys happy with Henson
12:29 PM CDT on Thursday, April 13, 2006
IRVING – Drew Henson's European vacation seems to be going pretty well.
In four games, Rhein is unbeaten and Henson has thrown for 586 yards on 51-of-86 passing with four touchdowns and one interception. He's been sacked just four times. He has a 90.6 rating.
The Cowboys are happy with what they've seen. Happy, not ecstatic.
Gone are the days when the Cowboys (OK, Jerry Jones) will overreact to a couple of games and believe they have found the answer.
The Cowboys sent Henson to Europe to see if he could sink or swim. So far he's swimming. Because he was so talented growing up, Henson has had the good fortune of picking his opportunities. He chose Michigan. He chose to sign with the Yankees. He chose to leave baseball.
Two years ago the Cowboys placed Chad Hutchinson with his NFL Europe team, making sure former assistant Galen Hall would work with him (although that plan backfired with Hall took a college job before the season began).
They didn't do that with Henson. They wanted him to be treated like every other quarterback. So far he has responded.
E-mailers mention the competition – or the lack thereof – in NFL Europe as a reason why Henson is succeeding. Here's a point: Zuriel Smith is his best receiver. He's not throwing to Terry Glenn or Terrell Owens or even Patrick Crayton or Terrance Copper. He doesn't have Julius Jones running the ball or even Tyson Thompson. He doesn't have Flozell Adams blocking for him or even Torrin Tucker.
He is doing what he is supposed to be doing. If he wasn't, then he'd be Hutchinson.
Hutchinson went to Rhein following the 2003 season and displayed the same lack of awareness in Europe that he did in the U.S. He fumbled too much. He took too many sacks.
Whatever sense the quarterback needs, he didn't show it and was cut. And now he's out of football.
Henson is not turning the ball over. He's not taking sacks. He's managing games. Sounds like Bill Parcells' quarterback formula. And recently he's made some big plays.
In the upcoming draft, the Cowboys like Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst. Maybe Henson's play keeps the Cowboys from picking a quarterback in the draft (all bets are off if Vandy's Jay Cutler slides to No. 18).
During his two seasons with the Cowboys, Henson has performed better in games than in practices. He would lock in on receivers and only throw when they were truly open. That's what being away from the game will do to a quarterback.
Playing in Berlin or Amsterdam is not like playing in Philadelphia or Giants Stadium, but it's a start, and the Cowboys have to like that.
If Henson continues on this path, then the Cowboys will have a competition for the No. 2 job at the very least. A year ago, Henson, with re-tooled mechanics and an injured hand he didn't want to talk about, did not perform well in training camp and Tony Romo clearly won the job.
But remember this: after a spending three years away from football Henson was the Cowboys' backup in 2003 for the majority of the season and started one game.
IRVING – Drew Henson's European vacation seems to be going pretty well.
In four games, Rhein is unbeaten and Henson has thrown for 586 yards on 51-of-86 passing with four touchdowns and one interception. He's been sacked just four times. He has a 90.6 rating.
The Cowboys are happy with what they've seen. Happy, not ecstatic.
Gone are the days when the Cowboys (OK, Jerry Jones) will overreact to a couple of games and believe they have found the answer.
The Cowboys sent Henson to Europe to see if he could sink or swim. So far he's swimming. Because he was so talented growing up, Henson has had the good fortune of picking his opportunities. He chose Michigan. He chose to sign with the Yankees. He chose to leave baseball.
Two years ago the Cowboys placed Chad Hutchinson with his NFL Europe team, making sure former assistant Galen Hall would work with him (although that plan backfired with Hall took a college job before the season began).
They didn't do that with Henson. They wanted him to be treated like every other quarterback. So far he has responded.
E-mailers mention the competition – or the lack thereof – in NFL Europe as a reason why Henson is succeeding. Here's a point: Zuriel Smith is his best receiver. He's not throwing to Terry Glenn or Terrell Owens or even Patrick Crayton or Terrance Copper. He doesn't have Julius Jones running the ball or even Tyson Thompson. He doesn't have Flozell Adams blocking for him or even Torrin Tucker.
He is doing what he is supposed to be doing. If he wasn't, then he'd be Hutchinson.
Hutchinson went to Rhein following the 2003 season and displayed the same lack of awareness in Europe that he did in the U.S. He fumbled too much. He took too many sacks.
Whatever sense the quarterback needs, he didn't show it and was cut. And now he's out of football.
Henson is not turning the ball over. He's not taking sacks. He's managing games. Sounds like Bill Parcells' quarterback formula. And recently he's made some big plays.
In the upcoming draft, the Cowboys like Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst. Maybe Henson's play keeps the Cowboys from picking a quarterback in the draft (all bets are off if Vandy's Jay Cutler slides to No. 18).
During his two seasons with the Cowboys, Henson has performed better in games than in practices. He would lock in on receivers and only throw when they were truly open. That's what being away from the game will do to a quarterback.
Playing in Berlin or Amsterdam is not like playing in Philadelphia or Giants Stadium, but it's a start, and the Cowboys have to like that.
If Henson continues on this path, then the Cowboys will have a competition for the No. 2 job at the very least. A year ago, Henson, with re-tooled mechanics and an injured hand he didn't want to talk about, did not perform well in training camp and Tony Romo clearly won the job.
But remember this: after a spending three years away from football Henson was the Cowboys' backup in 2003 for the majority of the season and started one game.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:43 PM
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