airs0ft3r Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 I came across this article while looking for our linebackers and their progress. He's come a long way. ______________________________ http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/08/tragedy-motivates-henson/ On the surface, all seems wonderful in Robert Henson's life. Henson soon will receive a bonus of roughly $100,000 to sign with the Washington Redskins, who chose him in the sixth round of April's draft. He's just three hours shy of a degree in criminal justice from Texas Christian University. His wife, Sarah, the youngest daughter of renowned pastor T.D. Jakes, is expecting their first child in August. But that's just how things look on the surface, perhaps from a distance. A closer look reveals a tattoo on his upper right arm, and a sadder story starts there. The name "Rudy" is inked there, the nickname of Henson's younger brother, Nicholas, the driving force of his life. It was St. Patrick's Day 1997 when Henson, then 12, woke up at 5:30 a.m. in the small house on the wrong side of Longview, Texas, that he shared with his mother, Samantha; Nicholas, then 10; and his younger sister, Tiffany. Shortly after awakening, Henson heard an explosion that sounded like someone had kicked a door down: It was the start of a fire that would consume the house. Henson was able to get his mother and sister out, but by the time he returned to the front room where he and Nicholas had fallen asleep playing video games, the force of the flames and the smoke proved too much. Firemen arrived quickly - Henson said "it felt like hours" - but they couldn't get to Nicholas. The Henson brothers used to sit on the front porch and talk about the future, when they both would play in the NFL. Now Robert will try to achieve that dream for them both. "It was the worst feeling ever," Henson said after a recent practice. "I felt like I let him down. I wasn't able to protect him like a big brother should. We were very close. He wanted to be like me in every way. We dressed the same. He was small, but he loved to play football. Everybody counted him out, but he made plays. He's pretty much the reason I kept playing football." The tragedy didn't end there. Eight years later, Tiffany, then 14, was assaulted and shot nine times. She survived after 11 days in intensive care. And while he was at TCU, both of Henson's maternal grandparents died. "Robert had to grow up a little quicker than a lot of people," linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti said. "He's experienced more at a young age than a lot of us will have ever to experience, hopefully. Those things probably give him a different perspective. Football's a release for him." He has channeled that into an aggressive style of play that fit his role on special teams with the Horned Frogs. He didn't become a full-time starter at linebacker until his senior year, and he was named first-team All-Mountain West after making 73 tackles and intercepting two passes. In a 54-7 rout of Wyoming, Henson knocked two quarterbacks out of the game on fumble-forcing hits. "Robert loves football, but I do worry about him hurting himself or someone else," Samantha Henson said. "He has hit people so hard that he has given himself concussions." "Robert brings a punch," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "He can run and hit, and he plays special teams with reckless abandon. He was an emotional leader on our team." Longtime Redskins linebackers Marcus Washington and Khary Campbell won't return this season, so the Redskins filled one of those vacancies in April's draft when they took Brian Orakpo with the 13th selection. The Redskins also return three players who started last season: middle linebacker London Fletcher, weakside linebacker Rocky McIntosh and the versatile H.B. Blades. If holdover Alfred Fincher sticks, that leaves well-traveled Robert Thomas, practice squad product Tyson Smith, fifth-round selection Cody Glenn, rookie free agent Darrel Young and Henson battling for one roster spot. His special teams experience could go a long way toward helping him earn that spot, and it seems he was drafted by a franchise that won't hold his height against him. At 6-foot and 242 pounds, Henson is shorter than most NFL linebackers, but he's taller than Fletcher and Blades. Expect to see his body flying around making plays when training camp starts late next month - because Henson doesn't want to go home to East Texas with a pink slip. "I've been fighting to be here my whole life," he said. "Football has been my only escape from the hard upbringing and all the tragedy that I've had. I take out my aggression on the field. I'm very, very aggressive at the point of attack. I'm great against the run, and I'm fast to the ball. "All you can ask for is a shot. I'm grateful for the opportunity. I just wanted to get my foot in the door. I plan on kicking it down." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RammsteinSkins Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Wow. Amazing read. Henson is my guy this year, I hope he makes a big impact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dellman Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 well, it could be a feel good story if he sticks. But its going to be on his ability to stand out and makes plays. This is the NFC and it stands for No-Frikken-Charity. Just show everybody you are the next Ray Lewis and you can make the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Waterboy Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Hmm, this year's team seems to have many players "with things to prove". That could be the catalyst for an extraordinary team .... year...assuming they channel that into team preformance, not merely individual glory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redshirtguy#45 Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 good luck to the man... more fire/drive on the d is always good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevincollateral Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 i really hope he makes the team. love to have a tcu guy on the team! im pulling for him. good read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizKauai Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Every human being comes with a life story. It is totally wonderful to see victory emerge from the ashes (literally in this case) of of calamity and crisis. All the best, Robert, for a great season and career! HAIL Henson! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiro Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Based on what I had read and watched of him, he was the one of our late rounders that I had tabbed to be the one to stick if any of them did. I think he could turn out to be a good one for us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE HAMMER'IN HOG Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 well, it could be a feel good story if he sticks. But its going to be on his ability to stand out and makes plays. This is the NFC and it stands for No-Frikken-Charity.Just show everybody you are the next Ray Lewis and you can make the team. Apparently JC has used it all up? Hope the kid makes it in some capacity, you got a really love to root for a guy who's come down such a tough road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyndorf25 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Great piece. I have a new favorite training camp player. Wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWFLSkins Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 "All you can ask for is a shot. I'm grateful for the opportunity. I just wanted to get my foot in the door. I plan on kicking it down." Wow, gotta love that guy, great read. Count me in on the Henson Homers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IbleedBnG83 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 How can you not root for a guy like this. Seems like a really down to earth guy. From watching some clips, he seems to have a high motor and a good tackler. I really hope he does well and be a solid contributor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airs0ft3r Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 I'm not a big fan of him as a player, but only because he was a player we didn't need. I would have much rather gone O-line than LB or TE, which... our FO did (idiots). For the position, I don't think he'll be very good compared to our already decent LB squad, but as a person, I wish him the best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoyaSkins28 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 He sounds like a good guy that's had a bunch of bad things happen to him. He clearly has a lot of heart and passion for the game, something we always need on a football team. I'm rooting for him to make the roster and even become the Chris Horton of this year. Good luck to you Robert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenegadeTK Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Good read.... i wish the best to him and hope he can earn a spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexxskins Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 He knocked two QB's out of the same game? Daaaaaaamn? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ucfSKINS Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Pretty sure this was posted before. Either way, hope he makes the team and can contribute on special teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#98QBKiller Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I think there's a good chance we can see him laying people down on special teams on opening day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsenic Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I always like to put a face with a story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirtyfive2seven Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I'm not a big fan of him as a player, but only because he was a player we didn't need. I would have much rather gone O-line than LB or TE, which... our FO did (idiots). For the position, I don't think he'll be very good compared to our already decent LB squad, but as a person, I wish him the best of luck. I agree to a certain extent. The skins let Marcus and Khary go so they were pretty thin at LB to begin with. To say it wasn't a position of need is stretching it a bit. However, the FO is STILL to blame because they shouldn't have allowed Campbell to leave and they could have worked out some deal with Marcus Wash (if he would have accepted). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Never4get#21 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Just another reason why I cant wait for camp to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terpfan Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 He'll certainly have a fair shot... It's not like we are brimming with depth at LB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#98QBKiller Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 However, the FO is STILL to blame because they shouldn't have allowed Campbell to leave and they could have worked out some deal with Marcus Wash (if he would have accepted). Marcus is still out there somewhere, I think it's still a very real possibility that he could end up here by training camp. I'd have to imagine that by now, he realizes he's not going to get a lot of money anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dellman Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Apparently JC has used it all up?Hope the kid makes it in some capacity' date=' you got a really love to root for a guy who's come down such a tough road.[/quote'] almost unbelievable that one of the member in the Jason Haters Club has turned even a "linebacker" thread into another "I hate Campbell" thread.:doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thinking Skins Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I hope that him and Glenn can be impact players on special teams this year and get some time on defense. We'll see what they have to offer in the preseason. I'm all about our team getting younger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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