Henderson hangs on to job

blacksaint · 09-21-2007, 06:44 PM

COUNTDOWN TO MONDAY NIGHT

By LARRY HOLDER
lholder@sunherald.com

METAIRIE, La. --Dr. Henderson and Mr. Hyde are back again.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Devery Henderson outplayed almost everyone during training camp and easily secured the team's No. 2 spot opposite Marques Colston.

His sketchy play on Sunday in the 31-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers landed Henderson on the bench as the Saints turned into a one-dimensional pass attack after going down by four touchdowns.

Henderson dropped a would-be touchdown pass in the first half and the drive led to a missed field goal by Olindo Mare. He failed to catch a pass against the Bucs and said his poor play could have been the reason for his lack of time.

"Maybe so, but whatever the reason was for it, the coaches are out there trying to win the game," Henderson said. "Obviously, I want to win. I trust what he's doing. Me not being out there is disappointing to me, but it is what it is. I've got to live with it."

Colston, Terrance Copper, David Patten and Lance Moore lined up in the four wide-out sets during the Saints' comeback attempt.

Saints coach Sean Payton wasn't shy about pointing out Henderson's issues hanging onto the football. But he also said he hasn't contemplated any sort of position changes going into the Saints' game against the Tennessee Titans on Monday night.

"He struggled early on, and then he had a missed assignment," Payton said. "I wanted to get Lance (Moore) some work. One of the things I told C.J. (wide receiver coach Curtis Johnson), with the weather, was to rotate those guys. We brought guys in and out. He struggled early, and some of those other guys have been playing pretty well.

"But my expectation of how I think he should play, and I think his as well is much higher then what we saw. But he is not the only one."

Henderson significantly led the NFL in yards per catch last season, averaging 23.3 yards per reception, but had issues hanging onto the ball during training camp. Overcoming those issues took him nearly half of last season.

"I'm not worried about it, to be honest with you," Henderson said. "I'm not going to let it get to me. Everybody drops balls. I'm not going to let it get me down. If anything I'm going to go out there and work harder and have a chip on my shoulder."

Hexing proposition

Sports Illustrated picked the Saints to win the Super Bowl. So far, the prediction appears to hold the same clout as the Madden video game curse. The battle of the hexes will be in full effect as Madden '08 coverboy Vince Young faces SI's champ on Monday night in the Louisiana Superdome.

Young hasn't had the same injury fate as others who graced the video-game cover.

SunHerald.com : Henderson hangs on to job

09-21-2007, 06:44 PM	#1
blacksaint DARE TO ENTER Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Home Sweet Home, NEW ORLEANS, La. Posts: 1,154	Henderson hangs on to job COUNTDOWN TO MONDAY NIGHT By LARRY HOLDER lholder@sunherald.com METAIRIE, La. --Dr. Henderson and Mr. Hyde are back again. New Orleans Saints wide receiver Devery Henderson outplayed almost everyone during training camp and easily secured the team's No. 2 spot opposite Marques Colston. His sketchy play on Sunday in the 31-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers landed Henderson on the bench as the Saints turned into a one-dimensional pass attack after going down by four touchdowns. Henderson dropped a would-be touchdown pass in the first half and the drive led to a missed field goal by Olindo Mare. He failed to catch a pass against the Bucs and said his poor play could have been the reason for his lack of time. "Maybe so, but whatever the reason was for it, the coaches are out there trying to win the game," Henderson said. "Obviously, I want to win. I trust what he's doing. Me not being out there is disappointing to me, but it is what it is. I've got to live with it." Colston, Terrance Copper, David Patten and Lance Moore lined up in the four wide-out sets during the Saints' comeback attempt. Saints coach Sean Payton wasn't shy about pointing out Henderson's issues hanging onto the football. But he also said he hasn't contemplated any sort of position changes going into the Saints' game against the Tennessee Titans on Monday night. "He struggled early on, and then he had a missed assignment," Payton said. "I wanted to get Lance (Moore) some work. One of the things I told C.J. (wide receiver coach Curtis Johnson), with the weather, was to rotate those guys. We brought guys in and out. He struggled early, and some of those other guys have been playing pretty well. "But my expectation of how I think he should play, and I think his as well is much higher then what we saw. But he is not the only one." Henderson significantly led the NFL in yards per catch last season, averaging 23.3 yards per reception, but had issues hanging onto the ball during training camp. Overcoming those issues took him nearly half of last season. "I'm not worried about it, to be honest with you," Henderson said. "I'm not going to let it get to me. Everybody drops balls. I'm not going to let it get me down. If anything I'm going to go out there and work harder and have a chip on my shoulder." Hexing proposition Sports Illustrated picked the Saints to win the Super Bowl. So far, the prediction appears to hold the same clout as the Madden video game curse. The battle of the hexes will be in full effect as Madden '08 coverboy Vince Young faces SI's champ on Monday night in the Louisiana Superdome. Young hasn't had the same injury fate as others who graced the video-game cover. SunHerald.com : Henderson hangs on to job
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