William Henderson

[all about da packers]

For the first time in his 12-year NFL career, Green Bay Packers fullback William Henderson was a healthy scratch in Sunday's 34-24 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Though Henderson had a calf injury in practice last week, he was upgraded to probable from questionable after Friday's practice. He wasn't left off the 45-man game-day roster because of the injury, Packers coach Mike McCarthy confirmed Monday.

Henderson's role has been greatly reduced since the Packers promoted fullback Brandon Miree from practice squad on Sept. 26.

Miree started the Oct. 2 game against Philadelphia, and Henderson probably would have been inactive against the Eagles had running back Ahman Green been able to play. Henderson wasn't going to make that trip, then caught a flight to Philadelphia on game day when Green's hamstring injury flared up.

"He goes out there, and he's the same guy every day," McCarthy said of Henderson. "You admire that from a coaching standpoint, but there are other things that factor into playing, (such as) special teams. We've got some young guys that are playing at a high level. It was not an easy decision."

Henderson was unavailable for comment because players were given Monday off. They return to work on Wednesday.

Henderson, 35, has spent his entire career with the Packers and has been one of their most reliable players. He missed the first game of his rookie season while recovering from a knee injury, and then missed only one other game from 1996 through last season. That came in 2002 when he sustained a knee injury.

"He's a professional, and he handled it well," offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said. "He competes every day in practice, and he's always ready to go."

He has had a heck of a long and successful career, and it is unfortunate to see less people like him in pro sports today. He is a team man, and will be sorely missed. Alwayd willing to do the dirty work, without the credit for it. I'll still remember that play where he jumped over a Vikings player, was some great stuff!

 

[Buckeyepackfan]

Hopefully Wiliam is not cut, with the way injuries crop up in the NFL, I will bet he will be needed in the near future.
William being the class guy and hard worker he is will be ready if that happens.

 

[Packers_Finland]

They're really ***** if they cut him imo.

 

[longtimefan]

why would they be a@@es??

if a guy isnt performing why tie up a roster spot ( and none of this~~TT wouldnt get a good guy to fill his spot anyways)

But now if a guy plays here a long time and isnt going to PLAY anymore this season because of his PERFORMANCE they need to keep a roster spot just for him?? And I mean the coaches has decided he will not suit up no matter what..

How do you know what is going on in the practices?? Something must be showing up there for Hendo to be demoted...I bet it is a hard choice for everyone involved cuz of his history..

He!! M.M was here in 99 when Hendo was performing at a very high level so one would gather MM knows what he is capable of.....

Dont you think they took a long hard look at it because of his loyalty to the team?

They can keep him on the staff ( such as Edgar/Leroy) and still use his services in some way and get the roster spot they need..

The team gave him a contract in offseasona dn paid more then what the Vikings were willing to spend, so that tells me they really wanted him..Who knows maybe his play has dropped off so much that the coaches se eit in practices...

But to call them a@@es if he is cut IMO is totaly wrong..

 

[packedhouse01]

This is what happens to a player when they try to get one more year out of a washed up body. You can't blame the Packers, and you can't blame William. This kind of thing happens all the time. You hope players know when to call it quits, but sometimes they don't and that puts the management in a difficult position. At the same time I'm proud that William played his entire career as a Packer. He will one day make it into the Packer Hall of Fame, unlike guys like Sharper and Longwell who have no place in the Packer hall of fame.

 

[Greg C.]

This is what happens to a player when they try to get one more year out of a washed up body. You can't blame the Packers, and you can't blame William. This kind of thing happens all the time. You hope players know when to call it quits, but sometimes they don't and that puts the management in a difficult position. At the same time I'm proud that William played his entire career as a Packer. He will one day make it into the Packer Hall of Fame, unlike guys like Sharper and Longwell who have no place in the Packer hall of fame.

Henderson came very close to signing with the Vikings in the offseason, but the Packers outbid them at the last minute. If that hadn't happened, would Henderson not deserve to be in the Packer Hall of Fame? I don't think we should blame players for accepting substantially higher contract offers from other teams. Longwell definitely deserves to be in the Packer Hall of Fame. He is the Packers' all-time scoring leader. Sharper I'm not so sure about. He played well for four or five years, got a lot of interceptions, made a couple Pro Bowls, then his performance declined before he left.

 

[Packnic]

i smell a coaching job. or maybe TV. either way i hope he stays visible, good guy. packer hall of famer.

 

[yooperfan]

Tough Call!
The man is a Packer through and through, there is not many players left in the league with the class of William Henderson.
I don't think they should cut him; what if Miree gets injured, we are kind of thin in the backfield as it is.

 

[tromadz]

um, where in that article did the word "cut" appear?

answer: nowhere

He was a healthy scratch for the first time. They wanted younger guys who can play special teams as well. Do YOU still want Willie playing special teams?

I hope he isn't cut, and I sure dont believe he will(not based off that article).

 

[DePack]

um, where in that article did the word "cut" appear?

answer: nowhere

He was a healthy scratch for the first time. They wanted younger guys who can play special teams as well. Do YOU still want Willie playing special teams?

I hope he isn't cut, and I sure dont believe he will(not based off that article).

I agree trom...I went through the article twice and didn't see anything to say he was on the verge of being cut.

 

[bozz_2006]

i heard the organization was gonna have him whacked because TT didn't have the balls to cut him.

 

[spardo62]

A class guy, and very underrated for most of his career, because he was a true blocking fullback and did not get many carries. Seems he was always overshadowed by Alstott, although Henderson was the superior player other than rushing yards.

That said, he began to slip at least two years ago. Still servicable, but not the player he had been. Apparently the slip this year has been more pronounced, thus the healthy scratch.

I believe he will finish the year on the roster, unless circumstances dictate otherwise, and reture at the end of the year. I would not be surprised if GB keeps him in some capacity if he so desires.

 

[Tiger]

i heard the organization was gonna have him whacked because TT didn't have the balls to cut him.

you'd have to pay out loads to his grieving family so thats not an option methinks

 

[Timmons]

I've always enjoyed Henderson as a packer. He's a role model for prefessional athletes.

My favorite Henderson game was the home game vs the ravens where he continually hammered Ray Lewis on running plays.

 

[Zombieslayer]

A class guy, and very underrated for most of his career, because he was a true blocking fullback and did not get many carries. Seems he was always overshadowed by Alstott, although Henderson was the superior player other than rushing yards.

That said, he began to slip at least two years ago. Still servicable, but not the player he had been. Apparently the slip this year has been more pronounced, thus the healthy scratch.

I believe he will finish the year on the roster, unless circumstances dictate otherwise, and reture at the end of the year. I would not be surprised if GB keeps him in some capacity if he so desires.

I'm really hoping he retires a Packer at the end of the year. I assume he's financially taken care of for life, considering how long he's played. I'd actually be bummed if he retired on some other team. Or maybe do what Jerry Rice did and come back for one game and retire a Packer (as Rice retired a Niner). That would be cool too.

Henderson has been one of my favs. I'm really glad he got to be a Pro Bowl in his career. He definitely deserved it.

 

[cyoung]

I'm sad to see he isn't starting, and if he started how he would not play well. I like the guy a lot he has a lot of talent, he can block some catch some and run some. But he has reached that point in some peoples career where they should quit or slow down. Hopefully he can heal up be healthy again and maybe start and play good again.

 

[ChrisC]

Henderson came very close to signing with the Vikings in the offseason, but the Packers outbid them at the last minute. If that hadn't happened, would Henderson not deserve to be in the Packer Hall of Fame? I don't think we should blame players for accepting substantially higher contract offers from other teams. Longwell definitely deserves to be in the Packer Hall of Fame. He is the Packers' all-time scoring leader. Sharper I'm not so sure about. He played well for four or five years, got a lot of interceptions, made a couple Pro Bowls, then his performance declined before he left.

Absolutely agree with Greg here - and with most of the sentiment on this thread.

Can't criticise Longwell, or even really Sharper (who the Pack cut) except where the latter's play dropped off.

I sure hope the Packers treat William Henderson with the class he has always shown. After all, MM made much of his desire for "Packer People"

Chris

 

[Canadian packer]

Class act, never had off field problems.... I rather him retire than get cut

 

[cyoung]

Class act, never had off field problems.... I rather him retire than get cut

I agree with Canadian, I would like to see him play until there is no more fuel in him and he should retire.

 

[millertime]

Henderson is "Packer People" lol.

 

[ChrisC]

Just to emphasise the point, here's Havel on Henderson.

I particularly liked this

"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.'"

The full article: Henderson accepts backup role

Chris

 

[tromadz]

Gotta love Willie.

He could(maybe should?) easily be pissed. GB snagged him instead of letting him go to the vikings this offseason, and going into the 2nd half of the season hes not starting. That would infuriate a lot of egotistical players, thinking "I wish I went to the Vikings..." and im sure he DOES feel that way a little (only natural) but he is being a pro about this and i love him for it.

his 'replacement' had a huuuuge catch this week, and helped block in a game where 2 Rbs got over 100 yards each! So...hooray fullbacks!

 

[Buckeyepackfan]

Henderson back in the starting lineup!!!
Look for at least one of his pattented catches out of the backfield, then his leaping of a would be tackler!!!!
I love it when these db's try to hit William at the ankles and he just keeps right on going.

 

[ChrisC]

This from Packers.com - not really the biggest shock of the year!!!

---

Veteran does the job

The Packers' running game didn't appear to miss a beat without fullback Brandon Miree and with veteran William Henderson taking his place.

Ahman Green averaged 5.3 yards on his 23 carries while Noah Herron, in the No. 2 spot in place of Vernand Morency, averaged 5.0 on his five rushes. Several times the backs made good reads off of stout lead blocks by Henderson, who appears to be fully healthy after beginning the season recovering from minor knee surgery.

"I thought William played a solid game," McCarthy said. "We did a couple things schematically, changed it up, he handled it very well, and I thought he had a very solid performance."

---

Kinda makes you think that health was the issue. Can't do anything much about age, but (as ever) "Great job, Will!" :cheerleader:

Chris