Henry is learning the team's nuances

Running back excited by Broncos' potential

Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 24, 2007 at midnight

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ENGLEWOOD - You can call it a crash course for Travis Henry.

But for a player known for his physical style, using that description for his first on- field, noncontact work with the Broncos the past two weeks is a bit of a misnomer.

It's more visual and mental than that.

Aiming points. Assignments. Alignments. Reads.

Those have been the biggest areas of focus for the free-agent running back as he makes the adjustment to a new team and a revised system.

"My first day, I wasn't used to it. But the more I've practiced, the better I'm getting at it," Henry said Wednesday after passing-camp practice, the sixth of seven workouts this month. "And the one thing I notice is they're going to run the out zone play all day. Outside zone. Inside. And I like the fact that they give me on one-cut read and I'm downhill. That's my forte."

Henry ran "stretch" running plays at his first two NFL stops, with the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans. And given the daily attention to the Broncos' signature running plays, it won't be long before he becomes, as he put it, "a master."

Still, even with previous exposure to such a system, Henry can't help but marvel at what he has seen up front from the Broncos' offensive linemen. Their chorography as blockers is Broadway quality.

"It's been amazing," Henry said. "Seeing how those guys pull and get out there and zone block, they're sharp. But that's the way things are around here. They make sure . . . everybody's sharp."

No one subscribes to that philosophy more than Henry's new position coach, Bobby Turner. Even though it's a foregone conclusion Henry will be an offensive centerpiece, he hasn't been treated that way. Turner has prodded the seventh-year player as if he were joining a pro backfield for the first time.

"He makes sure everybody is competing," Henry said of Turner. "They brought me in here as a free agent, gave me X amount (of money). It doesn't matter to him. You still have to go out there and work. And that's what I like. I like to keep that hunger. That's the way I'm built. And he emphasizes that."

Turner has coached a 1,000-yard rusher in Denver in every season but one since 1995, giving him huge credibility when it comes to the respect level afforded him by his newest pupil.

"I'm just a sponge right now," said Henry, the No. 5 rusher in the AFC last season with 1,211 yards, the third-highest total of his career.

The initial thing one notices watching the running back take the field in a Broncos uniform for the first time is his build.

Stocky doesn't begin to describe the 5-foot-9, 215-pounder.

Bowling ball is more accurate.

Henry has a stout chest, thick arms and thicker legs. It's easy to see why former Titans teammate Bo Scaife described him as a "baby rhino." That nickname had as much to do with Henry's ability to break tackles in the open field and a top-flight stiff-arm as his build.

But there's none of that activity in May, when one faces teammates in shorts and shells. Even so, fullback Kyle Johnson said Henry has shown enough quickness to, and through, the hole the past couple of weeks to see why it could be a good marriage of player and system.

"We've been friends since high school (in Florida)," defensive tackle Gerard Warren said. "We played against each other in the state championship game, so I know what he brings to the table."

And what exactly will Henry bring?

"What we're looking for," Warren added.

One aspect Henry gleaned immediately was what coach Mike Shanahan seeks - and gets - from his players.

"He wants it one way, and that's full speed every day. And you can just tell, guys know it, too," Henry said. "When I was at other places, some certain guys would complain. There's no complaining here. When it's time to go to work, get out there and work."

And for Henry, there's still plenty left on his plate to do by the time training camp starts in late July.

He wants to - here's that word again - master the offense, master the aiming points and get more precise on reads and cuts. He also hopes to be on point with his blitz pickup so he can stay on the field all three downs.

"You can tell from my first day that I'm better on tape," Henry said in summing up his on-field activity so far. "At first, I was kind of hesitant. Now, I'm 'zoom, zoom.' You know what I'm saying?"

Just imagine when he can add some boom to the zoom in terms of contact.

"Once everybody gets on the same page, it's going to be special," Henry said. "I see the potential."

Henry by the numbers

4.5 yards a carry in 2006, the best season average in his career.

70-yard run, longest of his career, in Tennessee's 31-13 win at Philadelphia in November.

6 games with 100 rushing yards or more in the 2002 and 2006 seasons.

0 games with 100 rushing yards or more in the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

178 rushing yards, a career high, against the Redskins on Oct. 15. He had 32 carries for a 5.6-yard average.

rasizerl@RockyMountainNews.com

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