Henry's night short, sweet

New Broncos back shows some pop in exhibition win

Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 14, 2007 at midnight

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SAN FRANCISCO - Training camp was only a few days old and Travis Henry had experienced some decent moments running out of his new backfield.

Except it already had become obvious.

Without full pads, sans all-out takedowns by his own defense, Henry couldn't be entirely evaluated. His bruising style between the tackles, the full head of steam approaching a defender were missing against teammates.

So, then, was the grit he's expected to bring to the Broncos.

"That's me," Henry said with a grin at the time. "If you look at my career, that's been my forte. I get the ugly 2, the ugly 3, 10. One thing I can say is when you get yards like that, you get those uglies, and that 60-yarder will open up if you do the dirty work first."

Henry finally got messy Monday night in the preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers. Only his theory was turned upside down.

He got the big yards to start, beginning with an 11-yard rumble over the right side, then went the short route with a 1-yard bull rush up the middle for a touchdown to end his only drive.

He finished with five carries for 27 yards in the Broncos' 17-13 victory at Monster Park.

"If we have to judge by that one series, then it's going to be a good season for him and everybody's got a lot to look forward to," tight end Daniel Graham said of Henry's production on the eight-play drive.

Quarterback Jay Cutler's 24-yard strike over the left seam to receiver Javon Walker was made possible in part by Henry's help in pass protection on a linebacker blitz.

Henry then showed some pop when he powered through two 49ers players, turning a short gain into a 9-yard carry.

"Not a lot of human beings can make that run," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "It gives you an indication of what kind of capabilities he has."

The "uglies" to which Henry referred were the most appealing to a Broncos team looking to establish a physical presence on regular-season Sundays.

Henry's quick work on the goal line against the 49ers, capped by his touchdown run, stood in sharp contrast to the Broncos' red-zone performance against San Francisco in the regular-season finale last season.

That previous effort in December - there were three goal-to-go situations and three field goals in a 26-23 overtime loss that knocked the Broncos out of the playoffs - was a big reason Henry was pursued.

On Monday night, Henry failed on his first short-yardage attempt on first-and-goal. Henry tried to get low and push the pile but couldn't escape rookie Patrick Willis leading a 49ers swarm. But Henry followed left tackle Erik Pears in for the touchdown on the next play as the Broncos capped the 67-yard drive, then got much of the first unit off the field.

"My adrenaline was pumping," Henry said. "It was like a regular-season game for me because I was excited to be out there with my new teammates. I just wanted to go out and show them how I'm going to do and how I'm going to work every game and every practice to get better and help this team."

The Broncos also received strong play from the players competing to be Henry's backup as they rolled up 182 rushing yards.

Cecil Sapp (11 carries, 50 yards) took over for Henry on the second series, then alternated possessions with Mike Bell (10 for 51). Both looked sharp and decisive in their cuts, with Bell showing good speed to the edge.

The Broncos finished with a 5.2-yard rushing average, with six of eight players recording at least one carry of 10-plus yards.

That total included a 16-yard scramble by Cutler that sent his helmet flying and set up Henry at the doorstep for his goal-line tries.

And in the end, "We came out and established that we're going to be a running team," Graham said, pointing in particular to the opening drive that included only two pass attempts.

rasizerl@RockyMountainNews.com

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