Kickoff-return rules could be huge for Steelers’ Henderson
With the changes in NFL kickoff-return rules this season, undrafted free agent Quadree Henderson of Pitt could have the biggest impact on the Steelers this season of any rookie not named James Washington.
Washington may even be the fallback return man if the Steelers can鈥檛 find a spot for the 5-8, 192-pound Henderson.
Of course, that蘑菇视频 not in Henderson蘑菇视频 plans because to go along with his speed and shiftiness is a fearlessness that became obvious in the spring. If he shows that same fearlessness fielding punts in the preseason, the Steelers could very well have found their man.
鈥淚 definitely see the opening here,鈥� said Henderson. 鈥淚 definitely feel like I can make it on the 53-man roster. There蘑菇视频 a high possibility I will make it on the 53-man roster. Just go to camp with a humble head and just work my butt off and show the coaches what I鈥檝e got.鈥�
At Pitt, Henderson returned 73 kickoffs at 26.6 yards per, and 37 punts at 13.4 per. He scored four touchdowns returning kickoffs and three returning punts.
Does he have a preference for either?
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a preference at all, either way to get the ball in my hand,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a dynamic playmaker once the ball is in my hand, especially in open space.鈥�
There should be more of that 鈥渙pen space鈥� available on kickoff returns this year. The league made several rules changes that, if they don鈥檛 work, could precipitate an end to the play altogether. The league told owners in the spring that concussions are five times more likely to occur during a kickoff return, so they installed the following:
1. No more running starts for kicking team. Players can鈥檛 line up more than one yard off the ball.
2. Kicking team must have five players on each side of the ball, up from four.
3. Kicking team must have at least two players lined up outside the numbers.
4. At least eight players on the return team must be in a 15-yard 鈥渟et-up zone鈥� prior to kickoff, which could cause more pop-up kickoffs into the space in front of the returners.
5. Until the ball is touched or hits the ground, no player on the receiving team can cross its restraining line or initiate a block in the 15-yard area from the kicking line.
6. Two-man wedge blocks are no longer allowed.
7. Ball ruled a touchback if it lands in the end zone.
In summation, we could see fewer, if any, offensive linemen on the field, while the return men should enjoy more open space when they catch the ball.
鈥淚t鈥檒l definitely open the field,鈥� Henderson said. 鈥淚t蘑菇视频 definitely going to help a guy like me. Everybody knows what I can do in the return game.鈥�
Henderson has been labeled a 鈥渘o-nonsense鈥� return man. He was coached at Pitt to run north, 鈥渁nd I take that first hole and hit it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not lolly-gagging back there, tip-toeing. I鈥檓 trying to get yards and put my offense in the best field position possible.鈥�
And if Henderson hits an open hole, he has the speed to go the distance.
Of course, he wasn鈥檛 happy with the 4.50 40 time he ran at the NFL Combine. He defers to the 4.37 40 he ran at Pitt蘑菇视频 pro day.
鈥淎t the Combine, with the lasers, if you鈥檙e not a track guy 鈥� speedy, speedy fast, like Usain Bolt fast, or somebody who progressed through track and was in track all his life 鈥� I don鈥檛 see any way in the world you can possibly get to a 4.3,鈥� Henderson said. 鈥淚 was down in Florida (training) at XPE. We were running on lasers. The fastest laser time I got was a 4.37, but I got to the Combine and ran a 4.50. It was shocking. I never ran a 4.5 in my life. I was always a low 4.4 guy.鈥�
In spite of his natural speed, Henderson was never much of a track guy.
鈥淚 ran track my sixth-grade year, middle school,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n high school I didn鈥檛 run track at all, just basketball and football. But everybody kept begging me, 鈥楥ome run on our 4 by one (hundred) relay team鈥�; 鈥楥ome run the 100 for us.鈥� I went out my first meet my junior year, broke the school record, my first meet back from sixth grade. I never trained for track. The speed was just God given. I went out there and broke the school record (100 meters), 10.83. I qualified to go to states but instead of going to states I went to 7-on-7 football tournament instead. I don鈥檛 regret it at all. I knew football was where my heart was at and I was out there just to run.鈥�
Did the football tournament help him get Pitt蘑菇视频 attention?
鈥淵es, sir,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he whole 7-on-7 circuit definitely helped me get to Pitt. I was a three-star coming out of high school. People came out to see all these top prospects and I was just ripping the whole 7-on-7 circuit. I was barely even touched. It蘑菇视频 a game of two-hand touch, once you catch the ball, but I was barely ever touched because I was so shifty in open space.鈥�
Henderson grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, where the 21-year-old said he was lucky to have survived.
鈥淭hat city is rough 鈥� rough growing up,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t蘑菇视频 a blessing to make it to your 19th birthday there. It really is rough.鈥�
Henderson made it, he believes, because of his mother and father, close friends, and sports.
鈥淔ootball is my golden ticket out,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 never smoked, never drank, always surrounded myself with good people, people who were on the same mission as me.鈥�
Henderson蘑菇视频 friends back home also stayed out of trouble through sports, but Henderson was the only one to move on. Those friends are currently working jobs and living vicariously through a guy they believe can become the NFL蘑菇视频 next player out of their small state.
鈥淲e all grew up playing football together since the age of five,鈥� Henderson said. 鈥淭hey always call me every day and ask me how it is. They want to see me do my best. That蘑菇视频 why I鈥檓 hoping to be able to get out here and provide for myself, provide for my family, and make everybody back at home proud.鈥�
To make the Steelers, Henderson will need to improve his receiving skills. 鈥淗e蘑菇视频 not going to do it just as a return guy,鈥� is what Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi told reporters when Henderson announced he was turning pro after his junior year.
鈥淢e and Coach Narduzzi had this talk before I declared,鈥� Henderson said. 鈥淚 know everybody wants to see me at receiver. I鈥檓 out here working my butt off at receiver. Coach (Darryl) Drake蘑菇视频 even saying good things about me in the meeting rooms. The offensive coordinator, Coach Randy (Fichtner), is in there saying good things about me, the way I run routes. Everybody sees that I鈥檓 progressing, so I just keep working my butt off, keep a humble head, keep a good head on my shoulders.鈥�
Henderson is the smallest in the group of receivers working for the Steelers, but he蘑菇视频 shown a get-dirty work ethic that no doubt will be appreciated by veterans in the locker room.
To that end, the Steelers put Henderson in James Harrison蘑菇视频 old locker, located in the back of the room, in a small neighborhood that includes Antonio Brown.
Henderson蘑菇视频 placement by the team is certainly no coincidence.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 had a chance to actually work together yet,鈥� Henderson said of Brown. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure along the way, once he goes to work on extra routes, I think all receivers are going to be out there learning and picking his brain to get better.鈥�
The way Henderson sees it, there蘑菇视频 no going back to his old neighborhood. He蘑菇视频 either making the NFL 鈥� or he蘑菇视频 making the NFL.
After announcing he was leaving Pitt, Henderson tweeted 鈥淲anna take care of my family and move them out of the hood.鈥�
鈥淚 just feel like the NFL is my ticket out of the hood, and their ticket out also,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 want to make them happy. This has been my dream since I was five years old playing little league football. This is my dream all around. I just want to live it, say I played in the NFL.鈥�