Huskers' 'Finisher' is legend in making

[HuskerMack]

Published Sunday April 5, 2009

Tom Shatel: Huskers' 'Finisher' is legend in making

 

 

 

LINCOLN — When he was 5 years old, Ricky Henry killed a grizzly with his bare hands.

 

When he arrived at Nebraska last year, Henry's suitcase opened up and two injured linebackers fell out.

 

Last fall, Henry went as himself to a Halloween party.

 

Henry is so tough that Bo Pelini calls him "sir."

 

Well, that's what I heard.

 

Spring football is for potential. It's where legends are made and stories are told.

 

It's where you'll find the legend of Ricky Henry.

 

This junior right guard has yet to play a down for Nebraska. He's locked in a battle with D.J. Jones for the starting job. There are a lot of people pulling for him — except the poor slob lined up directly across.

 

"He's a bull in a china shop," defensive ends coach John Papuchis said.

 

"Ricky's a character," said offensive tackle Mike Smith with a smile. "That's all I can say about that."

 

"You have to have guys out there who just want to rip somebody's head off," center Jacob Hickman said. "That's Ricky. He's one of those guys where you have to say, 'Hey, it's 20 yards downfield, calm down, it's over. Don't kill anybody.'"

 

"My dad used to tell me stories about Tom Novak," offensive line coach Barney Cotton said. "Now, Tom Novak may have been the greatest player to ever play at Nebraska. Ricky is by no means there yet. But he has that type of physicality. He will hit you with his chest, his head, his legs — any part of his body."

 

They called Novak "Trainwreck" because that's what he usually hit like. We need a nickname for Henry.

 

Got one.

 

"He's a finisher," Cotton said.

 

"He loves to finish," senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said.

 

"He's a finisher," offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. "And finish means the other guy's on his back."

 

The Finisher is just beginning, in this case. Because Henry didn't play last year, he's not allowed to speak to the media just yet. He apparently is a man of few words, anyway. So says Papuchis, who recruited the former Burke High standout at North Dakota State College of Science.

 

"Oddest recruiting trip I've ever taken," Papuchis said. "He didn't say a word the whole time I was there. I didn't know if he didn't like me or what. That's just how he is. He's a good kid. He works hard. I hope he has a lot of success."

 

Mike Shafer, Henry's offensive line coach in North Dakota, says be careful of labeling the young man.

 

"When he came to us, we had heard that he had some problems with academics, that he wasn't interested," Shafer said. "But he came up here and got a 2.7 grade point.

 

"We also heard that he had problems with anger management. But we never saw any of that. He's a terrific young man. He hunts and fishes. We still keep in touch. He didn't go looking for trouble here and trouble never found him. There were no fights. Tell me, if you saw him coming on campus, would you pick a fight with him?"

 

Good point. The only scrapes Henry dives into occur at practice. Just ask Suh. Yes, that's right, Suh. Henry and Suh danced the dance on occasion last fall. Instead of being a nice little scout team lineman, playing nice with Suh and Ty Steinkuhler did not compute to Henry. And, as Suh said, it made the defensive linemen better.

 

"He helped me get to where I was," Suh said. "He kept pushing me. He never stops. He should have been on the other side (starting), but we had other guys there more experienced and he was just learning.

 

"We've gotten into some fights because he's real aggressive. He was holding, which a lot of linemen do, and he wouldn't stop. He won't back down."

 

He brings, shall we say, an attitude to the dinner party.

 

"I remember when we told Ricky he was going to redshirt and play on the scout team, he didn't look too happy, even though we had talked about it," Cotton said. "I said, 'Are you OK with this?' He said, 'Well, do I still get to hit somebody?' I said, 'Yeah, you get to go beat on those defensive linemen every day.' He said, 'OK, then I'm OK with it.' "

 

The comparisons line up like some sort of O-Line Mount Rushmore. Dave Rimington. Dominic Raiola. Richie Incognito. They say Henry has that kind of motor. But can he get to that technique level?

 

"He's one of the toughest guys I've ever been around," Cotton said. "Within that, he has to learn that it's not just one guy, sometimes it's two guys (double-team). And in pass protection, you can't lead with your head. He needs work on his assignments and technique."

 

If that comes, then so will the legend. How good will Henry be? Good enough that Colorado, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisville, Wisconsin and Iowa all came up to North Dakota a year ago to see if he had had a change of heart with Nebraska. Nope. When it comes to Nebraska, Henry wears his heart on his sleeve.

 

Or maybe that's someone else's heart that has been ripped out.

 

"He's got a lot to learn still but you gotta love him," Watson said. "He's a high-motor kid, a lot like Andre Gurode, who played at Colorado for us. He hasn't quite learned to dominate yet, but it will come with experience.

 

"He's something. Watch out, he might hit you."

 

Watson was joking.

 

I think.

[gamecocks]

If this kid learns the offense and the little things about being an o-lineman. He will be a stud.

[KansasHusker]

Another Incognito without the temper and penalties please.

[Enhance]

What was this article about? I got distracted by the OP's sig