Henson expected to start for Cowboys

IRVING, Texas -- This time last year, Drew Henson was starting to distance himself from being "the next Mickey Mantle." He'd given up trying to play third base in the New York Yankees organization and was ready to concentrate on what he enjoyed most, playing quarterback.

Last Thanksgiving he spent the holiday at home in Michigan with his family, doing what they always did: eating a big meal and watching the Detroit Lions play the early game, then the Dallas Cowboys in the afternoon.

This Thanksgiving afternoon, Henson is the one everyone around the country will be watching. Now carrying the burden of being "the next Troy Aikman," he's expected to make his first NFL start, leading the Cowboys against the Chicago Bears.

Sound intimidating? It might be for most rookies, even those who are 24.

But after playing three seasons at Michigan, battling Tom Brady for playing time the first two years, then three seasons trying to live up to the expectations of Yankees fans, there's little that awes Henson, who has the added benefit of being a football coach's son.

"It's a great opportunity," Henson said. "I've got friends and family that will be able to watch. This is the kind of stage that you would like."

Henson signed with the Cowboys in March because he was willing to accept this kind of pressure as a privilege that goes with being part of such a tradition-rich team. After all, between the Wolverines and the Yankees, he certainly knows the pros and cons.

Such eagerness is a good sign. A better indicator is how he reacted Sunday when his first NFL snap -- his first in a game that counted since the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2001 -- turned into a sack and a lost fumble that rolled all the way to Dallas' 1-yard line.

Henson went to the sideline and started thinking about what he'd do on the next series, not what he'd done wrong. Then he led the Cowboys on an 80-yard touchdown drive, completing all six of his passes. Three were on third downs and he converted another by running for 7 yards on third-and-7. The drive ended with a 1-yard TD pass.

"It's almost like he took a baseball mentality out there. 'OK, I just struck out in my first at-bat, so I'm going to go back out there and get a hit,"' linebacker Dexter Coakley said.

Dallas coach Bill Parcells has been reluctant to use Henson. He still hasn't firmly declared him the starter, making it clear that he's only getting this chance because Vinny Testaverde is hurt.

Parcells insists it's not a promotion and not a recognition that the Cowboys (3-7) might as well start preparing for next year, even though they've lost six of their last seven games, four by at least 20 points.

Parcells could be watching his words because he recently said that starting Henson would show he's given up on this season. He didn't even let Henson break in during the first three lopsided losses, turning to him only after Testaverde went down.

"This guy has a big transition to make, he really does," Parcells said Wednesday. "There's a time warp here. ... It's just a natural concern that you would have that he hasn't been exposed to what he's going to be exposed to. The speed of the game is a little different on game day than it is in practice, and he hasn't had a lot of that."

Still, he knows Henson is a tremendous prospect, a possible No. 1 overall draft pick in 2001 or '02 had he stayed at Michigan. While he's seen Henson's poise so far, he's curious to see how Henson handles himself under duress in the NFL.

"That composure leaves you when you get hit in the head about three times," Parcells said.

The Bears (4-6) know all about the difficulty of playing a young quarterback.

Chicago went into this season with starter Rex Grossman in his second year and now has rookie Craig Krenzel going into his fifth start. Krenzel won his first three, but is coming off his first loss, having thrown two interceptions in a 41-10 rout against Indianapolis.

"Most teams blitz us an awful lot," Bears coach Lovie Smith said, laughing. "That's kind of Football 101 -- blitz a young quarterback."

Another story line Thursday involves the starting running backs, brothers Thomas Jones for Chicago and rookie Julius Jones for Dallas.

"I think it's going to be good to see," Smith said. "I mean, how many times do you get a chance to see brothers featured as tailbacks on opposite teams and on Thanksgiving?"