Undrafted DE savors new start

[The Entertainer]

[quote][size=3][b]Undrafted DE savors new start [/b] [/size]

By Kevin Goheen
Post staff reporter

Eric Henderson figured to hear his name called at some point on draft weekend. The defensive end left Georgia Tech as the program's all-time leader in tackles for loss, but through the seven rounds no team chose him.

While going undrafted stunned Henderson and confused him, those feelings didn't linger. He signed a free agent deal with the Bengals but didn't lower the expectations he placed on himself.

"It happened, it's over with and I have to move on," Henderson said as he pulled a shirt over his head and got ready to head off for a meeting at this weekend's mini-camp for rookies and first-year players.

"I don't need that to be a motivation thing for me," Henderson continued. "I go out every day looking to prepare and get better. I'm looking forward to winning every competition and every battle. That's just the type of person I am. I've been through struggles all of my life and just being raised the way I was raised and having gone through what I've been through that's enough motivation for me. I'm satisfied with that."

Henderson's mother passed away from breast cancer when he was 10 years old. His grandmother raised him and his younger brother and sister, but she died when Henderson was a senior in high school. He has since had to help bring up his siblings.

Along with those family responsibilities, he earned his degree in business management.

Being undrafted really wasn't all that bad.

"I don't need that type of wakeup call to be considered motivation because I'm already a motivated person at the highest level, I feel," Henderson said. "That happened and it happens. I just have to keep going about life as I've been doing."

Henderson's draft status was hurt when he couldn't work out at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis because of a foot injury. Injuries also forced him to miss seven games the last two seasons, but he still finished with 25 sacks and 59½ tackles for loss for the Yellow Jackets.

[b]A GOOD EXCUSE[/b] - Defensive end Frostee Rucker, the team's third-round draft choice, missed out on Saturday morning's workout. Seems he got bumped from his red-eye flight from Los Angeles Friday night after attending his graduation ceremony at the University of Southern California. Rucker graduated with a degree in sociology.

"I'm the first person in my family tree to graduate, let alone go to college, and I'd just like to say that I'm living a dream right now," said Rucker.

Also attending the ceremony was Cleveland cornerback Daylon McCutcheon, who had been selected by the Browns in the third round of the 1999 draft but continued to work on completing his degree.

"He sat right next me and gave a little speech," said Rucker. "I teared up, but that's enough about that."

[b]BACK AT IT[/b] - Undrafted free agent punter Danny Baugher (pronounced BAH-ger) tore the ACL in his right knee in a game for Arizona last October but he has participated fully in this camp. Baugher was leading the nation with a 47.5-yard average when the injury occurred.

"I think it's pretty amazing that he is back and kicking," said special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons. "He was hurt at the end of October and he's already punting again. Especially for it to be his kicking leg."

Simmons said he's been around other specialists who have suffered similar injuries and recovered, most notably punter Todd Sauerbrun and kicker John Kasay in Carolina, and that Baugher will get stronger as the offseason progresses and training camp gets closer to starting in late July. Baugher will compete with incumbent punter Kyle Larson for the punter's job.

The Bengals will take Baugher's injury into consideration as they evaluate him.

"It's not a situation where we can wait around forever," Simmons said. "It's up to him and how his body responds, but overall he's shown improvement. He had a rough morning (Saturday), but he had a better morning (Sunday). That's what we're looking for, improvement in practice every day."

[b]CORNHOLE TOURNAMENT[/b] - Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer will host a charity cornhole tournament June 17 at the Paul Brown Stadium practice fields. The event, sponsored by Cincinnati Bell and Huntington Bank, will benefit Lighthouse Youth Services. Sponsorship packages begin at $2,500.

For more information, contact Natalie Schwab with Lighthouse at 513-487-7109.

[b]RELEASED[/b] - The Bengals made one roster move this weekend, releasing college free agent tight end Bristol Olomua of Texas Tech on Saturday after he failed his physical.

The Bengals also sent home four unsigned mini-camp invitees - quarterback Chris Brammel, tight end C.J. Leak, fullback Onyi Momah and tight end Byron Allen - after they failed physicals. Offensive lineman Brian Lapham, nephew of Bengals radio analyst Dave Lapham, left camp after deciding his injured knee wouldn't hold up. Lapham, who played at Harvard, was also an unsigned invitee at camp working out with the team on a tryout basis.[/quote]


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