Henderson 'in a Great Place' ~ ~ Martin 'Blessed' to Be a Jet ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

LB Erin Henderson is relieved, happy and ready to resume his career as a contributing NFL inside linebacker."It's all about where you're standing right now, man," Henderson told me Monday when the Jets players returned to work, their preseason over and the regular season about to begin. "Me, I'm standing in a great place with a great opportunity, trying to make the best of it from here. The initial shock of it kind of sets in. Then from there, it gets to kind of business as normal."

The shock to Henderson's system came no doubt from two sources. An improving 'backer with Minnesota coming off a career year in 2013, he sat out of football last season after the Vikings released him following two arrests in a six-week span on DUI charges.He has spoken about his journey through an inpatient rehabilitation facility after the second arrest and how he felt his life being turned around. He just needed another team to "go out on a limb and trust me." The Jets were that team when they signed him as a free agent in April.But after a solid offseason and preseason heading into the first preseason game, Henderson left the game against the Lions after taking a hit to his knee. He missed the final three preseason games and was on pins and needles as the Jets' final cuts approached.

"Yeah, it made me a little nervous," he admitted about being sidelined. "I felt good about what I had done and the work I put in in OTAs and the early part of camp. But you really don't know. We had other guys that went out there and played well and competed, so you never really know what they're thinking upstairs, what's in their minds."What was on head coach Todd Bowles' mind was that before Henderson's injury, "He'd been having a good camp. He plays hard and he practices hard."That came through on the final cuts. Joe Mays, another veteran who had a good summer, was released, and at the moment Henderson and Jamari Lattimore are listed as the experienced inside backups behind David Harris and Demario Davis.

"I'm happy with the way things have played out," Henderson said. "I'm glad the coaches and the organization have the trust in me to believe I can go out there and get the job done. And I'm just going to go out there and show them they're right."

 

Martin on Board

The Jets made one waiver acquisition on Sunday, bringing in Ronald Martin from Seattle. Martin sees similarities in the two-time Super Bowl program he left after signing there as an undrafted free agent in May and the one he's joined almost 3,000 miles to the east.

With the Seahawks, he said, "The facility's great, the people are great, the team's great. It's just a good atmosphere over there for a kid that's coming out of college. And to say you're going to be away from your family, they treat you just like family."I kind of get the same vibe here, too, with the coaches and everything. I'd say it's kind of similar."

Martin also sized up the Seahawks secondary, where he played some corner and safety, and the Jets backfield with Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Buster Skrine, Marcus Gilchrist and Calvin Pryor."It's a great opportunity for me to learn from the guys here, and it was great learning from the guys in Seattle, too," he said. "It's just been a blessing all around for me to say I've been around some of the best in the league."

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