Henson gets nod against Chicago

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.

Although he was months from picking an NFL team, he was about three weeks into his football workouts when Thanksgiving rolled around. 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. “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.

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.

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.

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.