Before Romo, There Was Henson

Remember Drew Henson? C’mon — he was gonna be the next Troy Aikman, before Tony Romo took the mantle. Nine years ago, he was drafted by the New York Yankees — a five-year deal, including a signing bonus worth $2 mil. But instead of going straight into baseball, he opts for college — where, at the University of Michigan, he suits up for football and finds himself competing for the QB gig with future Golden Boy Tom Brady.

Long story short, he ditches baseball (and $12 million of the Yanks’ money) for football and winds up in Dallas in 2004 — where his career goes nowhere, except to Europe just so Jerry Jones could pretend he was getting something for his investment in a guy who should have gone anywhere but here. Said Bill Parcells last summer, when he told Henson to git: “I don’t keep players that I don’t think can play for us.” And … enter Tony Romo.

But Henson didn’t let Parcells faze him: There appeared in the Detroit Free Press on Monday a story now making the rounds about Henson’s “comeback” with the Minnesota Vikings, who picked up Henson after the Cowboys passed — and then promptly dropped him. Says the QB coach for the Vikings: “The guy has got some scars. He’s been through the wars. I think he is dying to prove who he is.” Incidentally, Henson and his future missus still live in Dallas — downtown, to be precise. –Robert Wilonsky