Vikings' Henderson is whole again

The date is not circled on a calendar, nor is it an anniversary that E.J. Henderson intends to celebrate. But the Vikings defensive captain will awake Monday morning with a sense of pride knowing he beat long odds.

Monday marks the one-year anniversary of the night Henderson rode off the field in Arizona on a cart, his left femur fractured, his football future in question. The injury was so gruesome that teammates openly cried in the locker room afterward and so rare in football that the team's head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman warned people inside the organization that Henderson's career could be finished.

"It's one of the few orthopedic emergencies, a fractured femur," Sugarman said. "I remember telling people at the time, 'Listen, this is a career threatening injury. Just be prepared.' But once he got over the surgery and got back with us, he's like, 'We're going to make a protocol on this deal and we're going to blow it out of the water.'"

That he did. The middle linebacker attacked his rehabilitation like he does running backs. To the amazement of everyone associated with the team, Henderson shaved months off his rehab timetable and was on the field for the season opener in New Orleans.

Henderson has started all 11 games and played the majority of snaps. He is second on the team in tackles (103) and leads all NFL linebackers with three interceptions, including one last week against Washington.

Henderson's return serves as a bright spot in a season that's fallen short of expectations and also made him one of the top candidates for the league's Comeback Player of the Year award.

Henderson is a man of few words and rarely displays much emotion, but he admits he's even shocked by what he's accomplished since last Dec. 6.

A rare injury

Erin Henderson, E.J.'s younger brother who also is a Vikings linebacker, watched a replay of the hit on Youtube one time. That was enough for him.

"I still see it visually," Erin said. "It literally happened right in front of me."

Inactive for the game, Erin stood on the sideline as E.J. chased running back Tim Hightower and collided with safety Jamarca Sanford. Everyone realized the seriousness of the situation immediately. Thus began what E.J. describes as his "journey." Initially, nobody really knew the final destination.

"Everything I heard was grim," interim coach Leslie Frazier said.

"So we kind of had to make our own protocol," Sugarman said.

Sugarman and assistant athletic trainer Tom Hunkele mapped out a rehab plan that put Henderson's possible return anywhere from nine to 12 months. They established landmarks with target dates such as when his range of motion would return, when he could lift weights, when he could jog for the first time and so on.

Henderson, who had a titanium rod inserted in his leg during surgery, pushed the envelope at every turn. He did rehab every day, up to 20 hours a week, during the offseason.

"I don't know that he missed a day, and we're talking about the dead of winter and offseason when no one is around," Sugarman said. "It was unbelievable how he attacked this injury and just was hellbent on not letting this get him off track. You really had to protect him from himself because he was trying to do too much. It was fun to watch him just crush the rehab."

Henderson navigated Winter Park immediately after his surgery on an electric cart. Even Erin was surprised by his brother's progress when the players returned for offseason workouts.

Pushing the comeback

Henderson never wavered in his desire to play in the opener, even when others considered it unrealistic. But he made steady progress in training camp, had no significant setbacks and was on the field in New Orleans on Sept. 9 -- almost exactly nine months postsurgery. He was credited with 10 tackles and one quarterback hurry.

Henderson, however, admits it felt like everyone around him was moving 100 miles per hour.

"Coming out in New Orleans, especially against an explosive offense like that, definitely was a change of pace," he said. "I wish we could play them again where I'm at right now. That day though I felt good. You couldn't tell me that day that I was behind or I wasn't going to be up to speed or used to the speed. But it definitely was a change of pace when I got out there and took adjusting to."

The rust wasn't obvious on every play early in the season, but it was noticeable. In the past, Henderson made what Frazier often describes as "splash plays" and those came less frequently. Henderson has made gradual progress over the season and said he feels close to his old self now.

Henderson admits initially he was a "little tiny bit" concerned about whether he would ever be the same player.

"There's probably not a real way to test that minus how you play on Sunday," he said. "I feel like my explosion and my speed are similar to where it was. Who knows where it will be in a month or so?"

That's the physical part. Henderson always puts forth a smoldering intensity on and off the field, like a guy who fears nothing and wouldn't dare show it if he did. Players often face a mental hurdle when returning from a serious injury. Imagine stepping onto the field again after experiencing something as painful as what Henderson felt.

"That's one thing I put in my mind that when I do come back I'm not going to have reservations, I'm not going to be scared to meet in the alley again with a running back or anything like that," he said. "I made my mind up from Day 1 that when I do come back I'm still going to play the game the same way. Jumping in the air, flying in the air, low cutting, whatever it takes I'm going to get the job done."

Henderson still feels some residual effects from the surgery. The colder weather has brought a few more aches and pains and his knee swells up where the rod was inserted. That's all natural and expected, he said. Sugarman's staff has presented Henderson's case study nationally at different seminars.

Frazier also shakes his head at the thought.