Patriots' Rookie Benched After Fumble; Hunter Henry Advice?

New England Patriots captain Hunter Henry offered his support and insight to rookie receiver Demario Douglas in the wake of his costly fumble against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2. After all, he has been there before.

FOXBORO — New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry is no stranger to taking on new challenges. As a first-time captain this season, he is already proving himself up to the task by being a valuable mentor to some of the team's younger players, including highly-touted rookie Demario 'Pop' Douglas. 

In fact, the Pats' sixth-rounder (no. 210 overall) may need Henry's wisdom and counsel now, more than ever. 

In only New England's second offensive series of their 24-17 Week 2 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Douglas halted what was becoming a promising drive by fumbling his third-down catch while attempting a cut to gain significant yardage after his reception. Miami capitalized on the turnover by adding a touchdown of their own, while Douglas spent the remainder of the game on the bench. 

Understandably, New England's rookie receiver has since been in less-than affable spirits; feeling like his miscue may have been a key factor in the team's loss. 

It is a sentiment Henry knows well ... so well, that he shared his own comparable experience with Douglas in the aftermath of Sunday night's matchup — thus, trying to ensure that "Pop" does not become a victim of circumstance. 

"Pop's a great player. We need him," Henry told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday. "I kind of conveyed that to him ... talked to him on Monday and told him a similar story to me actually."

Henry wasn't the only to give "Pop" a pep talk. Veteran running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott have also missed playing time in the past because of ball-security issues.

Joked Stevenson, "I told him, 'Hopefully, you don’t miss as many games as I did'.”

In Week 3 of his rookie season with the then-San Diego Chargers, Henry also found himself descending from potential hero to scapegoat in a matter of seconds during the Bolts matchup with the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. 

Facing a 26-22 deficit late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Philip Rivers found Henry on a textbook route to the short middle of the field on second-and-11 from their own 24-yard-line. The catch was set to advance the Bolts to the Indianapolis 42 with 1:11 remaining in the game. Unfortunately, former Colts' safety Clayton Gethers was able to knock the ball from Henry's hands only to be recovered by Indy defensive back Mike Adams. 

It is a sequence Henry remembers vividly nearly eight years later. 

“I run a really good route. There’s about a minute left in the game. I catch the ball and I kind of get in the open field," Henry recalled. "I make the first guy miss, but I’m looking at the next guy and not thinking about what’s going on. And the ball gets poked out from behind.

“I actually lost the game for our team in a two-minute drive situation. Really woke me up to this level and humbled me a lot and I learned a lot and I’ve realized that I needed to get on the ball a little tighter."

Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

While such public missteps are capable of derailing even the most promising of rookie seasons, Henry used the opportunity to self-motivate. Despite the Chargers dropping their Week 4 contest to the New Orleans Saints, the Bolts' rookie caught four passes for 61 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown on a 20-yard pass from Rivers. In fact, Henry smirked at the podium while recalling his impressive three-week stretch after the fumble, catching 13 passes for 218 yards with three touchdowns.

“It was definitely a motivating factor,” Henry said. “I was excited to get back out there by Sunday.”

In turn, Henry appears to be settling into his new role as captain by embracing the challenges of the position. While his "leadership by example" approach has served him well throughout his seven previous seasons in the NFL, the veteran tight end has expressed a desire to become more vocal in his leadership duties. By imparting his words of wisdom to Douglas, he is providing some much-needed support to his beleaguered teammate -- while potentially infusing a level of confidence that might allow the Liberty product the chance to electrify the Patriots offense. 

“He’s a good dude, and he works really hard," Henry said of Douglas. "I know he takes pride in what he does. And so, I know he’ll be ready to go.”

The Patriots returned to the practice fields on Wednesday in preparation for their Week 3 matchup with the New York Jets (1-0) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. 

Both Henry ... and Douglas will be ready.