Del Rio Calls Out Henderson

Well, we have our first official salvo in the "This Training Camp Isn't Going To Be Like Last Year" storyline that I expect we'll have for quite some time.

Jack Del Rio went out of his way to call out John Henderson after Tuesday's OTA's (organized team activities...off-season practice to you and me, Russ.)

"John has a shoulder that, back when I played, nobody would’ve missed a snap. Lombardi might be rolling over. It’s disappointing to see him pull himself out. I’m not going to worry about somebody who’s pulled himself out of a drill."

But that wasn't all. Del Rio went on to say, "You can’t lead and act that way. Everybody has to determine their own tolerance for pain. Frankly, it’s embarrassing for me to even be talking about it."

So in one fell swoop, Del Rio has done a number of things:

1. Called out Henderson in an attempt to motivate him
2. Put all the veterans on notice that his expectations are different than last year when the veterans could take off a day here or there in training camp with nary a bat of an eye.
3. Served notice that the leadership on the team must be earned everyday.
4. Let the fans know (through the media) that he understands that the soft training camp of 2008 was one of the reasons for a poor season and he's not going to stand by and do nothing about it.

Del Rio knows how this will play. It wasn't done on accident. Was he steamed about Henderson's "Veteran's Shoulder?" Sure. But he also took advantage of an opportunity to make a statement to his team, to his coaches and to the fans about what HIS expectations are for this off-season and the 2009 season to come.