Without getting ahead of ourselves, rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson looks like the game-breaker the Patriots need

"As tempting as it may be when a player's talent is as obvious as TreVeyon Henderson, we will do our best prudent and practical and measured here. We will give no accolades before their time. That's a lesson learned 30 years ago - yes, it has been that long, and no, my increasingly rickety self does not want to talk about it - when a certain imposing and effectively sarcastic coach tried to temper enthusiasm for a rookie running back who immediately looked like a star at a position where special talent becomes apparent in a hurry."

"On Sept. 3, 1995, Bill Parcells's Patriots beat Bill Belichick's Browns, 17-14, in the season opener at Foxboro Stadium. The winning touchdown was scored on a second-effort, 1-yard plunge with 19 seconds left by rookie running back Curtis Martin, a third-round pick who had been limited to two games because of an ankle injury during his final season at the University of Pittsburgh."

"(Martin ran for 282 yards and averaged 7.1 yards per carry in those two games, and ran for more than 1,000 yards the previous season, so his talent was not exactly a mystery. The health of that ankle was.) It was an inspiring debut, so naturally, Martin - who busted free for a 30-yard run on the Patriots' first play from scrimmage, and finished with 102 yards in his NFL debut, the most by a New England rookie in a season opener - was the focus of much media attention in the locker room after the game. Parcells, of course, was thrilled by this. "One-game wonder," said Parcells, walking by the scrum around the soft-spoken Martin's locker. "Tell these guys to get out!""

TreVeyon Henderson projects as New England's first genuine offensive difference-maker since Julian Edelman or Rob Gronkowski. Observers note his talent is obvious but advise measured expectations and against premature accolades. A historical example from Sept. 3, 1995, shows rookie Curtis Martin delivering a dramatic debut touchdown despite recent injury history, reminding that early performances can be electric yet warrant caution. Bill Parcells famously tempered locker-room adulation for Martin with blunt, grounding remarks to limit hype. The combination of evident talent and a lesson in restraint frames current evaluations of Henderson's early impact for the Patriots.

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